Stock Liberty at Jeep Jamboree Question?

touro1979 · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 6:08 am

I have an 06 Liberty with the Mopar skid plates but no lift kit or rock rails. I have 245/70-16 General AT2 grabber tires and have the full size spare. I am getting tow hooks next week.

My Questions is Will I have fun at a Jeep Jamboree with a stock liberty?

Will there be trails available for me to take?

Should I get the Mopar rock rails before I go or will I be ok without them? I would rather not have to get them becasue money is tight but if they will make a huge difference then I would consider getting them put on.

I am planning on going to Penns woods and may be the one in the Catskills. Has anyone gone to either of these events and seen a stock liberty attend? Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated.

KJ 119 · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 7:30 am

If money is tight,you might want to check and see if there is a Pre-jambo run.I did the Pre-jambo run in St.Francisville
for 10 bucks the weekend before compaired to like 200 or so for the Jambo run.I was completely stock as well as Shaggyislandboy,at the time and we had a blast.There should be different levels to run with,I reckon.

I'd say go for it but i'm not formilar with the area.
Have a great time if you go.

DryBones · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 8:36 am

skids before rock rails. Protect the tranny!

AZKJ · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 9:15 am

Go for it... you will be surprised where a stock height Liberty with skids and good A/T tires can go with good driving. Have fun and post up some pics when you get back!!

MP Jeeper · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 11:41 am

DryBones wrote:

skids before rock rails. Protect the tranny!

X2. And don't buy the OEM rock rails, you'll just end up bending them like the rest of us and need better ones l8r. Better to saze & get the good stuff. :wink:

LIV42DY · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 10:34 pm

There are all different levels you can run, go to the web site and take a look, but you will need tow hooks, rear recovery, front recovery,skid plates , including fuel tank. no rock rails. the inspect the jeep upon arrival, they have a list on the web site as to the equipment you a required to have in order for any level. I did it once when my jeep was stock and we had a blast. You will be surprised what the KJ can do.

Cobalt-60 · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2009 11:32 pm

X2 for what LIV42DY said.

Penn's Wood is rated 3-7 -- the most difficult thing the Easy ("101 Group", "Pink Group", or whatever they will call it) Group will do should be a difficulty 3 (on a 1-10 scale with 1 being a gravel road and 10 being the Rubicon Trail), while 7 is the most challenging thing that the Advanced Groups will do.

The Catskills is rated 4-9 -- same story, just more difficult.

For reference, in 2007 I ran Tellico (then a 6-9, now a 1-5 after closures) with a Rusty's lift, rock rails, full after-market skids, and 245/70/16's and BARELY made it through the Easy Group (the line between what is a "6" and a "7" can truly be a little fuzzy... LOL)

I was also part of the group that organized the 1st LOST ECS (East Coast Safari) last year at Windrock (same place as the Tennessee Mountain JJ) and I can attest to the 3-9 range of trails there as well. We pushed our vehicles there (and have some stories to tell about it LOL), but all in all, you can do what you feel comfortable with.

The recommendation for having tow hooks (no matter what else) cannot be stated strongly enough. Unless you want to just leave your KJ there if it gets stuck. :wink:

tomsjeep · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 7:53 am

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the 'official' Jeep jamboree's prohibit highly modified vehicles anyway. I think stock vehicles are highly encouraged.
Definitely you should go.

touro1979 · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 9:09 am

DryBones wrote:

skids before rock rails. Protect the tranny!

I have all the mopar skid plates including the transmission. I know there are better alternatives to mopar but my Liberty will only be my off road rig for a couple of years since I am saving for a 97-00 wrangler and hope to have one within two years.

Thanks for all the comments and encouragement so far. I am def going to go now. I was just afraid they wouldnt let me do anything fun because I have a stock liberty, sounds like that will not happen.

Are the mopar rock rails that bad? I am still thinking of getting them for xtra protection for this summers and next summers Jeep Jamborees that I plan on attending. I just priced them at the dealership and including tax and labor will only cost me $360.00. If I get aftermarket rails, they are going to charge me a heck of lot more to put them on. They only charge 30 bucks an hour to put on mopar accessories. I think I want them more for extra insurance vs. using them to slide across large boulders. I pan on driving like I do not have them on but if something unforseen happens they seem like they would be better than nothing.

If I had more mech. ability I would order better ones and install myself but I do not know what I am doing and I have never done any work myself (I am even afraid to change my own oil

) I think it would help if I had a friend who knew what they doing so they could help me through the process.

Cobalt-60 · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 9:23 am

tomsjeep wrote:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the 'official' Jeep jamboree's prohibit highly modified vehicles anyway. I think stock vehicles are highly encouraged.
Definitely you should go.

If by 'official' you mean the Jeep Jamboree (the only ones allowed to use that name) run by Mark A. Smith Enterprises on behalf of Jeep, then that may be the 'official' line but the reality is much different.

Of the 115 vehicles at Tellico (a higher rated event for sure) in 2007, there were about 20 of us in the "101 Group" (pink group) inc 3 trail guide vehicles. Of those 17 participants, there were 3 modified KJ (inc a CRD), 1 unmodified XJ (took significant rocker panel damage), 1 GC Overland (destroyed a rim), and a combination of pretty much stock YJs, TJs, and JKs (2- and 4-door).

The other roughly 100 odd vehicles (almost all CJs, TJs or YJs, with 2 GCs) were about as heavily modified as you could get. In fact about 20-30 of them were not really "street-legal" (or were geared so high that you would not want to drive them on it) and were brought in by folks on trailers.

Now this does not mean that you should not go, but that if it is higher rated event, chances are pretty good that there will not be many truly 'stock' vehicles there.

I think the FAQ here -- http://jeepjamboreeusa.com/faq.htm

paints a pretty reliable pic. Notice that Patriots and Compasses, even with a '4WD', are only recommended for Trails Rated 1-2. Get the tow hooks and the skids and protect the investment (in fun).

tomsjeep · **Posted:** Sun May 03, 2009 4:33 pm

Cobolt-60 wrote:

tomsjeep wrote:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the 'official' Jeep jamboree's prohibit highly modified vehicles anyway. I think stock vehicles are highly encouraged.
Definitely you should go.

If by 'official' you mean the Jeep Jamboree (the only ones allowed to use that name) run by Mark A. Smith Enterprises on behalf of Jeep, then that may be the 'official' line but the reality is much different.
Of the 115 vehicles at Tellico (a higher rated event for sure) in 2007, there were about 20 of us in the "101 Group" (pink group) inc 3 trail guide vehicles. Of those 17 participants, there were 3 modified KJ (inc a CRD), 1 unmodified XJ (took significant rocker panel damage), 1 GC Overland (destroyed a rim), and a combination of pretty much stock YJs, TJs, and JKs (2- and 4-door).
The other roughly 100 odd vehicles (almost all CJs, TJs or YJs, with 2 GCs) were about as heavily modified as you could get. In fact about 20-30 of them were not really "street-legal" (or were geared so high that you would not want to drive them on it) and were brought in by folks on trailers.
Now this does not mean that you should not go, but that if it is higher rated event, chances are pretty good that there will not be many truly 'stock' vehicles there.
I think the FAQ here -- http://jeepjamboreeusa.com/faq.htm
paints a pretty reliable pic. Notice that Patriots and Compasses, even with a '4WD', are only recommended for Trails Rated 1-2. Get the tow hooks and the skids and protect the investment (in fun).

That is what I was referring to... I looked into going the first year after I got my '02 TJ, but then ended up going wheeling with folks from 4WD Hardware, and having way too much fun! I'm still cleaning Wellsville mud out of my TJ from 2 years ago!

kjsport05 · **Posted:** Wed May 06, 2009 3:08 pm

i ran last year at the cumberland one with just my franky and skids .... i ran a 5-6 and a 6-7. the only time i had any trouble was getting winched up a side hill that only 2 out of 13 vehicles made up (10 were locked). if you end up going, dont be scared of the numbers. ask them what type of trails it will be and then make a decision from there. a lift and tires would be nice, but there was a stock liberty at the one last year and he had a blast on some 3-4 trails with no damage at all. definatly an experience you wont forget.

touro1979 · **Posted:** Wed May 06, 2009 3:43 pm

I just thought I would let you all know I just signed up for Penns Woods. Thanks for the all the advice and encouragement. I ordered the mopar rock rails too. I think they will be good enough for my purposes until I get a wrangler.

SNAFU · **Posted:** Thu May 07, 2009 3:55 am

Go break it, should still be under warranty

best time to break junk.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Thu May 07, 2009 10:12 am

DryBones wrote:

skids before rock rails. Protect the tranny!

I have the MOPAR skids since 2007 and served me well until EJS 2009 in MOAB. My right tire went into a hole I did not see and the tranny skid came down on a rock that was just tall enough. The whole skid buckled, the tranny pan was smashed and the oil filter was ripped out causing the engine to bleed to near death.

I recommend the skid row. I was traveling on what was essentially a dirt road at the time.

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Thu May 07, 2009 12:55 pm

touro1979 wrote:

I just thought I would let you all know I just signed up for Penns Woods. Thanks for the all the advice and encouragement. I ordered the mopar rock rails too. I think they will be good enough for my purposes until I get a wrangler.

good move.. even the mopar rock rails are worth their weight in gold.... just not a lot gold

you'll have a blast at the bradford jamboree.. my father and i have gone to that one for the last 2 years.. 1st with my liberty 2nd with his rubicon. there are trails for you and you'll have a blast. the yellow trail would be about as high as you'd want to go.. everything under that (and the yellow trail) would be a blast! if you do the yellow trail take the by-pass around 'the twisties' but that's the only place you'd need to worry about.

touro1979 · **Posted:** Thu May 07, 2009 1:16 pm

2006 KJ wrote:

touro1979 wrote:

I just thought I would let you all know I just signed up for Penns Woods. Thanks for the all the advice and encouragement. I ordered the mopar rock rails too. I think they will be good enough for my purposes until I get a wrangler.

good move.. even the mopar rock rails are worth their weight in gold.... just not a lot gold

you'll have a blast at the bradford jamboree.. my father and i have gone to that one for the last 2 years.. 1st with my liberty 2nd with his rubicon. there are trails for you and you'll have a blast. the yellow trail would be about as high as you'd want to go.. everything under that (and the yellow trail) would be a blast! if you do the yellow trail take the by-pass around 'the twisties' but that's the only place you'd need to worry about.

Can someone explain the color coded trail rating system to me. What color are above yellow. Which ones are below yellow. Thanks.

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Thu May 07, 2009 6:57 pm

every jamboree is different.. but that one is set up in colors... too long to type out the descriptions of the trails on here. when you go there they set up a big room with a bunch of displays/pictures/videos of the different trails... you walk around and talk to the trail guides about which trails you'd like to take. the 'jeep inspecition' is one of the first things they'll have you do.. during that the guy will 'suggest' trails for you based on your set up.. you can chose to take those or not.. he suggested the easyest ones for me but i took ones more toward upper medium and had a blast.. never got stuck and didnt have any damage at all either day (i was frankenlifted though).

Stock Liberty at Jeep Jamboree Question?

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