Hi All,
I was tooling around up north of
Adelaide yesterday at a place called Thompson's Beach following some really great tracks along the back of the beach.
I came to a turnoff that led to some open claypan type terrain and went up there for a bit of a look. Middle of winter there is a bit of water lying around and I thought to myself "hmmmmmm, that looks a bit slushy, I don't think I'll go in there." But there was a track with heaps of fresh tyres tracks leading through a high part so I thought, that looks OK and sure enough - off I went and had a bit of an explore around.
All was going
well until I hit a dried wheel rut at just the wrong angle with about 10kph too much speed and I got shot off the track and into the soft stuff. Uh Oh!
I kept it going with the wheels spinning and clay flying and just up ahead was a little rise where there was a solid bank above the gluggy stuff. "If I can just make it onto that I'll be fine" I thought.
The front wheels got up onto it but I hit it at a slight angle. The momentum just ebbed away as the back L wheel hit the 4" rise. The front then clawed around and the front drivers wheel slipped back off into the glug. UUUUUhh OOOOhhhhh!
The mighty Prado was stuck fast!. The first bogging.
The back L corner was now up on the rise and the front R corner was way down in the clay mud with all the weight on it. I was going nowhere.....
I tried a bit of digging. I found a few bits of timber and stuck them in under the wheels. No joy.
The very small settlement is about 2km away. I head off in search of assistance. It is 2.30pm and will be dark at 5.00pm.
As I get near town I am thinking "Who in their right mind is going to want to help this person remove a vehicle from clay at this time of a cold day." Worry was seriously setting in.
I come across a fellow out walking his dog. I say " Uhhh, would you know anyone in town that can give me a tow out. I seem to have got a bit bogged".
"No worries mate!, I'll just drop the dog
home and be right with you."
Sure enough, back he comes in the GQ shorty (as if things are not bad enough, he drives a Nissan but beggars can't be choosers!) and we go out along the track.
We find the Prado, just where I left it, and he gets into position on some seemingly hard ground for a snatch to the rear. We hook up and give it a tug but movement is nil. Worse than that, the GQ has dug a trench and is resting on the diffs! A bit of digging and rocking, digging and rocking and the GQ was free. Close call for both of us stuck!
He moves to some firmer ground and we try a front pull. After lots of digging and snatching, 7 goes later it finally pulls free from the mud. I am a very relieved boy as by this stage it is 4.30pm and there are rain clouds on the horizon!
Anyway, The GQ owner invites me back to his place for a coffee (and to clean the mud off the feet and hands) and we discuss the lessons learned.
He would accept no offer of reward such as a carton of his favourite beverage for the good deed even though his own car was stuck at one point and now has a good coating of clay on the undercarriage. I was really impressed that he was only too happy to help out at the cost of a quiet and comfortable Saturday afternoon. Thanks mate!
The Prado has now had it's first recovery, and it was a good one as
well. The bull bar was into the mud it was in that deep. I have been very happy with the way the vehicle has gone in the first couple of months but I am starting to learn the limits. I am now familier with how much hard work it is to dig it out!
Anyway, just had to share the experience with the
forum seeing as it was the first real bogging. Maybe some of you might enjoy a bit of a Yarn!
Cheers
Muddy (capital MMMMM)