crushers
post ho
Morning All,
what a run it was!! we met up at Denny's as usual (can we PLEASE make the meeting spot at Rickies instead, the service really sucks at Denny's) and there were 5 trucks up to the challenge. it was COLD to say the least. on the way to Denny's I took it very slow and easy since I was towing the J53 Mitsubishi Diesel Jeep behind my HZJ75. intersections were slippery and there were a couple real goofs on the road to make the tow even more interesting.
after we finally got our food and Clarence and I decided to head out towards Cochrane before the rest since we needed to fuel up, once again taking our time we decided we could have changed to the narlies at home since they are speed rated to 35 mph and we were only doing about 45 mph. I was nervous heading down Cochrane hill and once at the bottom the diesel station beckoned. it was a good thing we headed out early because we were still fueling up when the others caught up.
heading out the 940 was where the first close call came, I was taking it extra careful on the "S" bends when the Jeep decided to give me a gentle push. "oh damn, oh damn, oh damn, oh good" we made the turn just as the front tire slipped off the pavement into the shoulder. in my mind I was thinking if I am going in turn the tires straight at the last minute and maybe you won't loose both trucks, thankfully this wasn't needed.
next was just after Benchlands where the road takes a sharp bend, a ?logging" truck was jack knifed across the road so I came to a stop. analyzing the situation I decided to drive the ditch to get around him (he had a lot of other trucks to help him out). now I was nervous, I knew the HZJ75 was capable but I wasn't sure I would find the traction to get back out the other side. so with a bit of momentum I went in and thankfully my supposed embarrassment was avoided as I came back out the other side with ease.
once at Richards road we started to change out the BFG AS for the 31" narlies. we got 19 lug nuts loose but the last one stripped so the decision to change them out were terminated. one thing I forgot was the thin walled socket to remove the aftermarket rims.
we drove up the Bar C side road to where we were going to leave the tow rigs (Bryan was towing his Bandit (Toyota mini truck) on a flat deck). by the time I got to the drop off spot I already had 1/8" of ice on the inside of the windshield so I HAD to get the fan going on the Jeep. thanks to Roy lending me a Phillips drive (you can practically tear this whole Jeep apart using a screw driver) I found that when I installed the Propane Injection I had forgotten to hook the fan back up. easy fix and the heat was fantastic.
once everyone was ready we hit the trail. 2 BJ60s, one Toyota mini, 1 jeep and I BJ42. Clarence and I dropped back and once the trail was clear we gave the suspension a try out. we got more air then time on the snow bouncing along just missing the trees. we caught up to the pack and noticed that Bryan had the hood up on the Mini. it seems he was doing a donut when he came close to a tree and since he had no brakes he used the tree to stop. (hence the Bryan customized by mother nature from bumper. the first damage of the day.
none of us really new where we were going just at we wanted to go along the valley. Bryan was leading in his Mini but after a couple "turn arounds", Roy took over leading. I was about 4th truck in the group and as usual I wanted to pass everything in sight so Daryl was the first victim, getting up a bit of speed off the trail I shot around a couple trees and back onto the trail ahead of Daryl, next in line was Bryan. he was booting along pretty fast, I would guess about 50 km/hr so I would need a long stretch to be able to get by and there it was so peddle down and the propane on I shot past him but the stretch ran out before I could get back in so between 2 trees and past a couple bushes I finally made it back onto the trail (now before the tree huggers get their panties in a bunch, this is winter and unless you drive over the trees no damage is done). finally was Roy, the trail leader, the trail switched this way and that so passing wasn't a good idea. finally I got around him and Clarence and I decided to put a bit of distance between us and the pack, this was no easy feat since both Roy and Bryan were up for a speed run down the trail. right on my tail for the first bit I was finally able to put a bit of distance between us. letting off on the gas just as we came into the curves and accelerating as we came out, letting off just as we got to the dips in the he trail and giving it again just as we crested gave us both the giggles, the light was just wrong since we couldn't actually see the dips before we got to them, we launched off on of the berms and got about 10 feet before we touched down again. I am telling you that diesel jeep just soaked up the bumps. tears running down my face we carried on till we got to the gate. there we waited for the rest to catch up, Roy and Bryan were not far behind.
once through the gate we came upon the wall which we took some pics at. very nice back ground for the pics. shortly after that we came across 6 "free range?" horses out in the middle of nowhere. they were beautiful, I think it was Clarence that first walked up to them and started to pet them, shortly after that we all found our way over. they were big, I actually had to look up at them. a definite high light of the trip.
after the horses Clarence and I got separated for the rest of the group. we were on the north side of the valley and Roy and the boys were on the South side (guesstimate 1/2 km away) so I decided to take a short cut across the valley, I really wish I could have watched the Jeep going up and down like a rollercoaster flying over to the other side through 1 1/2 to 3 foot drops to catch up. later it was heard that I must not like my Jeep, to set the matter straight, I love my J53. it is so nimble, smooth, powerful that what is there no to like. it is perfect for the wheeling I like to do. I still love my cruisers but this is a new toy for me, something completely different from what I am used to wheeling for the last 23 years.
finally finding some frozen creek we all tried our hands at reverse donuts on the ice. this is the first trail ride where I saw Bryan actually let loose. he went around and around so many times I thought he was going to come out of his truck puking but he was okay. I on the other hand broke through and impailed some ice under the rim so I ended up with a slow leak.
a bit later Daryl and I tried climbing a small berm. the Jeep made it fine but Daryl broke off a pinion. the discussion was made that Daryl would try and drive out the !!! 8 km !!! in reverse and with only front wheel drive. shortly after this and while he was removing the driveshaft I noticed the leak. no problem on goes the spare and we are ready to fly.
once again I decided to take a shortcut through the trees when I broke through the snow and I was stopped dead. the front end up on the hard packed snow and the back end buried deep. Peter V in his BJ60 tried to get close enough to pull me out when he got stuck. Bryan pulled in front of him to pull him out and Bryan got stuck on the other side of the trail. Bryan finally got free, pulled Peter out and then hooked onto me with a double sling, a couple good pulls and out I popped but now Bryan was stuck again. a nice tug from Peter and out he came.
I took the lead to catch up to Daryl who was up the trail a bit driving backwards. hauling butt I noticed the steering was getting harder and harder to turn so I looked out the window and the front (spare) tire was flat and just then I hit a buried rock bending the rim. I pulled up beside Daryl who was hooking up to Roy for a steady tug back.
I was told I would need to leave the Jeep where it was and come back with a spare. I looked at the rim and the 3 piece odd ball rim was already damaged and the tire only had 50% of tread left so I decided to try and see if I could go ahead at all. putting it in gear I tried and the bugger moved... okay how far??... holy crow, I can actually accelerate so I drove for about 1/2 km till I caught up to Daryl who couldn't go fast at all. I heard of driving with low air pressure but NO pressure at all? well sooner or later the tire will leave the rim completely and then at least I have cut down on the distance for the return trip. the tire would walk from one unbeaded side all the way over to the other unbeaded side, it would tilt a WAY out at the bottom and then a WAY out at the top, it was really cool to watch. it surprised me that the tire stayed on the whole 8 km back to the drop off area. through deep snow, at speed, through open water, up and down berms, around corners, it would not fall off. AMAZING to say the least.
once back to the drop off area we switched the front 2 tires with the narlies and hooked the HZJ75 up to tow the Jeep home for a well deserved rest but that wasn't the case. both front wheels had frozen solid while we were changing them over. I towed the jeep for about 30 meters but I was dragging a dead unit. the back tires turn fine but the front wouldn't so we unhooked the Jeep, fired it back up and put it in 4 WD low. I let out the clutch and a loud crack was heard as the driver's wheel broke free but now all the power went only to the drivers tire and the other side acted like an anchor dragging me towards the ditch so we hooked up tot he HZJ75 with a sling and Clarence dragged me for about 3 km and just as I slipped of the road into the ditch the passenger tire caught on something and now it too broke free with a loud crack. now with 4 wd drive again I drove from the ditch back onto the road for the trip home hooked behind the tow unit.
while all this went on, the other boys loaded Daryl's 42 onto the back of Bryans trailer for the trip back to my place.
once the other boys made it to my place we needed to get the 42 off the trailer and into my garage so it could warm up for a 3rd member transplant. problem was now both his back wheels were frozen solid so now it wasn't a matter of just backing it in, we needed to break the rear wheels free. Bryan grabbed his tiger torch from home and heated up the rear housing, this worked to break the one tire loose but the other one was stubborn. Bruce Lowen was able to back the truck up enough to get the rear onto the ramps and with the use of a floor jack we got it positioned over the pit.
all in all it was a GREAT trip. the trail was very easy, the run back out was entertaining and the getting the 2 lame trucks home was challenging. fun was enjoyed by all on the run. the damage was minimal.
cheers and thanks for letting me ramble on.
what a run it was!! we met up at Denny's as usual (can we PLEASE make the meeting spot at Rickies instead, the service really sucks at Denny's) and there were 5 trucks up to the challenge. it was COLD to say the least. on the way to Denny's I took it very slow and easy since I was towing the J53 Mitsubishi Diesel Jeep behind my HZJ75. intersections were slippery and there were a couple real goofs on the road to make the tow even more interesting.
after we finally got our food and Clarence and I decided to head out towards Cochrane before the rest since we needed to fuel up, once again taking our time we decided we could have changed to the narlies at home since they are speed rated to 35 mph and we were only doing about 45 mph. I was nervous heading down Cochrane hill and once at the bottom the diesel station beckoned. it was a good thing we headed out early because we were still fueling up when the others caught up.
heading out the 940 was where the first close call came, I was taking it extra careful on the "S" bends when the Jeep decided to give me a gentle push. "oh damn, oh damn, oh damn, oh good" we made the turn just as the front tire slipped off the pavement into the shoulder. in my mind I was thinking if I am going in turn the tires straight at the last minute and maybe you won't loose both trucks, thankfully this wasn't needed.
next was just after Benchlands where the road takes a sharp bend, a ?logging" truck was jack knifed across the road so I came to a stop. analyzing the situation I decided to drive the ditch to get around him (he had a lot of other trucks to help him out). now I was nervous, I knew the HZJ75 was capable but I wasn't sure I would find the traction to get back out the other side. so with a bit of momentum I went in and thankfully my supposed embarrassment was avoided as I came back out the other side with ease.
once at Richards road we started to change out the BFG AS for the 31" narlies. we got 19 lug nuts loose but the last one stripped so the decision to change them out were terminated. one thing I forgot was the thin walled socket to remove the aftermarket rims.
we drove up the Bar C side road to where we were going to leave the tow rigs (Bryan was towing his Bandit (Toyota mini truck) on a flat deck). by the time I got to the drop off spot I already had 1/8" of ice on the inside of the windshield so I HAD to get the fan going on the Jeep. thanks to Roy lending me a Phillips drive (you can practically tear this whole Jeep apart using a screw driver) I found that when I installed the Propane Injection I had forgotten to hook the fan back up. easy fix and the heat was fantastic.
once everyone was ready we hit the trail. 2 BJ60s, one Toyota mini, 1 jeep and I BJ42. Clarence and I dropped back and once the trail was clear we gave the suspension a try out. we got more air then time on the snow bouncing along just missing the trees. we caught up to the pack and noticed that Bryan had the hood up on the Mini. it seems he was doing a donut when he came close to a tree and since he had no brakes he used the tree to stop. (hence the Bryan customized by mother nature from bumper. the first damage of the day.
none of us really new where we were going just at we wanted to go along the valley. Bryan was leading in his Mini but after a couple "turn arounds", Roy took over leading. I was about 4th truck in the group and as usual I wanted to pass everything in sight so Daryl was the first victim, getting up a bit of speed off the trail I shot around a couple trees and back onto the trail ahead of Daryl, next in line was Bryan. he was booting along pretty fast, I would guess about 50 km/hr so I would need a long stretch to be able to get by and there it was so peddle down and the propane on I shot past him but the stretch ran out before I could get back in so between 2 trees and past a couple bushes I finally made it back onto the trail (now before the tree huggers get their panties in a bunch, this is winter and unless you drive over the trees no damage is done). finally was Roy, the trail leader, the trail switched this way and that so passing wasn't a good idea. finally I got around him and Clarence and I decided to put a bit of distance between us and the pack, this was no easy feat since both Roy and Bryan were up for a speed run down the trail. right on my tail for the first bit I was finally able to put a bit of distance between us. letting off on the gas just as we came into the curves and accelerating as we came out, letting off just as we got to the dips in the he trail and giving it again just as we crested gave us both the giggles, the light was just wrong since we couldn't actually see the dips before we got to them, we launched off on of the berms and got about 10 feet before we touched down again. I am telling you that diesel jeep just soaked up the bumps. tears running down my face we carried on till we got to the gate. there we waited for the rest to catch up, Roy and Bryan were not far behind.
once through the gate we came upon the wall which we took some pics at. very nice back ground for the pics. shortly after that we came across 6 "free range?" horses out in the middle of nowhere. they were beautiful, I think it was Clarence that first walked up to them and started to pet them, shortly after that we all found our way over. they were big, I actually had to look up at them. a definite high light of the trip.
after the horses Clarence and I got separated for the rest of the group. we were on the north side of the valley and Roy and the boys were on the South side (guesstimate 1/2 km away) so I decided to take a short cut across the valley, I really wish I could have watched the Jeep going up and down like a rollercoaster flying over to the other side through 1 1/2 to 3 foot drops to catch up. later it was heard that I must not like my Jeep, to set the matter straight, I love my J53. it is so nimble, smooth, powerful that what is there no to like. it is perfect for the wheeling I like to do. I still love my cruisers but this is a new toy for me, something completely different from what I am used to wheeling for the last 23 years.
finally finding some frozen creek we all tried our hands at reverse donuts on the ice. this is the first trail ride where I saw Bryan actually let loose. he went around and around so many times I thought he was going to come out of his truck puking but he was okay. I on the other hand broke through and impailed some ice under the rim so I ended up with a slow leak.
a bit later Daryl and I tried climbing a small berm. the Jeep made it fine but Daryl broke off a pinion. the discussion was made that Daryl would try and drive out the !!! 8 km !!! in reverse and with only front wheel drive. shortly after this and while he was removing the driveshaft I noticed the leak. no problem on goes the spare and we are ready to fly.
once again I decided to take a shortcut through the trees when I broke through the snow and I was stopped dead. the front end up on the hard packed snow and the back end buried deep. Peter V in his BJ60 tried to get close enough to pull me out when he got stuck. Bryan pulled in front of him to pull him out and Bryan got stuck on the other side of the trail. Bryan finally got free, pulled Peter out and then hooked onto me with a double sling, a couple good pulls and out I popped but now Bryan was stuck again. a nice tug from Peter and out he came.
I took the lead to catch up to Daryl who was up the trail a bit driving backwards. hauling butt I noticed the steering was getting harder and harder to turn so I looked out the window and the front (spare) tire was flat and just then I hit a buried rock bending the rim. I pulled up beside Daryl who was hooking up to Roy for a steady tug back.
I was told I would need to leave the Jeep where it was and come back with a spare. I looked at the rim and the 3 piece odd ball rim was already damaged and the tire only had 50% of tread left so I decided to try and see if I could go ahead at all. putting it in gear I tried and the bugger moved... okay how far??... holy crow, I can actually accelerate so I drove for about 1/2 km till I caught up to Daryl who couldn't go fast at all. I heard of driving with low air pressure but NO pressure at all? well sooner or later the tire will leave the rim completely and then at least I have cut down on the distance for the return trip. the tire would walk from one unbeaded side all the way over to the other unbeaded side, it would tilt a WAY out at the bottom and then a WAY out at the top, it was really cool to watch. it surprised me that the tire stayed on the whole 8 km back to the drop off area. through deep snow, at speed, through open water, up and down berms, around corners, it would not fall off. AMAZING to say the least.
once back to the drop off area we switched the front 2 tires with the narlies and hooked the HZJ75 up to tow the Jeep home for a well deserved rest but that wasn't the case. both front wheels had frozen solid while we were changing them over. I towed the jeep for about 30 meters but I was dragging a dead unit. the back tires turn fine but the front wouldn't so we unhooked the Jeep, fired it back up and put it in 4 WD low. I let out the clutch and a loud crack was heard as the driver's wheel broke free but now all the power went only to the drivers tire and the other side acted like an anchor dragging me towards the ditch so we hooked up tot he HZJ75 with a sling and Clarence dragged me for about 3 km and just as I slipped of the road into the ditch the passenger tire caught on something and now it too broke free with a loud crack. now with 4 wd drive again I drove from the ditch back onto the road for the trip home hooked behind the tow unit.
while all this went on, the other boys loaded Daryl's 42 onto the back of Bryans trailer for the trip back to my place.
once the other boys made it to my place we needed to get the 42 off the trailer and into my garage so it could warm up for a 3rd member transplant. problem was now both his back wheels were frozen solid so now it wasn't a matter of just backing it in, we needed to break the rear wheels free. Bryan grabbed his tiger torch from home and heated up the rear housing, this worked to break the one tire loose but the other one was stubborn. Bruce Lowen was able to back the truck up enough to get the rear onto the ramps and with the use of a floor jack we got it positioned over the pit.
all in all it was a GREAT trip. the trail was very easy, the run back out was entertaining and the getting the 2 lame trucks home was challenging. fun was enjoyed by all on the run. the damage was minimal.
cheers and thanks for letting me ramble on.
