Legal Ohio Wheelin'
I admire your major effort this month to help Jeepers find legal places to go wheeling. It is something all of us need to know so all of us can promote legal locations.
I was perusing your pages in the Oct. '10 issue and found an error in "Off-Road Parks." You have a location listed on page 47 of legal places to wheel. I have wheeled there myself and later found out that I was trespassing. The location is called Wellsville Trails. There is a dedicated bunch that would love to make it legal (as would I), but it isn't. They even made a Web page for it that makes it look like a legit site. When you set foot on the property, you are wheeling without the owner's consent. The owner is very lax about enforcing his boundaries and one can wheel all day without being bothered. There is even a campground with a couple acres that charges a $10 "toll" for entry to the entire location. On the safety side of things, there is very limited access for rescue to get in and there is no patrol by local law enforcement. This opens up huge safety risks to wheeling there. It is common for rigs to be looted and torched when left unattended if they break down.
There are other places in Ohio to wheel legally that are not listed. These include Stillwell Stompers (stillwellstompers.com), Jeepskool (jeepskool.com), Yankee Lake (trucknight.com), and Mud Ranch. There are several local clubs that hold regular events such as Tire Town (tiretown.org), Erie Shores Jeeps (erieshoresjeeps.com ), and Hall of Fame 4x4 (hof4x4.com).
Bob Sears
Via email
One-Man Rant
In regards to the Trail Head in the Oct. '10 issue, I agree with you. Our politicians want to take more of our rights and as much of our money as they can. When you have an Ivy League education you can sell the hype (when TV and newspapers re-affirm your opinion) to the public to make your opinion/agenda seem like the answer to the fabricated facts. These career politicians have not had a real job in many years and need to get a job with the same benefits and health care that we have. Like you, I have discovered that most of the government propaganda is opinion/agenda, not true facts. In my opinion, all incumbents (of any party) who have held public office for more than three terms are part of the problem and should be voted out. It's sad that our politicians lose common sense after a few terms in office.
I've enjoyed Jp for years. It's helped keep my '72 Commando going, but I have concerns that the EPA will outlaw our older vehicles in the name of the environment because they want to and they can!
Joe
Via email
Switch Seat
I am 50 years old. I just had spinal surgery where three discs were fused together. With that in mind, if you were me, which seats would you buy, MasterCraft, Corbeau, or Bestop? Price isn't the issue; seats are cheaper than buying a new Wrangler. My lower back and hips thank you.
David Schmidt
Via email I would definitely find a local 4x4 shop that carries the seats you are interested in so you can sit in them yourself. I am a huge fan of suspension seats like those from Mastercraft, PRP, and others. They provide a lot of really good support and they are very comfortable. However, that extra support and comfort can come at a cost. Sometimes they are difficult to get in and out of. I'm not sure how bad your condition is, but maybe you should see if you can find someone with a Jeep similar to yours with the seats you are looking at, just to see if you can get in and out easily. Personally, I would rather be really comfortable while I'm sitting in my Jeep. I don't worry about the inconvenience of getting in and out. I like the PRP Premier Series high backs and the Mastercraft Original, however there are other models available that may work better for you. I like the taller bolsters that typically only come on the race seats like the Mastercraft Original, 3G, ProSeat, Pro4, and Taylor Made. Hope that helps.