Know before you go: Classes offer training on 4WD vehicles

By Hannah Grover

Gary Kehler started the vehicle recovery class he teaches by asking his students if they have ever had an incident where their vehicle got stuck.

Kehler was leading a vehicle recovery course that is one of the options provided by ETS Consulting LLC. The company teaches people about off-road driving and vehicle recovery. It also offers courses in wilderness first aid, though Kehler is not an instructor for that course.

Kehler is one of the few International Four-Wheel Drive Trainers Association (I4WDTA ) certified four-wheel drive instructors in New Mexico.

The organization has certification testing twice a year, and the next opportunity for prospective trainers is in October in Tularosa. The certification requires trainers to demonstrate both physical and mental acumen. There are three certified trainers in New Mexico listed on the I4WDTA website, including Kehler.

While he hadn’t planned for the cold, rainy weather that day, Kehler told his class that vehicles are more likely to get stuck on days when there’s some precipitation.

“We might actually have a real recovery today,” he told the class. Some of his relatives were heading up to the mountains to get firewood and it was snowing at higher elevations.

Thankfully, his relatives did not end up needing assistance.

During the class, Kehler demonstrated various tools he keeps on hand for vehicle recovery, including the winch on the front of his Jeep. He also gave the students recommendations for choosing equipment. Some of the tools he demonstrated included winch lines, recovery ropes, high-lift jacks, pully blocks, soft shackles and splicing tools.

Just because vehicles are more likely to get stuck when rain or snow cause rough road conditions doesn’t mean that there aren’t incidents on hot, dry days. People can end up with broken tie rods or axles and, if they don’t know how to address those issues, they can end up stuck on the trails and waiting for help.

As summer gets underway, drivers from all over New Mexico will be hitting the trails. Kehler said it is important for people to develop skills that will keep them and others safe.

In his courses, Kehler teaches something called “mechanical sympathy.”

He said that means people who are out in the woods or off-road driving a vehicle, whether it is a Jeep, Toyota or a Bronco, “know how to utilize that vehicle to its potential” and also know how to properly take care of that vehicle.

In addition to mechanical sympathy, Kehler teaches his students the philosophy of treading lightly on the trails, or, as he put it, “keeping the land in better shape than we found it. Keeping it open for other users to have access to and just overall common sense to taking care of the land.”

Kehler’s interest in four-wheel drive vehicles began when he was a child.

His first four-wheel drive vehicle was a 1984 Ford Bronco that he had as a high school student. He learned to repair and maintain it, and has had several types of vehicles since then. He currently drives a Jeep Gladiator.

For people who are just getting started in the four-wheel drive community, Kehler said there are plenty of local trails to explore.

“(Nearby trails) can be as complicated as you want them to be, or as extreme, I should say, as you would like them to be,” he said. “We have very simple trails, as far as, just like a leisurely drive through, you know, some scenic areas to stuff where you can probably break some parts and, you know, have a longer day than anticipated.”

Some of the beginner-level trails he recommends can be found in the Santa Fe National Forest.

“Most of the forest roads there, while it’s dry and nice weather, are passable by most vehicles,” he said.

People interested in attending can find the class schedule and fees at etsc.llc.

Know before you go: Classes offer training on 4WD vehicles