#30 Protect Your Feet
Protection should be the first thing on our minds when riding, and taking care of our feet and ankles are no-brainers. Be sure to wear a good boot with proper ankle support and a thick sole. We're not suggesting motocross boots, but a boot that will protect your feet if you run over them or flip your machine on them.
#31 Take It Easy
Not every mud hole is the same depth or difficulty. Watch the lines that others have chosen before you pick yours. However, just because a bike with a lift kit and aggressive mud tires made it through without drama doesn't mean the less-equipped machine will make it through the same hole.
#32 Know The Hole
When crossing a wide expanse of mud and water, pay close attention to visible vegetation. The bottom will be a little firmer around vegetation because of the root systems.
#33 Momentum Is Good
When you start in a bad hole where you're confident about the water depth, use low range and enough throttle not to bog the motor and lose momentum. When you lose that forward progress and are dragging the bottom of your ATV, you're very likely to get stuck. On the other hand, if you keep the engine high in the powerband, you'll have a good chance of making it through.
#34 Body English
If you're in a mud hole and begin to slow because the ATV bottom is dragging (high centered), put all of your weight on one floorboard (both feet on that side) to get one side down in contact with the bottom and taking weight off the other side. A good set of tires will generally pull you through if one side is in contact with the bottom of ruts.
#35 Getting Through
If you get dangerously deep in water and decide the best course of action is to continue forward, shift your weight to the rear of the machine. It's OK, you can put your feet on the rear rack. Pull up on the handlebar as if doing a wheelie and add a little throttle. This will allow you to pick up the front end and airbox out of the water. By doing that you can go through water that's deeper than you can when the machine is level. Note if it's not too late, the best approach is to stop and attempt to back out before you sink the ATV and get pulled home.
#36 Be Prepared
Take extra oil with you on rides. If you sink your bike, pull it to dry ground without attempting to start the engine. Drain the crankcase, remove the spark plug and turn the engine over until fluids have stopped discharging. Check the airbox for water and drain if necessary. Add fresh oil, a dry spark plug to get it running again and take it back to camp. An even better approach is to pull the quad to camp, do the above at camp and change the oil several times with a short period of idle in between each change.
#37 Keep That Radiator Clear
Keep the radiator cleaned throughout the day. If you enjoy jumping in mud holes on a regular basis, find a way to spray a higher pressure stream of water on the radiator to clean it while on the trail. Take it with you to deal with mud-restricted fins and hot lights. High Lifter sells a small pump kit for this that plugs in the cigarette lighter and is about the size of a softball. Or something similar will work, but you know what they say, "Don't leave home without it."
#38 No Chains, Please!
Another "Don't leave home without it" tip is a good tow strap or towrope. Don't be a part of a tow situation with a chain. Chains break and can hurt people and damage parts on both the puller and the pulled quad. Always attach straps low, about the height of the axles. If rack height attachment is used, half of the force is wasted trying to pull, as much force goes to pick up front ends of the pulling machine or rear end of the ATV being pulled. With a towrope low, all is avoided.
#39 Small 12-Volt Air Compressor
If you knock off your bead or need to fix a flat while out on the trail, you'll need a way to air it back up. Some people use CO2 or a hand pump, but we prefer the air compressor as it's faster and more reliable. Don't get stuck with a flat.