almost lost it
Submitted: Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 20:55
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Member - Terry
I must confess that on sunday morning I broke major rules of 4wdriving and nearly
lost my Jackaroo done the side of a
hill.
With out going into full details I went into a new area on my own in Dwellingup (W.A) with no other vehicle, left the wife and kids at the
camp sight and only had basic recovery equipment.
What started as a drive on the fire tracks changed when I started going down a steep decline that had no finish.Could not turn around at that spot, so started to reverse back up the track. Lost traction,jackaroo started to slide sideways, the side of the track gave way and fortunately a tree stopped my progress 15 metres down.
It goes to show that even a simple 30 minute drive can change easily and quickly into a dangerous situation.
Terry (red faced and all)
Reply By: Martyn (WA) - Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 22:03
Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 22:03
Terry,
Lucky lucky, I usually find that taking the wife and kids stops me getting into trouble. The "What are you doing dear?" is better than any snatch strap and shackles, or "I'll get out and take photo's, wait till I'm on top of that
rock over there, that looks safe",
yea right. All helps. Have you got the fourby back or is it still holding the te up? I'm off with our local club to Dwellingup in a few weeks, usually come back worse for the wear.Keep the shiny side up
AnswerID:
33658
Follow Up By: Member - Terry- Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 20:00
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 20:00
Martyn, too true having the tribe with me slows me down, however this happened quickly and I did not think there would be any problems.
Fortunatley only a couple of minor scratches but a great excuse to get better tyres.
Terry.
FollowupID:
24261
Reply By: kezza - Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 23:01
Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 23:01
Terry
Theres lots to be learned from this, I assume you were not totally familiar with the jacks capabilities or in reading the conditions???.
1st its good to know your vehicles limitations, had you had experience on similar steep inclines you may have made different decisions even wether or not to go in the 1st place. You may have confidently proceeded down and back again. (most 4wds will cope with fire
trails unless wet or severly eroded)- dont forget they are designed for forestry vehicles and they exist because vehicles travesrse them if the track looks used - something has to get up and down them.
Chances are you could have gone to the bottom and returned up the
hill fowards safely if you knew what your limits were.
Chances are you stopped at one of the worst spots and tried to start off with all your weight foward whereas if you stopped sooner or at the next level off you may have been able to get momentum.
Chances are you were not thinking clearly and rushed.
As you backed up the
hill as soon as the vehicle slid an inch sideways in the wrong direction - thats time to stop and take stock.
If the vehicle is moving sideways take the time to anchor it (Id assume you had a snatch strap or a huge rope. (I use 32 mm rope I buy from ships chandlery outlets rated at 8 tonnes) cause those type of movements rarely get better.
Things still looking grim--
You could have dropped your tyres down to 15 psi
I dont want to sound patronising or critical that is not my intention but you have to get experience to make these situations good - not bad.
Next time you should go back to the same spot with another vehicle and conquer that track.
happy adventuring
kes
AnswerID:
33671
Follow Up By: Member - Terry- Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 19:56
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 19:56
Kezza, the problem occured after getting to the top on one side and then going down the other.After a turn in the track , it was severley eroded and that is when I decided to reverse out.
Admittedly only had my road tyres on which did not help. This whole incident happened in only a few seconds,I at no stage had expected any trouble even though the track was wet and muddy.
Terry ( at the time Terryfied)
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Chris (W.A.) - Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 13:11
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 13:11
Terry,
Done lots of trips to Dwellingup myself and in the wet it can sometimes be an absolute nightmare on some of those slopes. Few years ago I spent a day at the Toolangi national park in victoria and that had nothing on Dwellingup.
Plenty of vehicles have come to grief there so consider your experience has just jumped up a few more notches. I certainly gained experience there and at Mundaring.
Unfortunately, last time there I noticed CALM had closed more tracks off and the only way to get to the top of some hills is taking the worse tracks there - if they're not closed you can use em.
EnjoyNice southerly coastal fishing trip someday.
Chris
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Bonz (Vic) - Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 23:15
Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 23:15
Don't feel too bad Terry, I went to get MILK in
Anglesea, just down the street (we were staying in the township) just before lunch, just as the barbie was being started and decided that I should drive along a track the reverse way to what I had done that morning without incident,
well to cut a stupid story short I decided that I could drive thru a short bog hole that I had skirted around in the morning.....you guessed it, got stuck, luckily the mobile worked so I called the RACV, no deal, all they had was a hilux and they werent going anywhere near me, finally got onto my brother in law who drove out from
Geelong some 35 minutes away, found me in the bush and dragged me out pi$$ing himself laughing all the way, only needed to drag me 5 feet!
What a derp, no winch, noone to help, no brains, whatever! Ya get that in these damn 4x4'sLaterally Literal
Seriously Cerebral
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: DODO(bendigo) - Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 23:42
Monday, Oct 13, 2003 at 23:42
gday bonz.
tell the wife you need a winch.
if that dosnt work next time we go away ill mention it .lolRaphus cucullatus
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Follow Up By: Willie - Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 19:35
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 19:35
Hey Bonz,
Where in
Anglesea did you get bogged? I have driven the Commodore around most of the
places down there.
Cheers
Willie
Never a dull moment
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Follow Up By: Luke - Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 23:31
Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003 at 23:31
Hey Bonz - Wazza knows where to get front and rear lockers for $300! (with a free compressor thrown in) LOL
Better
check it out :-)
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Follow Up By: Bonz (Vic) - Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 16:38
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 16:38
Well I now have a front locker Luke and got a winch Diamond and
well i have the compressor, its an ARB one too so take that off the cost of the lockers and it should be that ARB pay me $100 to get them fitted, I just hope Wazza's my and my wife don't meet and she finds out the REAL cost of front and rear lockers...still you only missed a zero off the cost.
Willie, I was up the back of the Power Station along a track I have driven my old XW Falcon before I think, however in the Falc I would have taken the chicken track around the bog hole instead I drove right thru it, come to think of it I do remember seeing the roofline of a commodore in the mud, you could have waved Willie!Laterally Literal
Seriously Cerebral
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Follow Up By: Willie - Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 18:44
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 18:44
Yeah Bonz, sorry about that but I couldn't get my arm out of the window because of the mud :-o)
Once on a trip to
Anglesea I drove the back road from Winchelsea and the road and bush tracks were wet. Once you get near the coast there is serious jump down into the mud behind the Powerstation. I think I remember that boghole! This was in the Nissan however. And I do have a winch on that...so next time I see you there, up to your wheelarches in it..........with a carton of milk in your hand........I'll wave... hahahahaha
Cheers
WillieNever a dull moment
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Willie - Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 19:03
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2003 at 19:03
Terry,
We all do silly things from time to time.
I was at a 4x4 day at our track in
Darwin and having had a few beers I thought that I might be over the limit and decided to take the back track down along the powerline which would see me close to
home. I could then leave the car and walk the rest of the way. It was just on dark when I bogged the Suzuki close to a transmission pole...but not close enough for my winch cable. I was about a metre short. Could not find my 30ft spare cable and then remembered that I had taken it out of the car for some reason. The ground around me was still wet as it was the end of the wet season. So I proceeded to winch off pandanus palms. Now these palms have spiky leaves and they are not a pleasant object to touch. After much stuffing around and getting covered in mud, I had winched 8 palms out of the ground and I was still in the same spot. I started to walk back to the road and arrived at the closest servo at 9.30pm. Only had one dollar coin on me and had to use the Gold phone for one call and do me dollar. No change. I rang a mate and he is still laughing about this episode today. Arrived
home after 11pm, quite sober by now, to be met with a quizzical look from SWMBO and "It serves you right"!!! No sympathy :-(
Cheers
Willie
WillieNever a dull moment
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Scotti - Saturday, Oct 25, 2003 at 17:03
Saturday, Oct 25, 2003 at 17:03
Learn by your mistakes,Practice makes perfect,whatever you call it
A few weeks ago I went with a mate to mundaring and on top of
hill he says to me "the only way I know to get down the
hill is in the ruts".He went first in his 4runner.after he dissappeared down the
hill it was my turn in Mq shorty.As I rounded a slight bend all I saw was me mate climbing out of his passenger window.He put it on side trying to climb out of ruts cauz he thought he was going to bottom out.
THANKS TO THE GUYS AT ARB FOR COMING TO THE RESCUE and putting the car back on all fours.
Gregory Rock on the _Kalbarri.aspx.
AnswerID:
35082