“Why did I go on Hell’s Revenge!?”
That’s what these 4x4 drivers are probably thinking as they roll their rigs on some of Moab’s hardest obstacles.
What’s Hell’s Revenge?
It’s a 6 1/2 mile trail in Moab, Utah with beautiful views, grippy rockcrawling, and punishing obstacles. It’s got a 7/10 difficulty rating.
You can run it in 2-5 hours, but it’ll take a whole lot longer if you flip onto your lid!
2 1/2 Turn Tumble
Hell’s Gate is a tall, narrow climb through a notch. It’s steep! While we’ve seen stock vehicles do it, plenty of 4x4s get completely wrecked on this obstacle.
This Jeep gets to the top, then loses it, flipping over backwards. The tire placement here was not good and the driver simply wasn’t paying attention to the spotter.
What could have prevented 2.5 rolls all the way to the bottom?
The driver could have turned to their right a bit to keep all four wheels on the ground. Once they were in trouble, they could have driven out it by throwing the Jeep into reverse and backing up a few feet.
Corn-Fed Cherokee XJ Top Flops
This yellow Jeep Cherokee XJ makes it all the way to the top of Hell’s Gate, then does exactly the same thing as the last Jeep!
This view from the bottom shows that the crux of the obstacle is the top. It’s smooth sailing until you hit those bumps near the rim that make 4x4s do a reverse endo.
Luckily, this Iowa Jeep doesn’t roll to the bottom and is recovered quickly.
Hell’s Gate is an obstacle where spectators like to watch. If you want your own rollover on camera, this is a great place to get it!
Why You Should Replace Your Stock Jeep Rollbar
Mickey’s Hot Tub is one of the famous holes you drive into and out of.
It’s easy to get in, but not so easy to get out.
This Jeep owner was nearly crushed when his stock Jeep rollbar and windshield collapsed after a backflip.
The owner later upgraded the Jeep’s roll protection to a Poison Spider cage.
Cage upgrades are an especially good idea on any Jeep that gets wheeled hard. The steel and weld quality in an aftermarket cage is almost always better than stock.
Even more importantly:
The weakest part of a Jeep rollbar - the stock windshield and tie bars - is replaced with a real “A” pillar hoop and welded crossbars. That’s what was crushed in this video.
Slickrock Is Awesome Till It’s Wet
Moab trail obstacles are mostly on hard, grippy slickrock.
Yeah, the name makes no sense. It’s not slick.
Anyway, the Devil’s Highway Hot Tub is another hot tub. What they don’t tell you is that these things sometimes fill up with water in rainstorms.
That can make’em pretty tough.
This 2nd Gen Toyota pickup gets a little too happy on the skinny pedal near the top.
Once the bouncing starts, the driver loses control - there’s not much he could have done in this situation. Luckily, it’s more of a flop and the worst damage is a crushed front quarter and hood.
The saddest thing about this is seeing a clean 2nd Gen get smashed up.
See How Slippery Slickrock Can Be Even When It’s Dry
Tip Over Challenge is often considered an easier obstacle, but not always!
Here’s the deal:
Slickrock usually has legendary grip, but 4x4s still have trouble with it when it’s dry.
Why?
Sand. And if there’s one thing Moab has, it’s sand.
Slickrock without sand is pretty grippy, but slickrock covered in sand can be like ice. This Jeep owner discovered that fact right before they rolled.
What would have helped here?
A locker!
The driver doesn’t help by turning the wheels to his left, but lockers could have helped avoid this roll.
Lockers keep power going to both wheels in a single axle (this doesn’t normally happen) so that you can get more traction in low-traction conditions.
I know lockers are expensive…
But while this actually looked like a relatively easy roll, the repair bill came to $10k because of a bent frame and tub!
Always Keep Your Arms and Legs Inside
One rule of 4x4ing is to always keep your arms, legs, and head inside your rig, especially if you start to go over.
In a place like Moab - which has a lot of tight canyon notches and walls - this is even more important.
This woman was driving a rock buggy out of a hot tub on Hell’s Revenge. When she flipped the rig, she got her arm trapped between the cage and the rock wall.
She needed to be airlifted out by helicopter, which was about an hour wait.
This is not uncommon in Moab!
It shows why the driver needs to keep their hands on the steering wheel and passengers need to have grab bars inside the rig.