New to Massachusetts from Arizona

[Rabbit]

Hey y'all. I got out of the military a few months ago and took a job doing base fuels at Westover. I did a lot of rock crawling in Arizona and Colorado. Zelda, my Jeep, has a 4" suspension lift, 33" tires, rear automatic locker, and a bunch of smaller mods. I've been wheeling for about 4 years and owned 3 Cherokees before getting Zelda. Looking forward to finding some trails here in Massachusetts, but first I need to find an inspection station near Palmer. Any suggestions? Here is a picture from Broken Arrow in Sedona, AZ.(I'm assuming trail names from other, less fascists states are okay, let me know if not.)

[Kodi]

Hey Welcome! Aaaaah, Sedona, been there. It's beautiful!

Our wheeling is far different here than in the West. You will find things slick, gooey, and a whole different game. Some of us went out to Moab a few years ago and were in HEAVEN!

As far as trail names, yeah...we tend to NOT use them, as we do legal wheeling on public and private land that we have the rights to. Thus, trying to keep names to a very bare minimum!

Look forward to seeing you on the trails!

Sorry, we are in the Eastern part of the state, have no clue on inspection stations near Palmer. Not sure how far you are from Elias ...he may be able to help out!

[DDewar53]

Welcome! I was on that Moab trip, trying to figure out how to get back. I'll be retiring within the next 5 years and may just move out that way. I'm also in the eastern part of the state, but I'm sure somebody out that way can help you find an offroader friendly inspection station.

[mrfreakinwhite]

Just stop in and ask the local stations, inspecting it should be fairly easy. Elias 4wd doesn't do state inspections. Your first inspection here will include a plug in to your OBD II port to verify emissions systems are in tact, but there's no sniffer test. And they will look at ball joints, tie rods, unit bearings, e-brake function to 1200 RPM.

Nice Jeep. We avoid trail names to avoid John Q Public, the irresponsible delinquent, from finding our hidden gems. There's ZERO public land for off roading, except a couple of roads and the one and only municipally owned 'historic 4x4 trail,' in the US and that's all we have left. Unfortunately, JQP doesn't care about our plight and still litters these few places left with empties, spray painted rocks, etc.

Our granite is covered in moss on the north side, mud or soft soils between them and leaves.
Our soil and sand is kind of rich in minerals so washing your frame is crucial after any kind of deep mud or water here. Get it all out, I see a lot of TJs come through this shop (Elias 4WD Center) with rotted frames. A lot. A lot of water, high pressure and spray paint is your friend. Eastwood's Internal Frame Coating is also good.

[Rabbit]

I figured that was the case with the trails. Everything is pretty much restricted or illegal here. I grew up in Ohio and lived in Pennsylvania for a few years, so I'm familiar with mud and snow, but pretty much a newbie to wheeling in them. I bought 7+ acres on Baptist Hill in Palmer for those familiar with the area. Great for a little Jeep playground with all the rocks. I found a place in Chicopee for inspections and got it knocked out. I generally work weekends, but in April I'll have some vacation, so hopefully I can get in on some runs. Thanks for the welcome!

[mrfreakinwhite]

7+ acres = awesome sauce. Just enough for some fun.