Hi Randy,
>I thought it might be worth bringing up that used with some common sense a
>Mule can be a lot of fun.
Common sense is critical, but it is no substitute experience :-) There
is an axiom, of sorts, which states that the more "trouble" a vehicle
allows you to get into, the more important experience is. For example,
if I bought a military Blazer it would not be that different from when I
owned a Jimmy. Since I have experience with that specific model (not to
mention others very similar to it) and it doesn't do much more than drive
on flat, graded/paved surfaces... I have sufficient common sense and
experience to prevent me from getting into much trouble. But something
like a MULE is quite unique and capable of getting into situations which
no other vehicle can (which is why they made the things <g>). Therefore,
experience becomes more important because even the best driver has less
applicable common sense and experience at the ready. In other words a
new MULE driver, no matter how sensible and experienced with other
vehicles, will more likely find himself in a dangerous/difficult
situation without necessarily knowing it or necessarily knowing what to
do/not do to avoid problems. Kinda harsh learning curve sometimes!
>I use mine countless hours every year for hunting
>and have never even come close to rolling it. Anything with this short a
>wheel base and width is going to go over easier than a full size vehicle.
One important thing to keep in mind is if the MULE is capable of 4 wheel
steering at the time. One can get into a LOT more trouble with 4 wheel
steering than 2 wheel. After my accident I decided that unless my
driving was going to be slow and away from obstacles, that I would drive
in 2 wheel steering mode. At least until I become better experienced.
>Look at the reputation the CJ5 got because of it's tendency to roll over.
>It is longer and wider than the Mule.
Hehe... nothing like the Samurai's reputation :-)
Steve
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Feb 06 2002 - 11:49:23 PST