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Post by L8sho2003 on Nov 29, 2003 21:05:32 GMT -5
I'm sitting at work bored once again and I've got 3 hours to go. I've already read all the new threads so I guess I'll start a new one. Let's hear your dumbest four wheeling story. I think any experienced 'wheeler should have several of these!
My first and worst: I was on a trail one day and came across a couple in a 2wd stuck in a ditch (looked like adult refreshments were to blame). I offered to pull them out, but I was young and dumb, and thought that a logging chain would be the hot ticket for recovery. Long story short, I had to yank pretty hard, the huge chain broke, came through my windshield and went all the way out the back window. I
was an inch away from looking like "Kennedy at the grassy knoll"! I also managed to break 500 bucks worth of glass in about a tenth of a second, which sucked when I was 15 and unemployed.
Another favorite of mine is when I come up on some poor stuck soul who is too lazy or too afraid of getting dirty to find a decent recovery point on thier vehicle. As I said before, when I was young and dumb, as well as just plain mean, I would go ahead pull one of these fools that just hooked the strap on their stock back bumper. I have extremely disfigured a few, and have actually pulled two stock rear bumpers off of S-10's. Once i got that bumper out of the way, it was always easier to connect the strap without getting dirty. Of course now I am grown and alot more considerate, but I still hate it when someone wants a tug but won't take the time to find a decent recovery point. Now if they won't do what I say, all I can offer is a lift to pavement.
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Post by toy94x4 on Nov 29, 2003 21:30:46 GMT -5
This isn't quite a four wheeling story but your chain through the windshield reminded me of when I used to work for a landscaping company. We were out cleaning up a yard and the owner wanted a somewhat small tree, was only about 4 inches around at the base. Anyway's, the boss decided to hook up one end of a chain to the tree and the other to his chevy 4x4. Well when he took out the slack and gave it some gas not much happened so of course he backed up and was going to get a running start at it. As soon as the chain tightened from the 5 foot head start he gave himself it broke and went flying through the back window and onto the steering wheel. Didn't quite make it through the front windshield but at least it didn't make it through the back of his head either. Since then, I've only used a chain once because it was all the other person had to get me unstuck and he was willing to use it. But I won't yank somebody with it.
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Post by 86taco on Nov 29, 2003 22:36:26 GMT -5
Last wimter I came across a Neon that was stuck and offered to pull it out. So i looked under neath it and there was no where to hook on to. So I wrapped my old jerk strap around where the the rear A arm connected to the body and pulled it out.. When I went to undo my strap it was stuck so I cut it off and away I went. Well the funny part of this story is you could see the strap hanging down as the lady drove away. I guess you had to be there.
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Post by 86taco on Nov 29, 2003 22:41:13 GMT -5
Me and one of my buddies where muddin adn he got hil full size dodge stuck. and we had ot get it out. He had no place to hook on to so he wrapped the strap around his steering bar. Well it bent and the tires were pointing in and he could not drive it away. He was pissed. That is was happens when people dont listen to me.
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Post by banshee45 on Nov 30, 2003 6:47:56 GMT -5
question ablout the logging chain? how did you get it to rebound, was it a chain or a cable, since in theroy and in my experience, the chain is several solid links welded next to each other, they are dead weight and hold no enegy. whenever i have seen a chain break, it just harmlessly falls to the ground. did the link break, or did you have the clevis break. the only reason i am so quirious is because i can't see how the chain would do that.
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Post by L8sho2003 on Nov 30, 2003 16:24:04 GMT -5
Call it freak kinetic energy or whatever. I believe it was an actual link that broke. That was over 13 years ago though. Had to be a link, I know it wasn't the clevis, which doesn't leave much else. The break was almost right in the middle. I'll make you a deal, you supply the trucks and the chain and I'll see if I can recreate it. It might be hard with me laying in the floor this time though. ;D
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Post by L8sho2003 on Nov 30, 2003 17:32:41 GMT -5
funny thing though, the chain never came disconnected from the truck. It was like it just wanted to get back to it's spot in the back of the truck.
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Post by snorkleman on Dec 2, 2003 18:10:16 GMT -5
i was out wheelin one night out near my home when I saw flashlights off in the distance. I thought it was a land owner coming to complain. I heard them yelling that they needed help so I drove over. Seems this guy was driving his girlfriends Neon around these dirt roads in an attempt to find a makeout spot. The dude was drunk and stupid. He tried driving the Neon pass a HUGE mud hole. Well the mud was all around the hole and the car slid right in. The passenger side was almost under water. His girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend at this point) was super pissed. Had him swim in the water to find a hitch point and jerked them out. Hate the smell of stank scummy pond water....when they opened the pasenger door it just ran out...sad.  |
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Post by L8sho2003 on Dec 2, 2003 22:35:53 GMT -5
Down here in MS that is so common. We get these stagnant mud holes and sloughs that are good for nothing but tadpoles, mosquitoes and leaches. They smell almost like raw sewage. Recently I pulled out a kid that wanted me to hook up to his back bumper, an s-10 by the way, that was so buried that I thought it was a 2wd. By the time I got him to use my D-shackle to hook the strap to his frame I realized it was a 4x. He had a good 6 inches of that funk in his floorboard. I asked if he had an antilock brake module or stereo amp on the floor that might have gotten wet, he said I don't know, what is that? I just grinned and said catch you later.....
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MXjunk127
Full Member
"If theres no blood in the picture, its no good right?"- Seth Enslow
Posts: 103
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Post by MXjunk127 on Dec 2, 2003 22:42:23 GMT -5
we fliped a landcruser hitting a water pit at about 45MPH... first time hit it at about 25 steam all around and sank it, then a week later i yelled we could do it and my freind gasses it, we hydroplained and whooo we were gone, i was thrown on the fence, but my breind stayed along for the ride... Funny as hell... I found this Vid clip... now this is how you break a toyota... www.appetite4destruction.com/junk/videos/a4d-truck-jumps.wmv |
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Post by Beanfieldhopper on Dec 9, 2003 3:21:30 GMT -5
question ablout the logging chain? how did you get it to rebound, was it a chain or a cable, since in theroy and in my experience,... the only reason i am so quirious is because i can't see how the chain would do that. I had 5/8 coil chain do that before,  luckey for me I was on a tracter and it didn't do any damage. It happens, don't know how. |
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Post by snorkleman on Dec 9, 2003 8:51:38 GMT -5
That video is sad man... |
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Post by DeadlyPeace on Dec 9, 2003 15:58:35 GMT -5
I never had the problem with the chain (don't use them, but for easy recoveries and if needed).
I was winching a friend of mine up a hill once during a rock crawling trip and the bolts to his tow hook sheared off and the hook found it's way to my seat next to me, still hooked to my winch cable. After that I started putting my hood up when helping someone out. The hood may get dented, but it's better then the forehead getting smashed.That could end a beautiful friendship with life. ;D
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Post by L8sho2003 on Dec 9, 2003 22:49:28 GMT -5
Yeah, there is not enough said for weighting winch cables and straps for that reason. I would never use a chain for recovery anymore unless I was using a high-lift. When I am going mudding where I know I'll end up winching I have a small duffel bag that I put rocks or pieces of logs in and run the cable through the straps before I hook up. It's cheaper than the weights they make for this and it gives you a place to keep your straps when you are done. I know a guy that was hit by a cable when it broke and he had to have his whole lower mouth and jaw reconstructed. he was lucky it didn't kill him or put out an eye.
I thought of another stupid thing that I've seen the tackrods around here do. I have on a couple different occasions seen people try to use ratchet straps like you tie an atv down with as a recovery strap...... That's always good for entertainment!
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Post by 86taco on Dec 10, 2003 16:46:02 GMT -5
This kid I used to work with said he got stuck and he had his dad pull him out with a parachute cord that was like 3ft long. Needless to say I'm glad I had my boots on.
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Post by 4linktoy on Dec 12, 2003 9:45:54 GMT -5
Senior year in high school some friends and I went 4wheeling at our usual spot w/ my '93 4x4 pickup, a '90 F250 4x4, a 2002 Xterra 4x4, and an '86 Volvo 240 wagon...not a 4x4. Out favorite place has a 3.5 foot mud pit at the base of a steep hill. Well I was able to make through the pit by staying somewhat close to the sides...outta the center...and then up the hill...but the man in the Xterra just charged in and got stuck. The turbo charger didn't help him here. We had no winches yet, but we did have 50ft of tow straps. Apparently there are no tow hooks on the Xterra, just one on the front. Since we had to pull from the back, we tied one end of the strap to the leaves on the back right side. After pulling him out we realized the leaves were completely twisted. Well he didn't ask so we didn't tell him. We then proceeded to destroy the Volvo through a series of mud and clay slaloms that rendered the poor wagon useless for two weeks. All in good fun.
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Post by 86taco on Dec 12, 2003 19:06:39 GMT -5
When I was in high school I had a 85' beater Cherokee and by buddie had one to. We had just gotten a lot of snow the night before so the plows had it all piled up around the edges of the parking lot. We only had like 10 or 15 minutes to get to class and he decides to try and blast through one mistake. It was like 5' or 6' tall so I had to grab my strap and yank him out in time for class. It was fun.
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Post by DeadlyPeace on Dec 23, 2003 13:46:13 GMT -5
Ok here's a big OOPS for ya'll.
Last September while wheeling the Rubicon this kid decided to show off. Well his Weekend Warrior Rig looked great flexing up onto this big rock. At lesat until his tire slid down the side of the rock. His diff was lay on top of the rock and he tried to power house it off in reverse with no luck. But he did manage to find the limit of how much his leaf springs would bend.
 
The left leaf spring (driver's side) is just bent. The one on the right side however snapped. He did get lucky as far as getting a new spring. 20 or 30 minutes later someone came through and just happened to have the same leaf spring on him for a spare. They used a winch on the back of the bent spring to rebent it back into somewhat normal shape. Then replaced the other spring and CAREFULLY pulled him off.
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Post by L8sho2003 on Dec 24, 2003 0:01:51 GMT -5
sweet............. ;D
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Post by snorkleman on Dec 24, 2003 9:18:57 GMT -5
Ouch...  |
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