84Toyota4x4
Well-Known Member
Yup, thats right. I met Crash out at Reiter Trails today at 9 AM to go find that Blazer, and to maybe try some other trails. Turns out my truck had other plans.
First we can start with a picture of Crash's rig on the trail. Man, keeping up with this thing is like trying to chase a spider. He just bops right along up and over everything, meanwhile, my fillings are falling out...
We get a good ways up the trail (not sure how far actually, not too much further until the Blazer) and I catch a rock with the left front tire, and a stump with the right front. It starts to go up, then suddenly drops back down and I hear a loud pop. Uh oh, no more 4WD for me
So, we decide to see if I can back down the trail to get to a spot where we can kinda check it out. I start backing down and promptly get stuck on a log
Yup, theres a log under there...
So, we decide that here is as good of a spot as any to pull off the hubs and see whats going on in there. I pull off one hub, then remember I was having problems with the OTHER hub locking itself not too long ago, so I go and pull that one. It comes apart in more pieces than its supposed to. I go ahead and figure out how then damn thing goes back together, and pop it and the other one back in hoping that was the problem. Of course not. Still stuck on the log. So, heres Crash down below getting ready to run the winch line up to me to yank me off real quick. Thanks Crash.
And here I am off the log.
I got off that log and go down to about where he was sitting in that pic, and immediately get stuck again trying to turn around. This is getting old - fast. Thanks for getting me out Crash.
So, from there we just left the strap hooked up so that he could just kinda pull me out as needed, and all was going good until my steering locked up from the broken birfield and I couldnt make a corner and he kept going. Next thing I knew I was rocking back and forth on three wheels :clappy: The front left was going up the bank, the front right down, and the rear was trying to slide down sideways.
Another view
After some strategical tugging, I was finally heading back the right way - again. By the way, did I say thanks Crash?
We headed back to my camp site where I proceeded to tear into the truck so I could pull the birfield and driver her home.
We got there and I knew that I would be going through phases of being hot and cold, so I assigned Ashley the job of building the fire. Unfortunately, neither of us smoke, so she had to wander around looking for matches or a lighter. She came back with four strike anywhere matches. Ingeniously, she used a candle to prolong the fire with which to build. Good thing too since the first two or three werent very "strike anywhere" and didnt light. Luckily we got one going and lit the candle.
After getting the candle going, we tore up a box I had in my truck and got some kindling going too, she was very proud.
So, she built a fire, and I managed to get the wheel off. I wasn't very motivated, haha.
After some more sitting around the fire, I decided to get to work. Eventually I got it all torn apart, and found this... Im pretty sure this is my problem, :flipoff:
Anyway, I pulled it out, cleaned it out, shoved a rag in there, and buttoned it all back up. Then, I took some time to sit around the nice warm fire that Ashley had tended to before letting it die out and heading home for the evening.
We stopped at the Sultan Bakery for some food on the way home too, but I didnt take any pictures for fear of them making me hungry again later
So boys and girls, that was my first experience with Crash. Went 3/4 of a trail, broke and axle, and got stuck three times. Talk about a good first impression, lol. Although, I would like to say he was really cool about it all since he didnt seem to mind giving a little tug. I almost expected him to be in a hurry to catch up with the other groups that showed up, but he just hung out and put up with it all. For the first time meeting him, Im gonna have to say everything Ive heard was true, he's a good guy. Thanks again Crash, it was fun. Im definitely gonna hit up that trail again once I get the truck more prepared.
~T.J.
First we can start with a picture of Crash's rig on the trail. Man, keeping up with this thing is like trying to chase a spider. He just bops right along up and over everything, meanwhile, my fillings are falling out...
We get a good ways up the trail (not sure how far actually, not too much further until the Blazer) and I catch a rock with the left front tire, and a stump with the right front. It starts to go up, then suddenly drops back down and I hear a loud pop. Uh oh, no more 4WD for me
So, we decide to see if I can back down the trail to get to a spot where we can kinda check it out. I start backing down and promptly get stuck on a log
Yup, theres a log under there...
So, we decide that here is as good of a spot as any to pull off the hubs and see whats going on in there. I pull off one hub, then remember I was having problems with the OTHER hub locking itself not too long ago, so I go and pull that one. It comes apart in more pieces than its supposed to. I go ahead and figure out how then damn thing goes back together, and pop it and the other one back in hoping that was the problem. Of course not. Still stuck on the log. So, heres Crash down below getting ready to run the winch line up to me to yank me off real quick. Thanks Crash.
And here I am off the log.
I got off that log and go down to about where he was sitting in that pic, and immediately get stuck again trying to turn around. This is getting old - fast. Thanks for getting me out Crash.
So, from there we just left the strap hooked up so that he could just kinda pull me out as needed, and all was going good until my steering locked up from the broken birfield and I couldnt make a corner and he kept going. Next thing I knew I was rocking back and forth on three wheels :clappy: The front left was going up the bank, the front right down, and the rear was trying to slide down sideways.
Another view
After some strategical tugging, I was finally heading back the right way - again. By the way, did I say thanks Crash?
We headed back to my camp site where I proceeded to tear into the truck so I could pull the birfield and driver her home.
We got there and I knew that I would be going through phases of being hot and cold, so I assigned Ashley the job of building the fire. Unfortunately, neither of us smoke, so she had to wander around looking for matches or a lighter. She came back with four strike anywhere matches. Ingeniously, she used a candle to prolong the fire with which to build. Good thing too since the first two or three werent very "strike anywhere" and didnt light. Luckily we got one going and lit the candle.
After getting the candle going, we tore up a box I had in my truck and got some kindling going too, she was very proud.
So, she built a fire, and I managed to get the wheel off. I wasn't very motivated, haha.
After some more sitting around the fire, I decided to get to work. Eventually I got it all torn apart, and found this... Im pretty sure this is my problem, :flipoff:
Anyway, I pulled it out, cleaned it out, shoved a rag in there, and buttoned it all back up. Then, I took some time to sit around the nice warm fire that Ashley had tended to before letting it die out and heading home for the evening.
We stopped at the Sultan Bakery for some food on the way home too, but I didnt take any pictures for fear of them making me hungry again later
So boys and girls, that was my first experience with Crash. Went 3/4 of a trail, broke and axle, and got stuck three times. Talk about a good first impression, lol. Although, I would like to say he was really cool about it all since he didnt seem to mind giving a little tug. I almost expected him to be in a hurry to catch up with the other groups that showed up, but he just hung out and put up with it all. For the first time meeting him, Im gonna have to say everything Ive heard was true, he's a good guy. Thanks again Crash, it was fun. Im definitely gonna hit up that trail again once I get the truck more prepared.
~T.J.
Last edited:
