Weird Things/Carnage that has happened while Wheeling?

[MochaMike]

What is the most bizarre/odd-ball things that has happened to you/your rig while wheeling?

A few years ago on Barrett Lake trail I came down a hill over various rocks and ledges when a small boulder got sucked up into my PS front wheel well. Took out my brake line & shock.
It was well after midnight, and my brother and I were alone, going into meet other friends who got up there earlier.
I didn't realize it happened, went about 10-20 more feet when I had to make a left turn to go around 1 tree and avoid hitting a few others.
I tried to turn left & the steering wheel wouldn't budge (rock was wedged between tire and spring). Slammed on my brakes, nothing. (we were still going down hill).
So I killed the engine & we stopped about a foot before 2 big trees. We weren't flying, and I have a manual, so we were at a steady pace in 1st/single low.

After about 20 minutes of trying to get the rock out, we were WTF.... It won't come out. (that was because springs were drooped when it got sucked in.
So we jack it up, planing on taking the wheel off, and it fell out. Swapped in a new brake line, topped off fluid, and away we went.....

 

[Filthy McChevy]

I was wheeling by myself one afternoon on a loop trail and I kept vapor locking. Then my drop Pitman arm stripped out and I had to steer every corner by rehooking the winch cable from one side to the other using a pulley. Laid on the ground and rehooked dozens of times to get back to the trailhead at 1 AM. Got it out myself and it sucked. I was wishing I had 2 winches. The fuel problem turned out to be a dent in the tank right where the pickup is that it got above the skid plate somehow.


The weirdest though was after stopping at the bottom of the trail up Blanca Peak I was fixing a broken shackle bolt with a 1/4" drive exrension and vicegrips and we got swarmed by thousands of biting red flying ants. We had to button it up and GTFO and got bit the whole way to Salida where we stopped and bought bug spray at WalMart and nuked the survivors.

 

[MochaMike]

I broke the heim at the end of my ram assist once. I didn't have the correct plugs for the lines.
We were close to camp, so I limped it back.
If you have never had this happen, the steering still works, but only after the ram has fully extended or contracted. So, your steering has a 2-5 second delay before pressure in the box turns the pitman arm.

The next day we hooked a chain around it & welded it, so it would stay compressed and regular steering box worked fine.

 

[dnsfailure]

Hah, same thing happened to me on my TJ, somehow a 50lb rock got wedged inbetween the tire and the frame!

I figured the rock wanted to come home with me, so I keep it on my front porch now, haha! I've got a photo somewhere, I'll dig around.

 

[makemeknowit]

No pics but I had a tree limb as big around as my calf come up thru the driver side floorboard in the ftoy. I've got perforated metal floors, not expanded metal. Had to back up to get it to come out. It went directly between my legs and under the seat.

 

[TiTRD]

I broke the heim at the end of my ram assist once. I didn't have the correct plugs for the lines.
We were close to camp, so I limped it back.
If you have never had this happen, the steering still works, but only after the ram has fully extended or contracted. So, your steering has a 2-5 second delay before pressure in the box turns the pitman arm.

The next day we hooked a chain around it & welded it, so it would stay compressed and regular steering box worked fine.

I wheeled a full day like this. Ended up with the ram zip tied to the stinger to keep it out of the way. Was interesting trying to navigate tight stuff.

My friends being the jokesters they are, a giant 18" purple dildo was zip tied to the ram. Turn left, down dildo, turn right, up dildo. That fucker was floppy too. The dildo was nicknamed grimace that day.

There's a picture somewhere, but Photobucket.

 

[Brecklin]

I dropped off the dirt ledge behind me, and at the bottom was the lower half of a fallen tree. At the base it was probably a foot and a half around. I crawled over the tree and after a few feet something in the rear view caught my eye. Somehow this fallen tree stood erect, pushing its way through my expanded steel bed floor and ultimately through the fuel line bulkhead of my fuel cell. Luckily we were wheeling on private property, with an excavaor on site to lift my truck off its spear.

It was the craziest thing I've ever had happen while wheeling.

 

[TiTRD]

I wheeled a full day like this. Ended up with the ram zip tied to the stinger to keep it out of the way. Was interesting trying to navigate tight stuff.

My friends being the jokesters they are, a giant 18" purple dildo was zip tied to the ram. Turn left, down dildo, turn right, up dildo. That fucker was floppy too. The dildo was nicknamed grimace that day.

There's a picture somewhere, but Photobucket.

Picture may work. Grimace is not attached, but is ready next to a bottle of Jack.

Bonus points for capturing one famous PBB'er front and center.

 

[Firstram]

How has no one asked why your “friends” had a giant purple dildo pack with them for a wheeling trip?

Don't ask, don't tell!

 

[Firstram]

Did I miss that in the terms and conditions when I signed up? What else is Austin hiding in that thing? Next thing you know we won’t be able to edit our post

Terms and conditions? Who reads that shit, I was to busy pulling out a $20

 

[Dookey]

Weird thing? Met a guy on the trail who caught a fish.

 

[TiTRD]

How has no one asked why your “friends” had a giant purple dildo pack with them for a wheeling trip?

I have fucked up friends. The type who will randomly mail you a large double ender or install a large 'i love black cock' magnet on your tailgate for all to see on your way home.

​​

 

[Wheelerfreak]

No pics but I had a tree limb as big around as my calf come up thru the driver side floorboard in the ftoy. I've got perforated metal floors, not expanded metal. Had to back up to get it to come out. It went directly between my legs and under the seat.

Similar thing happened on my CJ except on the passenger side. Limb came up through the floorboard and through the passenger seat. Thankfully my wife was not with me that day and I was wheeling solo. I’ve been meaning to replace the floorboards on that side.....but the hole is still there today

 

[Poke]

 

[JR4X]

My favorite random trail issue and repair. Wheeling the Rubicon for our first time in 2007. This was when it was still hard at the little sluice. Met a guy at the motel with a TJ with GM 1 tons and 37's with a 10:1 4 speed atlas in it. We were headed up some hill and his 14B anchor kept hanging him up on a buried boulder with a small portion protruding up dead center in the trail. It's a spot where the trail has eroded down and the banks are feet tall on both sides of this rock. He couldn't get over it so he tried to side hill it a little to get past that immovable boulder. He went to far up the wall and the rig flopped onto the passenger side. He wasn't seat belted in so he hit the ground and the keys fell out of the ignition also hitting the ground. The jeep is a 4.0 with manual trans so it didn't stop moving. He was able to stand up and the jeep moved over the top of the keys as it tried to spin around the boulder now protruding into the roll cage like a pivot point. He couldn't turn it off and without the key there is nothing on a TJ to turn, to turn it off so its still running. He was yelling for someone to throw him a screw driver, pocket knife keys anything so he can turn the ign off. No one was able to help him before it suddenly stalled.

It spun a 180* before stalling so when we winched it back up on it's wheels the nose was pointed down hill. We pulled all 6 spark plugs and tried to turn the engine over with a ratchet. The engine would only turn 180* either direction and would clunk inside when it stopped. It had ran long enough to hydraulic and break the #5 connecting rod in half, the crank half of the rod was pointing down so when it would roll over it stabbed the rod through the bottom of the oil pan. Not a good spot to attempt a tow out and we had days to camp on the trail so we decided to try to make it a 5 cylinder and drive it out. We were able to get the pan off no problem having used a garbage bag inside of a plastic tote as a drain pan. My dad carried an inverter and had a grinder with cutoff wheels. We unbolted the broken rod and cut the tail off so it looked like two rod caps bolted together, this was to maintain oil pressure. We drove the piston up to the top and used a chunk of tree limb to jamb it up so the piston skirts couldn't fall down into the rotating crank. We siliconed a portion beer can over the hole in the oil pan before reinstalling it, then poured the old oil back in. We unplugged the spark plug and injector for that hole. It fired right up and we finished the trail with his new 5 cyl running perfectly for the next 2 days. He had driven that thing all the way from Phoenix so he tried to drive it home. It blew a head gasket 100 miles from home where he had to have it towed but I still consider it a win. He tore the engine down and made the stick from the cylinder into a shifter knob.

 

[mdmike]

Not really out of the ordinary, but I though it was a nifty trail repair:

I broke a leaf spring center pin on the rear of my XJ doing a loose climb in Gore, VA. The rear/driver tire was wedged up against a rock, so when it broke, the axle walked backward in the wheel well. When I put in in reverse to get it centered/fixed, the center pin on the passenger side let loose too. I thought I was prepared by carrying 1 new center pin (which ended up being the wrong size), but not 2.

We ended up running a strap around the outside of each rear spring perch and through the d-ring on the center of my rear bumper. Then, I ran my winch cable under the Jeep to a tree saver that was wrapped around the differential and winched the axle back center again. Boom, instant tow strap 3 link! I was able to drive myself off the trail (spitting out leafs from the packs as I went), and up onto the trailer.

 

[ANGELO]

I caught a catfish at ryc a few years ago. and at least 10 beads stuck in my suspension

 

[total newb]

I managed to drive over my winch cable as it wrapped around my d44 steering arm breaking the studs of and making a shitty stiuation catostrophic

 

[total newb]

Picture may work. Grimace is not attached, but is ready next to a bottle of Jack.

Bonus points for capturing one famous PBB'er front and center.

Dirty comanche and some one else had a dildo battle going on some decade ago with a big honker on a magnet. "Old scout" "scout something"?

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Who had the tree fall on their rig while wheelin (@ dusy iirc) pretty sure it was a scout.

Years ago I was riding with a buddy on a snow trip. The snow was more like a foot of ice on the road. Another buddy was up ahead trying to haul ass, lost it, hit a stump and barrel rolled an unknown amount of times.

We start adding up all the damage, broken knuckle/bent steering arm, blown bead/bent wheel, hydro locked motor, ect. Somehow we came up with the idea to piggy back it on my buddies flatbed. We ran the winch cable up over the cab and then used it and highlifts to get the front tires of the ground. It actually worked pretty good except the one tire was barely dragging and would occasionally rotate, so it basically turned into an octagon

Same guy has also broke through a frozen lake twice, rolled a jeep on his head among countless other things.




Years ago I was in my Sami (Toyotas, 33s and 6.4 case) and came across an FJ40 broke through the ice in a ~2' deep pond. He had 2 cut valve stems, and 1 cut side wall, so 3/4 tires off the wheels.

He asks for a tow, I'm thinking, no way I'm going to be able to tow him, but I'll try. The pond had ~5' tall levee around it, we hook the strap up long so I'm on the flat, nothing. We shorten so I'm up on the face of the levee. I start to pull and my front tires just come off the ground. I push in the clutch and try it again, do a big wheelie and break the strap ​​​​​​​​​​​

Same area (abandoned mine) we used to use the tires on an abandoned loader for emergency air.


One trip we went out to moonrocks, NV. We had a bunch of pit bikes, dirt bikes, a few sxs's and one toyota. My buddy in the Toyota gets on his side in a big v crack and the truck won't stay running. So he tries to crawl out with the starter and kills the battery. We end up getting it out and it out and it still won't start. We end up tracing it down to a dead fuel pump, most likely from running dry when it was on its side.

One of us remembers seeing an abandoned Toyota while out riding....... So we go grab the fuel pump out of it and bam, back to wheelin for the weekend.


We've had some very interesting recoveries and such in the snow. I'll have to think about it and come back.

 

[dnsfailure]

My favorite random trail issue and repair. Wheeling the Rubicon for our first time in 2007. This was when it was still hard at the little sluice. Met a guy at the motel with a TJ with GM 1 tons and 37's with a 10:1 4 speed atlas in it. We were headed up some hill and his 14B anchor kept hanging him up on a buried boulder with a small portion protruding up dead center in the trail. It's a spot where the trail has eroded down and the banks are feet tall on both sides of this rock. He couldn't get over it so he tried to side hill it a little to get past that immovable boulder. He went to far up the wall and the rig flopped onto the passenger side. He wasn't seat belted in so he hit the ground and the keys fell out of the ignition also hitting the ground. The jeep is a 4.0 with manual trans so it didn't stop moving. He was able to stand up and the jeep moved over the top of the keys as it tried to spin around the boulder now protruding into the roll cage like a pivot point. He couldn't turn it off and without the key there is nothing on a TJ to turn, to turn it off so its still running. He was yelling for someone to throw him a screw driver, pocket knife keys anything so he can turn the ign off. No one was able to help him before it suddenly stalled.

It spun a 180* before stalling so when we winched it back up on it's wheels the nose was pointed down hill. We pulled all 6 spark plugs and tried to turn the engine over with a ratchet. The engine would only turn 180* either direction and would clunk inside when it stopped. It had ran long enough to hydraulic and break the #5 connecting rod in half, the crank half of the rod was pointing down so when it would roll over it stabbed the rod through the bottom of the oil pan. Not a good spot to attempt a tow out and we had days to camp on the trail so we decided to try to make it a 5 cylinder and drive it out. We were able to get the pan off no problem having used a garbage bag inside of a plastic tote as a drain pan. My dad carried an inverter and had a grinder with cutoff wheels. We unbolted the broken rod and cut the tail off so it looked like two rod caps bolted together, this was to maintain oil pressure. We drove the piston up to the top and used a chunk of tree limb to jamb it up so the piston skirts couldn't fall down into the rotating crank. We siliconed a portion beer can over the hole in the oil pan before reinstalling it, then poured the old oil back in. We unplugged the spark plug and injector for that hole. It fired right up and we finished the trail with his new 5 cyl running perfectly for the next 2 days. He had driven that thing all the way from Phoenix so he tried to drive it home. It blew a head gasket 100 miles from home where he had to have it towed but I still consider it a win. He tore the engine down and made the stick from the cylinder into a shifter knob.

that's pretty crazy, haha!

 

[Squamch]

I have fucked up friends. The type who will randomly mail you a large double ender or install a large 'i love black cock' magnet on your tailgate for all to see on your way home.

​​

Is that not normal behaviour?

 

[TiTRD]

Is that not normal behaviour?

Want to go camping?

 

[woods]

I could see some of the DWE guys doing that. heh

 

[Squamch]

Want to go camping?

I'm leaving in 20 minutes

I had a buddy who called me because his samurai clutch had stopped working. Figured he had fucked the linkage around somehow, so I adjusted it, and sent him on his way. 5 minutes later he calls again because it's not working again.

Ended up the cable housing had split lengthwise and was accordioning when he pushed on the pedal. Fuel line split lengthwise over the break, then splinted with 8" nails, wrapped in zip ties, hose clamps, and tie wire, and he ran it like that for a couple years.

 

[TiTRD]

I could see some of the DWE guys doing that. heh

Kind of a spin off dubbed the 'frat bois' not by us. Just a bunch degenerates from various clubs. Summit, DWE, and NTC. Drinking club with a wheeling problem. We'd be lucky if we even left camp to go wheeling

 

[woods]

Kind of a spin off dubbed the 'frat bois' not by us. Just a bunch degenerates from various clubs. Summit, DWE, and NTC. Drinking club with a wheeling problem. We'd be lucky if we even left camp to go wheeling

Washburn's was pretty rugged. Friend and I were the only ones not drinking. By noon, three quarters of the rigs were busted and abandoned. That was a fun day.

 

[U.P. Jeep]

2016 Easter: After multiple off-road trips and having been under the rig just three days prior with nothing out of place, going over a small sand dune lost a u-bolt from the rear axle. Axle shifted, driveshaft separated, had to ratchet strap the axle to the spring and remove the driveshaft to get back home in front wheel drive.

2018 August: Running sweep/recovery for an off-road race—on the way back hit a cow.

2019 July: Just out of off-road section that had required the use of low range and lockers; back in 2H stopped at a railroad crossing. Started back up and yoke on driveshaft went BANG car stopped directly on RR track.

2020 couple weeks ago: Picked the wrong line through a hole & bent the steering relay rod.

 

[rockmup]

On Fordyce, south side of the river, watching some guys wheeling north bound through the rocks at night. I saw a spark from the front end of one of the rigs, next thing I know I got dropped to my knees because the circlip off a u-joint that broke traveled 80 yds or so and hit me right between the eyes. I did not drop my beer.
Was pretty funny at the time.

 

[90supra]

Had a tree branch somehow flip up and lodge between driveshaft, floor and gas tank. Couple of hits from a hammer and good to go