Endless Trails
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2022
- Messages
- 228
That sucked but luckily some of the Point Mugu club members stepped up and got us out.
Back story is, I was at work when I got a text from my nephew about where he can buy a tow strap. I gave him a few online options from Freedom Ropes and Rhino USA as they have supported our events and land use. He said he needed one today as he is stuck right now. So I ask him where he is stuck as I have some recovery stuf in my truck and I was about to go on break. It happens he was right past our facility. So I told him to meet me there and I would give it a shot.
It is absolutely dumping rain at that point. I hop the curb going in the same way he did and get about 50 yards before turning on the rear locker and another 10 before putting it in 4 low and engaging the front locker as well. As I turn the corner I am assessing the situation and think I should go left around him, but by that time I am locked in the two ruts like it is Autopia and there is no left or right. I am not heavy on the gas at this point as, I was still moving forward easily and his truck was in these same ruts. Finally I stop and go to reverse to pick a different line and nothing. All 4 spinning but not digging. This is where things go down hill fast...
I get out of the truck to see what the situation is and close the door (still practically a monsoon out there and I didn't need my interior soaked). I quickly realize I had made a terrible error as the truck was running, the gas light turned on in Simi on the way to work, my phone was sitting on the center counsel, and my door had locked at some point. F-me
After my nephew gets there we contact AAA and they send a guy out to open my door. Once that is done I turn off the truck and call out from work for the remainder of the day. I air down a bunch by guestimation to get a foot print and grab my shovel to make sure none of the axles or anything else is touching. We also dug a drain ditch from the ruts to the field to try and get rid of some water.
Once we were a little better situated I attempted to self recover. I put it in reverse and just tires spinning on greased clay. I don't hit it hard as it is pointless unless you feel some movement. Forward gets me a few inches, so I put it in reverse. I hit it a little harder to see if it will climb out at all and then the ugly noise of bang and grinding. Front tires not moving but backs still do. I tried 4hi with similar results but 2wd was fine and quiet forward and back. At that point I put out the larger SOS on Insta and my clubs Facebook.
A hour or two later the calvery arrives. Two Rubicon JKs and a newer 1500 Ram. We walked the 4 door JK close enough to connect to the two straps off my truck, 40ish feet back and then the Ram hooked up to the back of him with another 20' strap. First pulls do fairly well until the ram starts to have issues. Not digging so much but not grabbing in the snot. So we rotate him out before we have to recover him and hook the 2 door Rubicon in his place. They start pulling and that is when I notice my fronts have been locked and are just skidding backward. Once we get back far enough they get in front of me and rotate me towards the curb. Rolling forward my front frees up so we disconnect and I drive out the rest of the way.
At this time Steve from KillerR off road pulls up in his monster Scrambler. LS powered, 4 linked, coil overs, tons, and 53" MFing swampers... Basically a show rig that performs. He drives around to a good spot to hook up to Ethans OBS crew cab 7.3 F350 sitting on the axles and gives it a tug. A few tugs later tires are touching ground again and Ethan is rolling.
As I was pulling my front drive shaft to get home I noticed some fluid pooling from the T-case so I shine a light up there and see the front case has a crack.
Now the hunt for a new case begins.
