Towed Home!

[chicago]

So Dylan, Ken and I made plans to meet up and run the Deer Valley trail today.
Got started on the trail a lil late, met up with another mudder (silverscout) just by happen stance who decided to join us.
The trail is a lot more chewed up than it was last year IMO.
We got through the "gate keeper" and rolled up to the boulder garden where the BBCNN club made a decison to turn back...
I was just about out of the boulder garden, my axels were crossed up, but everything was going fine when I hear a POP! I thought it was the tire rubbing the fender well bolt, until I tried to turn the wheels...no resistance...look out the window at the DS tire...NOT TURNING with the wheel.
SNAPPED the pitman arm CLEAN OFF on the back side of the spud shaft!
Of all things that I thought would NEVER fail....the FAWKING PITTMAN ARM!
Theres just NO trail fix for that!

Here is the best part of the story (abbreviated)!

Ken had left to go home after we were all safely through the gate keeper and he had left about 20 minutes earlier.
Dylan, who got his 2M radio and lisence, quickly called Ken on his 2M and GOT HIM!
Ken was the ONLY person with cell phone service.
After it was determined that I was totally FAWKED, Dylan asked if any of the BBCNN guyz MIGHT have a spare pittman arm. Jack was the first one who came to mind cuz of his extensive rig builds. Dylan relayed to Ken Jack's number, and Ken got hold of Jack!
As Dylan was on the radio with Ken, who was on the PHONE with Jack, Dylan and I decided the BEST way for me to get back to the road, was for Dylan and I to go back to the staging area in Dylans rig, pull his pittman arm, hike back up and install his on mine and get me back. Thank GOD that I had enough sence to pack a pickle fork in my tools with a BFH.
Jack said that he would come with his tow truck and flat be trailer to TOW MY SORRY BROKE ASS HOME!
Silverscout and his passengers hung around to make sure everything was OKAY and even offered to stay with my rig while Dylan and I ran down. He and Dylan both offered me their AAA cards to get my BROKE AS HOME!
Thats the jist of the story!

What I learned from it is this!

1) Im the luckiest SOB on the plant. It could have been SOOOO much worse in SOOO many ways that I cant even describe. If Dylan and Ken didnt have 2M...If Ken didnt have VERIZON...If I didnt have a pickle fork and a BFH...If Jack and Darcie were not the people who they are...If Dylan and Ken, silver scout (sorry dude, I forgot you real name...) and hoser werent the people they are....
You guyz are all amazing and bailed me OUT, BIG TIME!

2) 2M is the NEXT thing on my list. I poo pooed that, one too many times, and now Im a TOTAL believer!

3) NEVER wheel alone...I had thought about running the trail solo cuz I thought that Ken and Dylan might have gotten hung up cuz they showed up late, with the thought that "Ive done this trail before...its not that hard." Well, the trail Gods put me back in my place today. Never get too confident!

4) Ive gotten off SCOTT FREE of damage for a while now and it was MY TURN. If youre gonna do this stuff, its GOING to land on you sometime!
Thankfully I had some GREAT people in my corner to BAIL MY ASS OUT! Id still be there if it wasnt for you all!

I OWE YOU ALL BIG TIME!!!!!
I cant tell you how thankful I am!

A GREAT DAY all in all. I learned VOLUMES and will never forget the kindness you guyz had bestowed on me today!

Thank you!!!

Keith

[locrwln1]

No worries dude.

Glad we could help.

Jack

[Cruiserdrew]

That's a tough break. Last year at Dusy, Alvaro snapped the sector shaft (that's the shaft the pittman attaches to at the steering box). You really can't even drag a rig with that broken.

I have a Pittman arm you can use, but I'll need it back (it's on my spare steering box)

Regarding the 2m, it totally rocks, as your experience demonstrates.

Post a pic of where the break occurred.

[spressomon]

Keith: Glad, of course, that things turned out OK in relative terms . Sean Pritchard (silverscout) and hoser (Les Wong) along with their wives Kate and Julie are great folks. Was Sean driving the black LX (80...which used to be Les')? And if so it had no problem negotiating the terrain?

If you keep this up Keith I'm going to have to make sure my next 'Yota isn't 60-related .

And...now you know first hand why we've been bantering you about getting your HAM license!


Back to pitman arms: Do they make stronger arms for lifted/bigger tired rigs?

[Cruiserdrew]

Originally Posted by spressomon

Back to pitman arms: Do they make stronger arms for lifted/bigger tired rigs?

Not that I have ever seen. The 80 series Pittman is considerably beefier and fits the splines of the 60 series box. I'm just not sure if the drop is enough to clear the 60 frame. It would be worth experimenting with, though.

[450 DUDE]

Wow Keith ! you couldnt have broken your junk on a nicer day!
It's great to hear that it all came together and your home safe.

But I want to make it clear that Jack and Dylan deserve the superman capes.

For Dylan for making the decison to get a real radio and Jack not even hesitating to help when I called.
I got to say I hope some one as helpfull as Jack is in arms reach when I ball thing's up.


Oh yeah another thing, the cruiser community as a whole is a top notch group of folks , THANKS !

ken

[rusty_tlc]

Great story, glad it had a happy ending. For an easy trail I've heard some stories of carnage on it.

Keith I have the old Pitman off my 40 if you want to try it.

Maybe you should start thinking about hydro asist for your rig???

[DesertLake]

Wow. Nice save.

[chicago]

Originally Posted by Cruiserdrew

That's a tough break. Last year at Dusy, Alvaro snapped the sector shaft (that's the shaft the pittman attaches to at the steering box). You really can't even drag a rig with that broken.

I have a Pittman arm you can use, but I'll need it back (it's on my spare steering box)

Regarding the 2m, it totally rocks, as your experience demonstrates.

Post a pic of where the break occurred.

Yeah, I remember hearing that story about Alvaro and his wife saving him...
Theres just nothing that can be done.
Thanks for the offer on the loan, but Marlin Crawler is making good on it.
I called them today...
As it turns out, they were getting those arms from a different manufacturer two years ago and they did a recall on them for breakage issues and they no longer use that manufacturer.
So, theyre gonna ship out a new one, like the one Dylan has, free of charge.
Im thinking about going with a CNC'd pittman arm as opposed to the forged type, like the ones from Sky off road....

As far as the 2M...Ive got a 4 hr flight tomorrow back home to chicago, so my reading material will be Rusty's ham book hitting the Q and A in the back!
Im soooo on that!

K

[chicago]

Originally Posted by spressomon

Keith: Glad, of course, that things turned out OK in relative terms . Sean Pritchard (silverscout) and hoser (Les Wong) along with their wives Kate and Julie are great folks. Was Sean driving the black LX (80...which used to be Les')? And if so it had no problem negotiating the terrain?

If you keep this up Keith I'm going to have to make sure my next 'Yota isn't 60-related .

And...now you know first hand why we've been bantering you about getting your HAM license!


Back to pitman arms: Do they make stronger arms for lifted/bigger tired rigs?

Yes he is wheeling his Lexus that he had gotten from Les (Hoser), and no, he had no issues getting through. Im pretty sure that he had made the trail the whole way.
Thanks for helping me with the names. Ill not forget them again.
I actually had wheeled with Sean 3 years ago on the first Deer Valley run I did with the Norcal guyz. It was nice to see him agian.

K

[CaliCruiser]

No problem dude, I am glad that I could help! I started thinking about it though and I think I have the same pitman arm as you do. I got my kit before you got yours so I think it may be the same. . .

[CaliCruiser]

I just looked at mine and it is 555 brand.

[chicago]

Originally Posted by CaliCruiser

I just looked at mine and it is 555 brand.

Yours was different than mine.
You had the tig welded rod end hole with the insert, where mine was 100% cast with a seam up the middle.
The Marlin guy asked, first, if it were welded, then followed up with if it was the welded arm, then he had never seen one of those break, and if it did, there would most likely be a geometry/ binding issue. He also asked if the one that I had, had "NC" stamped, or NO stamp at all. Those were the two that were recalled. Mine had NO stamp. After it was determined that it was one of the defective brand arms, he then said that he is surprised that it lasted for as long as it did.
For reference, look at the trail gear arm...THAT is the one that I have/ had.
If youre still not sure, give Marlin a call to verify, but Im relatively certain that yours is the GOOD one.
Im extatic that it was NOT a build issue on my part!
As Im to understand it, the pittman arm that you have at your house (the one we were trying to get hold of you dad for...) would also have worked.

Im at your disposal for anything that you might need my friend!

K

[rusty_tlc]

It could have been interesting if it had broken on HWY4 between Markleeville and Hermit Valley.

[chicago]

Originally Posted by rusty_tlc

It could have been interesting if it had broken on HWY4 between Markleeville and Hermit Valley.

Interesting INDEED!

Here's the arm.
I didnt have a camera for pics this weekend. I wish I did!

K

[Silverscout]

Keith, you must have good Karma. That worked out perfectly.

We made it out unscathed, minus a clicking sound in my front axle. As for the rest of the trail, it was definitely harder than I remember but I also had a smaller truck then. We didn’t run into a single person the entire way, well except for some hikers. But they weren’t carrying any spare parts.

Congrats on a well executed extrication.

Sean

[rusty_tlc]

Originally Posted by chicago

Interesting INDEED!

Here's the arm.
I didnt have a camera for pics this weekend. I wish I did!

K

Just throwing out an idea of a possiable field repair for this situation. What if you welded the two pieces together then welded the splined part to the retaining nut after you got it back on the steering box?

Not something I would trust on the highway but it might get you off the trail.

[hoser]

Originally Posted by chicago

Interesting INDEED!

Here's the arm.
I didnt have a camera for pics this weekend. I wish I did!

K

Keith, glad you were able to get your rig home that day! Here are some pics from Sean's camera.

[hoser]

A couple more...

[CaliCruiser]

Originally Posted by rusty_tlc

Just throwing out an idea of a possiable field repair for this situation. What if you welded the two pieces together then welded the splined part to the retaining nut after you got it back on the steering box?

Not something I would trust on the highway but it might get you off the trail.

That was one of our many ideas, we were just worried that welding the cast would not even make it off the trail.

Big props to Jack and Darcie for coming over with the trailer to pick it up. Hey Sean and Les nice to meet you guys, hope to wheel with you again soon.

Dylan

[450 DUDE]

Me gots some pics as well....

ken

[450 DUDE]

mooore

[450 DUDE]

and more

[CaliCruiser]

Nice pix Ken.