I came within inches from totalling the truck today...

Were offroading in a friends XJ and some quads were supposed to be rolling with us. Well, the quads couldn't make it (long story) and I didn't want to go out in just once truck. If we get stuck, its a long cold walk through frozen mud back to my truck.

Anyway, long story made slightly shroter:

I'm trying to drive past some huge ruts- tires rolling over the highland of the runs, front tire slips and thats it. I'm stuck because only 2 tires are on the ground, the two without any weight.

Only 2 vehicles that can tow me out? Wrangler and a Cherokee (XJ).

The XJ would try to snap me, squirrel off sideways and we couldn't even feel the snap. Weight reduced/gutted XJ's are poor choices for recovery vehicles. Finally with enough right foot and snapping, the rear axel gets on firm ground (woot, go solid axels!) and the BFG MT's bite HARD.

The engine doesn't thnk of bogging and the truck goes flying backwards down the steepside to the right. We are teetering. the right front tire is burried in the mudd. the middle front of the truck is high centered and the rear is in the air. On the way down I shut the truck off. I dont know where the oil is going in the oil pan at this point, but I'm risking it.

"Dont move. no one move"
My friend comes out of the XJ and litterally pushed down on the bumper and stabilizes the truck. The truck is about to roll. We aren't getting pulled out alone.

A rubicon w/ winch holds down one side and the XJ again just doesn't have the mass to pull me out. Realizing it cant do it on its own, we try to get the rubicon to help. As soon as we winch down, the truck rolls back. Bad idea. tighten it back up.

Ok, I'm clearly either stuck here until some sort of 1 ton shows up (fat chance) or I'm taking a risk starting the engine. There should be plenty of risidual oil for a 3 second start up. Lets check for oil pressure.

Hold breath, turn key, oil pressure is there. Excellent. 4Lo, snap snap snap taction.

body damage: none. none at all. not so much as a scrached bumper, busted driving light or scrached brush guard.

Casualties: front skid plate.



So the XJ goes through some water and the fuel pump decides this is a convient time to die. Hook up the ropes. pull XJ out like it was nothing. below 1200 rpm through the iced water (it was breaking ice on the way out). Go GM powertrain.

Slack tow him out, diagnose. Definately fuel pump. Slack tow XJ back to school. everyone gets in their truck. I start pulliing. Tires spin on iced parkinglot. strange, but ok. 4x4. zero problems. Look back, XJ has metal pole going through grille.

He was on the brakes and I didn't know. He couldn't find his keys, steering was locked and he just went where physics told him to, namely the fence. the lift on the truck lined the condensor, and radiator, gap in brush guard and fence pole up perfectly.

Call up the big guns. I'm driving the XJ driver home, hes getting our friends 1 ton ford (banks + edge + 2nd tuner + powerstroke + lift + 37s) and get the trailer cleared.

What a day.

 

Haha, damn, that does sound like one hell of a day, glad your truck made it out ok

 

Sounds like a rough ride!!!

 

pics:

 

Cool pics!! Glad you didn't roll the truck!

 

i want to see the pics of you draging your friend into a fence pole.

 

yeah me too.

 

I want to see a damn responce to my pm


We were far more concerned about paying for the fence than documenting it

Those guys were being dicks to my friends so I guess it all comes full circle. My friend had a stock 4 stroke quad, spark arrester and a really quiet pipe and the banned his *** from going in due to noise on a day when about 6 other vehicles showed up. Somehow the 2 stoke old piped, non-arrested quad behind him got in