MLO Bronco's First Trail Damage: Between A Rock & A Hard Place

It's safe to say this one could've turned out much worse than it did. Joe K and I (Sam) set out for a few days of trail riding in the MLO Bronco up in New Hampshire with our good friend and trail guide Ron Harrington. 

Friday came around and we packed up our things from the MLO New England shop and hit the road to go scout some trails Ron hadn't surpassed in quite some time. We quickly came to the realization that this trail was significantly washed out and would be a challenge from top to bottom.

Ron's JK and the MLO Bronco crept our way down this ancient forest road carefully and managed to keep the truck in one piece, our new ARB Summit Bumper out front gave us much more peace of mind on these tight off-camber trails. With some quick chainsaw action on two fallen trees we had finally neared the bottom of the forest road, where we'd encounter our final challenge: The boulder. 

This particular boulder had slid down within the ravine over the last few years, making this pass narrower and narrower as it slid with time. Ron was able to maneuver his JK (aka Dozer) through the narrow gap, it was anything but easy. The longer and wider Bronco began its descent on this narrow pass with Joe at the wheel as I stood out front camera in hand, nervous but confident we would squeeze through. Our first attempt left us with half an inch of clearance from the passenger rear door to the boulder, any mistake or weight shift easily resulting in significant body damage. Joe backed out, walked his line, and went again. Our second attempt was a smoother approach, but we once again got hung up between the rear door and fender flare. The Bronco's fender flares are extremely stout, and while removing them would've allowed for more clearance keeping them on created a buffer from damaging the body of the vehicle. An unexpected slide in the front end and a quick "CRUNCH" was all we needed to know we were in deep. Click the link below to see the carnage and let us know what you thought of this sketchy section of trail! Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more trail content from MLO.