First of all, I can’t thank
@ToyotaDon and the group of guys that got me to my rig and helped me get it fixed. It was a ton of work getting up there. My buddy Cesar didn’t have lockers in his Gladiator. I think that, Mixed with Don and I leading the trail pushing the snow down to the ice layer didn’t help. I think we pulled nearly a mile of winch line 75 feet at a time to get up the trail. It was a lot of hard work.
Cesar owns a muffler and fabrication shop and was able to put a welder and generator in the back of his truck to haul up there. It really made getting the studs out a lot easier. Don’s years of 80 ownership and Toyota Mechanic skills and training helped a ton too. He had the truck back together and ready to come off the trail in no time.
Lessons learned from this experience? Check yer nuts, take spare stud kits, be able to communicate in back country, always bring extra food and water, and never, ever, go snow wheeling alone. Had I been with a group I likely could have avoided all of this. Also, learn the limits of your recovery equipment. I think my choice to put so much side load on that wheel with the winch is a leading factor in why the studs snapped. After we got everything apart, we realized a stud had actually already come loose and completely fallen out. One of the studs, with nut and washers attached, was found sitting on top of the brake caliper.
I still need to pull that side of the hub apart because I’m confident I ruined the axle seal. I’m ordering parts and hope to get it taken care of next Sunday. I’ll be also be putting a set of Nut Huggers on this time around.
Now for some pictures.
@ToyotaDon leading the way. My buddy Nate came along as well. He towed my rig home on his trailer.
Cesar crossing the creek. He realized how important a locker can be on this trip.
The truck was right we’re I left it. It snowed for two days after we got stuck and based on the lack of wheel tracks on the trail, we were the first group up since the storm. You can see all I’ve my spilt gear oil where everything fell apart.
Ceaser was able to stack a bead on the studs, two of which sheared inside the housing about 1/4 an inch. From there he added a washer and some spare nuts Don had which we used to pull the studs out.
Don, being the expert he is, got the new studs in quickly. Truth be told I felt kinda useless as they guys did most the work. All I really did was take the wheel off, help line up the steering arm in the knuckle, and put the wheel back on.
At least I broke down in a pretty spot.
I’m not the only rig that had a tough time with this hill. The snow here is apparently especially deep. Several rigs with far better clearance had issues and needed to be pulled up.
Once off the trail, we loaded it up on Nates trailer he usually tows his Bronco with and headed home. I can’t remember a time I’ve ever seen someone else drive my rig, but following him down the hill made me realize exactly how much body roll I have. I can’t wait to get that tent off the truck and onto my trailer. It’ll have to wait until I move into my new house though.
All in all it was a successful mission. I enlisted the help of the right group of people with the right gear to not only get to the truck, but also fix it. I cannot adequately express how grateful I am to these guys for their time and effort in this endeavor.
