Rock crawling is an extreme form of off road driving using highly customized vehicles to overcome large obstacles.
Rock crawling basics
The goal of rock crawling is to overcome the largest, most difficult obstacles using any four wheeled vehicle. These obstacles can be anything from a collection of boulders to steep cliff faces. Vehicles can range from stock trucks right off the assembly line to custom hand made machines made specifically for off road terrain.
The vehicles
In order to succesfully rock crawl, a capable vehicle is required. Most commonly a brand name truck or four wheeled vehicle will be outfitted custom parts to make it as powerful and maneuverable as possible. These custom parts can include:
- off road tires
- larger suspension
- four wheel steering
- roll cages for driver protection
- engine modifications for increased performance
Using these additions one can turn any vehicle into a respectable rock crawling machine.
On the extreme side, those with more financial resources can build their own rock crawler by hand. There are many benefits to this method. The biggest is that the owner has complete control over what their vehicle is capable of. Also, they do not have to be limited by the vehicles exterior and can design anything they want with no restrictions. The downside is that doing this is a much larger investment.
The terrain
The terrain used for rock crawling can vary just as much as the vehicles. Most commonly, rock crawling will occur where there are plenty of rocks, but any other steep or abnormal surface will do. Other obstacles may include mud, sand, water, brush, large hills, and even trees. Preferably one should have enough good terrain to make a path with plenty of variation among the obstacles. The more difficult the path the better, but one must also take into account safety and the likelihood that they might not be able to make it. While a challenge is good, it is not good to blindly take on any challenge even if it means impending damage.