Jeepin'
February 3rd, 2009, 09:48 PM
Alright, so I headed to Miami to see a few friends and do some wheeling. The vehicles -
Mine, a cherokee on 35", Tacoma on 33", stock Xterra on 31".
We headed out at 8am on Sunday. Great trails; mud, rivers with a rock base for traction, good climbing, awesome stuff. So I'm 3rd in line, the other XJ is leading. The Toyota gets stuck behind him, so my buddy in the Cherokee stops and backs up to him to pull him real fast. Problem is, he got stuck pulling. I was about 50 yards behind them, climbing up a river bank to get to them, and its a tough climb. I'm slowy turning, turning, turning SNAP!! Clank clank clank!. I went "shit" and killed the motor. Turns out I broke a U-joint.
No problem, we called our other buddy in ANother cherokee to come. About an hour later hes at the enterace, but wasn't sure where we were. So the Xtrera goes to lead him, only when it got back to the enterance, It got stuck.
"Whatever, we'll get it later." So they head down in the 3rd XJ. He has to pull the first 2 stuck trucks, but I was broken down in his way. So he starts pulling me backwards out of the way, then SNAP!! Clank clank clank. He broke HIS rear u joint too.
So to clearfy the situation at this point -
An XJ stuck, pulling out the stuck Toyota. 50 yards behind them 2 more broken XJs, and 2 miles away a stuck Xterra. We decide 2 half broken Cherokees make 1 good cherokee, so we took turns scubadiving *both Jeeps were still sitting in a muddy river*, we dive underwater and pull the rear driveshaft out of each Cherokee. From there, I drove 2 miles, offroad, backwards with only front wheel power.
We get to the Xterra, and the Jeep in front of me gets stuck, and I can't move because he's blocking the way. So again, to claify the situation at THIS point -
STILL!! A stuck Cherokee who was trying to pull a stuck Toyota, 2 miles away, 2 Cherokees with with only front wheel drive, I'm trapped behind him cause hes stuck, trying to get to the, stuck Xterra.
It wasn't untill 9pm that a Wrangler and a Toyota Land Crusier both on 37"s, with a 12,000 lbs winch show up. (Mind you my winch is broken from being underwater for 3 hours.) They pull out the Jeep blocking me, I somehow got through what he was in, we park. The Land Crusier then tries to get the Xterra, and the Land Crusiers winch breaks loose from its bumper. We decide now, since its 10pm, best thing is to at least get both mine and the other broken Jeep out.
On the way out, I fell into a hole in the river and shut off the engine so it didnt hydrolock. With only 2 wheel drive, I couldn't get through. They said stay there, they pulled the other broken Cherokee home.
SO AT THIS POINT -
STILL, a stuck Cherokee and a stuck Toyota. 2 miles away, still a stuck Xterra, a mile from that me, alone and cold without doors in a river, the Land Crusier and Wrangler and other broken Cherokee make it out.
I wake up at 2 am freezing my ass off as the Land crusier is passing me again in the river. He says forget about trying to get the trucks, we're just getting everybody home and we'll be back tomorrow. So I wait another hour.
It was absolutely freezing, my clothes were soaked from walking in the muddy rivers all day, I'm curled up in the back of my truck shivering. The Land Crusier passes back by with 12 people in it, they stop and throw a rope around my front hook. My buddy jumps into my truck and is about to say something then almost throws up. He said I was pale white, shaking uncontrolably and could barely get a sentence out. He goes "Fuck this, were leaving here now!" Takes my keys, after a quick pull, fires up my truck and thrashes his way out of the trails without getting stuck. We finally make it back to the road.
Now I was planning on leaving at noon on Sunday, had work Monday morning and such. Now its 4am Monday morning, but I'm finally out. I said fuck it man, I'll drive home 200 miles in front wheel drive, can only do 35 mph but fuck it.
So we head back to my buddies house, but my Jeep had other plans. About 5 minutes down the road we just hear "POW!!" and start shaking like crazy.
From my buddy thrashing through the trail so we didn't get stuck, the Jeep paid the price. The left rear shock fell out of place and slashed a giant gash in the tire, blowing it out. At that point I started laughing about how fucked I was, and we said fuck it and called a tow truck to get my truck back to his house. By the time I climbed into bed it was 5am.
We all met up at 8am, and with only 3 hours rest, divided into 2 teams. 1 team went back to get the 3 trucks still stuck, and me and the other guys started on both mine and the other broken Cherokee. Both our u joints failed, snapped the strap bolts, leaving 1/2 the bolt in the diff yoke. We took his jeep and drove around Miami all morning for parts, stopping at a junkyard for our yokes and u-joint straps and bolts, and napa for the joints. At the scrap yard I found another 31" tire for $10, so I grabbed it.
We rebuilt our yokes & u joints, had my busted tire swapped out, and rigged the rest of my truck together. I got back into Fort Myers last night a little after 9pm, after doing a top speed of 55 mph through that fucking insane storm. BUT, everyones home, all the trucks are out, and now we start repair work -
In total I drove home on a makeshift driveshaft, a junkyard tire, 1 shock (2 damaged, one fell out on the trail I guess), and a damaged leaf spring, but one way or another a Jeep will always make it home! :SolidStraight:
Moral of the story - I've been wheeling for 4 years now, but from now on, I'll never go unless I have nothing to do the next day, I always pack a duffel bag with a tent, grill, emergency food etc, I didnt bring it this time cause I thought it'd only be a few hours - lesson learned.
Shit thats a longass post, but I'm glad I'm home, WITH the truck. I wont be offroading for a few months, need to do some major repair and upgrades. But I'll be back out, ready to do it all again. And yes, I'll post pictures when I get them!
Mine, a cherokee on 35", Tacoma on 33", stock Xterra on 31".
We headed out at 8am on Sunday. Great trails; mud, rivers with a rock base for traction, good climbing, awesome stuff. So I'm 3rd in line, the other XJ is leading. The Toyota gets stuck behind him, so my buddy in the Cherokee stops and backs up to him to pull him real fast. Problem is, he got stuck pulling. I was about 50 yards behind them, climbing up a river bank to get to them, and its a tough climb. I'm slowy turning, turning, turning SNAP!! Clank clank clank!. I went "shit" and killed the motor. Turns out I broke a U-joint.
No problem, we called our other buddy in ANother cherokee to come. About an hour later hes at the enterace, but wasn't sure where we were. So the Xtrera goes to lead him, only when it got back to the enterance, It got stuck.
"Whatever, we'll get it later." So they head down in the 3rd XJ. He has to pull the first 2 stuck trucks, but I was broken down in his way. So he starts pulling me backwards out of the way, then SNAP!! Clank clank clank. He broke HIS rear u joint too.
So to clearfy the situation at this point -
An XJ stuck, pulling out the stuck Toyota. 50 yards behind them 2 more broken XJs, and 2 miles away a stuck Xterra. We decide 2 half broken Cherokees make 1 good cherokee, so we took turns scubadiving *both Jeeps were still sitting in a muddy river*, we dive underwater and pull the rear driveshaft out of each Cherokee. From there, I drove 2 miles, offroad, backwards with only front wheel power.
We get to the Xterra, and the Jeep in front of me gets stuck, and I can't move because he's blocking the way. So again, to claify the situation at THIS point -
STILL!! A stuck Cherokee who was trying to pull a stuck Toyota, 2 miles away, 2 Cherokees with with only front wheel drive, I'm trapped behind him cause hes stuck, trying to get to the, stuck Xterra.
It wasn't untill 9pm that a Wrangler and a Toyota Land Crusier both on 37"s, with a 12,000 lbs winch show up. (Mind you my winch is broken from being underwater for 3 hours.) They pull out the Jeep blocking me, I somehow got through what he was in, we park. The Land Crusier then tries to get the Xterra, and the Land Crusiers winch breaks loose from its bumper. We decide now, since its 10pm, best thing is to at least get both mine and the other broken Jeep out.
On the way out, I fell into a hole in the river and shut off the engine so it didnt hydrolock. With only 2 wheel drive, I couldn't get through. They said stay there, they pulled the other broken Cherokee home.
SO AT THIS POINT -
STILL, a stuck Cherokee and a stuck Toyota. 2 miles away, still a stuck Xterra, a mile from that me, alone and cold without doors in a river, the Land Crusier and Wrangler and other broken Cherokee make it out.
I wake up at 2 am freezing my ass off as the Land crusier is passing me again in the river. He says forget about trying to get the trucks, we're just getting everybody home and we'll be back tomorrow. So I wait another hour.
It was absolutely freezing, my clothes were soaked from walking in the muddy rivers all day, I'm curled up in the back of my truck shivering. The Land Crusier passes back by with 12 people in it, they stop and throw a rope around my front hook. My buddy jumps into my truck and is about to say something then almost throws up. He said I was pale white, shaking uncontrolably and could barely get a sentence out. He goes "Fuck this, were leaving here now!" Takes my keys, after a quick pull, fires up my truck and thrashes his way out of the trails without getting stuck. We finally make it back to the road.
Now I was planning on leaving at noon on Sunday, had work Monday morning and such. Now its 4am Monday morning, but I'm finally out. I said fuck it man, I'll drive home 200 miles in front wheel drive, can only do 35 mph but fuck it.
So we head back to my buddies house, but my Jeep had other plans. About 5 minutes down the road we just hear "POW!!" and start shaking like crazy.
From my buddy thrashing through the trail so we didn't get stuck, the Jeep paid the price. The left rear shock fell out of place and slashed a giant gash in the tire, blowing it out. At that point I started laughing about how fucked I was, and we said fuck it and called a tow truck to get my truck back to his house. By the time I climbed into bed it was 5am.
We all met up at 8am, and with only 3 hours rest, divided into 2 teams. 1 team went back to get the 3 trucks still stuck, and me and the other guys started on both mine and the other broken Cherokee. Both our u joints failed, snapped the strap bolts, leaving 1/2 the bolt in the diff yoke. We took his jeep and drove around Miami all morning for parts, stopping at a junkyard for our yokes and u-joint straps and bolts, and napa for the joints. At the scrap yard I found another 31" tire for $10, so I grabbed it.
We rebuilt our yokes & u joints, had my busted tire swapped out, and rigged the rest of my truck together. I got back into Fort Myers last night a little after 9pm, after doing a top speed of 55 mph through that fucking insane storm. BUT, everyones home, all the trucks are out, and now we start repair work -
In total I drove home on a makeshift driveshaft, a junkyard tire, 1 shock (2 damaged, one fell out on the trail I guess), and a damaged leaf spring, but one way or another a Jeep will always make it home! :SolidStraight:
Moral of the story - I've been wheeling for 4 years now, but from now on, I'll never go unless I have nothing to do the next day, I always pack a duffel bag with a tent, grill, emergency food etc, I didnt bring it this time cause I thought it'd only be a few hours - lesson learned.
Shit thats a longass post, but I'm glad I'm home, WITH the truck. I wont be offroading for a few months, need to do some major repair and upgrades. But I'll be back out, ready to do it all again. And yes, I'll post pictures when I get them!