If you take your Land Cruiser off-road even in an innocuous situation....it is prudent for you to have a few basic tools and the knowledge/experience to use them or have a good credit card for a tow truck...if possible.
Some thoughts I had this week as I took a couple days to work around house and visit parents property in hopes of seeing some turkeys...
- if your land cruiser has oversized tires and/or a lift...your factory jack is useless in offroad environment or even on-road if you need to remove a tire. Get a Hi-Lift of at least 48 inches or preferrably 60 inches...and learn how to use it by reading and watching youtube videos..and then practicing in safe environment. Learn how to engage for lifting, engage to lower, how to release head to slide up or down the main bar, learn the angles to start the lift so it will not cut your door like can opener as it adjusts up higher, learn how to jack weight of vehicle without placing body over handle as it is not hydraulic so the higher you have to lift the harder it is to do successfully. Also get the stabilizer pad for it that allows it to lift in soft terrain without sinking.
- if you have rock sliders that are not made for jacking with Hi-Lift....buy a Hi-Lift adapter....it has ability to slide over lifting hook on hi-lift, bolts on to be secure, and then has a half circle jack point that cradles the tubing of your rock sliders to make it much more safe. Keep this in truck and know how to use it.
- if you have a winch....pull out line once a year at minimum....clean, lubricate, re-wrap tight and uniform...know not to go past the red marks on cable ....have batteries in your winch remote...keep wired remote in vehicle at all times...know how to hook it up and use it even in dark. Keep leather gloves for handling steel cable. Optimal is to also have tree saver or tow strap, couple extra rings, and a snatch block...but this stuff gets heavy and bulky if you take it all. An operational winch is basics.
- a shovel...military styled folding is best....helps clear debris or mud from under tires....under differentials....and one edge is sharp so in a pinch can use to cut debris or small saplings if needed.
- flashlight...good strong long lasting flashlight and/or head light so you can see what you are doing around and under vehicle.
- axe...if possible...is good for felling a tree to bury and use as a deadman....or to clear a trail out of the situation. Again...carrying everything is not always possible.
in my recovery chest I have all the items above in it or on my truck...plus snatch strap, chains, wheel chocks, extra D-rings and an attachment for my wheels so I only have to lift wheels and not fight suspension before wheels start lifting off or out of hole.
**what made me ponder these things...well getting stuck in middle of nowhere Tuesday night gave me time to reflect during and after the ordeal in my Lexus. LOL
Cliff Notes:
UTV riding around 100 acres...setting and then walking to see where turkeys are roosting. Just before dark heading back to where I am sleeping that night and decide to check food plot that the road into it is flooded from rain but was a short distance through planted pines to reach back corner from opening near front. All goes as planned until front tire goes down into a stump hole and lifts opposite tire off ground of UTV. 4WD and a Locker in rear did not help with ground that soft...so it was stuck no matter if I rocked or perched on good side and shifted weight. I was 10 feet from field edge.
Walk back to Lexus and drive it down same trail I blazed...stop 40 yards away as getting wet and pull winch cable to extract UTV. Success....
It is now pitch black in middle of property except for headlights and LED Lightbar on LX470. Start backing and slide off the pine row...and high center Lexus. Crap!!!! Rocking does nothing. Get flashlight and see left tires almost off ground and what little there was was a soft loam so dug out quickly....plowed black dirt under rear diff...so stuck good. UTV was not strong enough to budge it so that is moved out of way.
No trees larger than 2 inches in diameter within winch range....so plan B. Pull hi-lift off rear swing out. Locate my rock slider adapter for hi-lift...and grab my e-tool (folding shovel).
I assess situation and see that I need to stack something under left tires as the right side is good but was too wedged on that row with pines lodged under me to break loose. SO I get shovel and clear dirt from in front of rear diff and suspension. Then I make a flat spot on drivers side and open door and place hi-lift on slight rearward angle and start jacking. Making sure to keep my body parts from over the handle at all times to prevent broken faces or arms or ribs.
The UZJ100 is a heavy beast....it took everything I had to lift the final 8 inches to get her high enough with suspension droop to have the wheels start coming off ground in holes...finally after an hour she was ready to start stacking debris. Some wood chunks and stuff later I have both back and front wheel on that side almost level with ground. Start lowering and get almost down and hi-lift wont lower any further...so rememberd to get screwdriver and put handle in right position and then manually release the plunger....dropped her and good to wear gloves and keep fingers out of way as this could end badly. I will repeat what others have said before me...the Hi-Lift can be a dangerous piece of equipment...respect it!!!
Crawl into seat and put in 2nd with 4x4 Lo and Locked center diff...and she moved forward effortlessly. Now to pick a line out of there...so I decide to move up more...angle wheels and line vehicle up to force it up on the high ground with tires and take it out 30 yards to the rear. Move jack into UTV...shovel...tools. Left winch cable out front..will roll up later. Give it some gas and head out...few bumps and jolts later I am in the clearing and safe. Then walk in dark to recover UTV in briars...drive it out...then take both back to where I am sleeping. Put tools away...wind cable up quickly on winch...take sleeping bag, pad, water, etc out for morning...realize it is almost midnight now and I am covered in sweat and mosquitoes and dirt...and my arms and torso feel like Gumby from lifting that UZJ100 on a Hi-Lift almost 3 feet in air on one side to get tires to clear.
Clean up on hand pump well.....and rack out for night...waking to realize it is hell getting old and out of shape as every muscle in my body ached.
Well...there you have it. Any lessons learned other than NOT DRIVING THROUGH PLANTED PINES AT NIGHT????
- need to keep my Hi-Lift soft terrain base in truck with rest of gear
- helped in keeping my cool, thinking through the situation, and taking inventory of what I had to help with recovery myself and around me...and then trying the easy first (tow with UTV) and then going to Plan B....jacking up and placing debris under tires for traction.
- not giving up..would have been too easy to call a friend, wait until morning and call my father with his Jeep (not going to happen), or to call a tow truck with long cable to winch me out at a cost. Also, doing a real extraction (accidental or on purpose) gives you the SELF CONFIDENCE in your equipment and abilities that will carry with you for a lifetime. As long as you have basic gear and basic abilities.
So make sure you have a suitable jacking device......recommend the soft terrain base for it at minimum...a good shovel...a good light source...and a mental plan.
Might be worth a Hi-Lift extraction HAMOM one day so people can see what they are able to do with what they carry in their Land Cruisers...and then fix or purchase what is lacking and formulate a plan for their OWN RECOVERY if it ever is needed.
Good luck. No I did not get a turkey but not sure I could have drawn my longbow if one strutted in front of me as worn out as I was...hahaha
Some thoughts I had this week as I took a couple days to work around house and visit parents property in hopes of seeing some turkeys...
- if your land cruiser has oversized tires and/or a lift...your factory jack is useless in offroad environment or even on-road if you need to remove a tire. Get a Hi-Lift of at least 48 inches or preferrably 60 inches...and learn how to use it by reading and watching youtube videos..and then practicing in safe environment. Learn how to engage for lifting, engage to lower, how to release head to slide up or down the main bar, learn the angles to start the lift so it will not cut your door like can opener as it adjusts up higher, learn how to jack weight of vehicle without placing body over handle as it is not hydraulic so the higher you have to lift the harder it is to do successfully. Also get the stabilizer pad for it that allows it to lift in soft terrain without sinking.
- if you have rock sliders that are not made for jacking with Hi-Lift....buy a Hi-Lift adapter....it has ability to slide over lifting hook on hi-lift, bolts on to be secure, and then has a half circle jack point that cradles the tubing of your rock sliders to make it much more safe. Keep this in truck and know how to use it.
- if you have a winch....pull out line once a year at minimum....clean, lubricate, re-wrap tight and uniform...know not to go past the red marks on cable ....have batteries in your winch remote...keep wired remote in vehicle at all times...know how to hook it up and use it even in dark. Keep leather gloves for handling steel cable. Optimal is to also have tree saver or tow strap, couple extra rings, and a snatch block...but this stuff gets heavy and bulky if you take it all. An operational winch is basics.
- a shovel...military styled folding is best....helps clear debris or mud from under tires....under differentials....and one edge is sharp so in a pinch can use to cut debris or small saplings if needed.
- flashlight...good strong long lasting flashlight and/or head light so you can see what you are doing around and under vehicle.
- axe...if possible...is good for felling a tree to bury and use as a deadman....or to clear a trail out of the situation. Again...carrying everything is not always possible.
in my recovery chest I have all the items above in it or on my truck...plus snatch strap, chains, wheel chocks, extra D-rings and an attachment for my wheels so I only have to lift wheels and not fight suspension before wheels start lifting off or out of hole.
**what made me ponder these things...well getting stuck in middle of nowhere Tuesday night gave me time to reflect during and after the ordeal in my Lexus. LOL
Cliff Notes:
UTV riding around 100 acres...setting and then walking to see where turkeys are roosting. Just before dark heading back to where I am sleeping that night and decide to check food plot that the road into it is flooded from rain but was a short distance through planted pines to reach back corner from opening near front. All goes as planned until front tire goes down into a stump hole and lifts opposite tire off ground of UTV. 4WD and a Locker in rear did not help with ground that soft...so it was stuck no matter if I rocked or perched on good side and shifted weight. I was 10 feet from field edge.
Walk back to Lexus and drive it down same trail I blazed...stop 40 yards away as getting wet and pull winch cable to extract UTV. Success....
It is now pitch black in middle of property except for headlights and LED Lightbar on LX470. Start backing and slide off the pine row...and high center Lexus. Crap!!!! Rocking does nothing. Get flashlight and see left tires almost off ground and what little there was was a soft loam so dug out quickly....plowed black dirt under rear diff...so stuck good. UTV was not strong enough to budge it so that is moved out of way.
No trees larger than 2 inches in diameter within winch range....so plan B. Pull hi-lift off rear swing out. Locate my rock slider adapter for hi-lift...and grab my e-tool (folding shovel).
I assess situation and see that I need to stack something under left tires as the right side is good but was too wedged on that row with pines lodged under me to break loose. SO I get shovel and clear dirt from in front of rear diff and suspension. Then I make a flat spot on drivers side and open door and place hi-lift on slight rearward angle and start jacking. Making sure to keep my body parts from over the handle at all times to prevent broken faces or arms or ribs.
The UZJ100 is a heavy beast....it took everything I had to lift the final 8 inches to get her high enough with suspension droop to have the wheels start coming off ground in holes...finally after an hour she was ready to start stacking debris. Some wood chunks and stuff later I have both back and front wheel on that side almost level with ground. Start lowering and get almost down and hi-lift wont lower any further...so rememberd to get screwdriver and put handle in right position and then manually release the plunger....dropped her and good to wear gloves and keep fingers out of way as this could end badly. I will repeat what others have said before me...the Hi-Lift can be a dangerous piece of equipment...respect it!!!
Crawl into seat and put in 2nd with 4x4 Lo and Locked center diff...and she moved forward effortlessly. Now to pick a line out of there...so I decide to move up more...angle wheels and line vehicle up to force it up on the high ground with tires and take it out 30 yards to the rear. Move jack into UTV...shovel...tools. Left winch cable out front..will roll up later. Give it some gas and head out...few bumps and jolts later I am in the clearing and safe. Then walk in dark to recover UTV in briars...drive it out...then take both back to where I am sleeping. Put tools away...wind cable up quickly on winch...take sleeping bag, pad, water, etc out for morning...realize it is almost midnight now and I am covered in sweat and mosquitoes and dirt...and my arms and torso feel like Gumby from lifting that UZJ100 on a Hi-Lift almost 3 feet in air on one side to get tires to clear.
Clean up on hand pump well.....and rack out for night...waking to realize it is hell getting old and out of shape as every muscle in my body ached.
Well...there you have it. Any lessons learned other than NOT DRIVING THROUGH PLANTED PINES AT NIGHT????
- need to keep my Hi-Lift soft terrain base in truck with rest of gear
- helped in keeping my cool, thinking through the situation, and taking inventory of what I had to help with recovery myself and around me...and then trying the easy first (tow with UTV) and then going to Plan B....jacking up and placing debris under tires for traction.
- not giving up..would have been too easy to call a friend, wait until morning and call my father with his Jeep (not going to happen), or to call a tow truck with long cable to winch me out at a cost. Also, doing a real extraction (accidental or on purpose) gives you the SELF CONFIDENCE in your equipment and abilities that will carry with you for a lifetime. As long as you have basic gear and basic abilities.
So make sure you have a suitable jacking device......recommend the soft terrain base for it at minimum...a good shovel...a good light source...and a mental plan.
Might be worth a Hi-Lift extraction HAMOM one day so people can see what they are able to do with what they carry in their Land Cruisers...and then fix or purchase what is lacking and formulate a plan for their OWN RECOVERY if it ever is needed.
Good luck. No I did not get a turkey but not sure I could have drawn my longbow if one strutted in front of me as worn out as I was...hahaha
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