Who wants to help remove a junk vehicle off public lands? (19 Viewers)

[ttFJC]

So, for those of you who haven't been subscribed to the latest 406 cruisers trip, there is an abandoned Hyundai on public lands. On a trail everyone refers to the "ringing rocks" trail. I noticed the car in one of the pictures and looked into it further. After a couple of phone calls with the FS I was able to make contact with a FS Officer named Kristina Vitolins out of the Beaverhead-Deer lodge NF office in Butte. She gave me full authorization to remove and scrap the vehicle and was more then happy to hear that the 406 cruisers was willing to help. (see attached .gov form) I also gave her my contact info and as your "land use coordinator" I will be working with her on any other projects that may come up because I was told this happens all the time. So this is exciting for me, and anyone who wants to help out keeping our trails maintained.



Vehicle is located here at the intersection. Hay canyon is the name of the road I believe.
46.0442, -112.17683
I don't think it would be to hard to drag this thing the 3-4 miles back to the trailhead and load it on a trailer. With the paperwork we are full authorized by the FS to just get rid of it. The officer just needs a photo and date of removal for her side of the paperwork, which I am more then happy to assist with.


So I started a thread to organize the recovery effort. I have already had a couple of club members reach out and offer assistance. The date is tentative but May 31st has been mentioned. I do not currently have a working 4x4. I am familiar with the trail and i don't foresee any problem getting my brothers large Doge with a big winch up there and just dragging it out. Its mostly down hill from that point.

Any one who wants to assist would be greatly appreciated.

Any incites to what the condition the vehicle is in is also helpful. I'm told the tires still have air, but i haven't actually been up there to look at it. A light little car shouldn't be much of a hassle

 

[ttFJC]

@geo5 @PIZZZZA @3_puppies @WreckDiver1321 @MTMarcoux @pigmony

 

[WreckDiver1321]

I could do the 31st, easy drive out and back to help keep this place clean.

 

[WreckDiver1321]

Hey Aaron, I might be able to do the same with some local forest areas. People are leaving junk in the woods all the time.

 

[PIZZZZA]

The tires are flat, but we can always hook up an air compressor and see if they can hold air for a short time.
We could also strap a couple logs under it like a sled, and drag it back without scarring up the trail too much.
My rig can't pull a trailer or anything, but I could use my winch to help winch it onto a trailer.
I'm down to help out somehow.

 

[ttFJC]

@3_puppies has offered to trailer it back and have it disposed off, he is available May 31st.

 

[ttFJC]

The tires are flat, but we can always hook up an air compressor and see if they can hold air for a short time.
We could also strap a couple logs under it like a sled, and drag it back without scarring up the trail too much.
My rig can't pull a trailer or anything, but I could use my winch to help winch it onto a trailer.
I'm down to help out somehow.

draggin it out logs sounds like fun

 

[clrussell]

Way cool of you guys. I wish I could help out

 

[WreckDiver1321]

I can easily drag it with the 200.

 

[3_puppies]

@3_puppies has offered to trailer it back and have it disposed off, he is available May 31st.

Yes I can take care of it once it is in a place that can be loaded.
The 31st works for me in the morning, I need to be back in Helena mid/late afternoon
I deal with Pacific in Helena often so most of them know me.
I haven't downloaded the form yet, but as long as it is the authorization then I am good

People are leaving junk in the woods all the time.

I think in England they call it fly tipping, people getting caught when they leave something with their name on it in the junk

 

[pigmony]

First of all, thank you Aaron for spearheading this and doing the legwork with the Forest Service. I don't know if I can commit to being there to help out. There's a pretty solid chance I'll be on call for 911 at that time.

I can see the frame of a plan coming together here. I wanted to add some thoughts to help the planning. A Hyundai Accent uses a 4x100 wheel bolt pattern. No matter what, it's going to be easiest to pull it out if the tires are up. If anyone has some 4x100 wheels, that will likely help. The keys are not going to be there. Tear apart the steering column and permanently disable the steering lock. Yeah, that wouldn't normally be a good look but this is a special situation and you have documentation to back up your story. Try to get the brakes to work. Brakes are good. Take a good but careful look at the contents of the vehicle before you do too much. Watch out for anything pokey. Look for containers and substances that you wouldn't want to be in possession of. Call Jefferson County Sheriff's non-emergency number (406-225-4075) if you find anything.

 

[WreckDiver1321]

Great insight @pigmony, sounds like we need some tools on deck. I can bring some along and research what we need to do in order to get the steering unlocked.

It's also worth considering we'll need to get it out of park if it's an auto.

 

[ttFJC]

just a cliff notes so people don't need to read the .GOV form in case you were wondering FYI....the forest service "impounded the vehicle" at its current location last fall when it was discovered. 90 days have passed and this served as their public notice, and now the FS has the authority to remove or salvage it and I received the authorization from the officer when we (the club) volunteered to assist with the removal. So ill try and make sure we have a copy of the letter during transport but if anyone gives us grief, which is pretty doubtful, we are totally in the clear.

 

[3_puppies]

it's been there since last fall?

how is the road into that area? 4wd needed or 2wd?

 

[ttFJC]

it's been there since last fall?

how is the road into that area? 4wd needed or 2wd?

that's what the officer said and the paperwork says. they wanted to get it out earlier but the snow came.
so there's a big open area at the trailhead, right off the county road. would be perfect to load the car onto a trailer. you could prob make it up the road a little ways. Someone who was up there last weekend can speak to the condition of the road better then i can, but it easily accessible in a 4x4, i just don't know how far up you would want to go with a trailer. looks like it was a little muddy that day.

 

[AirheadNut]

I would love to lend a hand but am busy on the 31st. I have a set of 4x100 wheels with old tires on them that should bolt up assuming the center bore is large enough, they're in Whitefish but I should be able to get them back to Bozeman this weekend. I also have a tow rig and a 20' flatbed trailer with winch, but it sounds like that part is taken care of already. With a high enough clearance trailer it should be possible to get all the way to the car and get turned around, but my concern would be gouging a trailer tire. I was in 2H up until that point.

 

[WreckDiver1321]

Yeah it's definitely not challenging from the trailhead to that point, though it is a little rocky.

 

[Tanaman]

@ttFJC I’m up for helping out too. I have a winch and stuff to help drag it off trail. Definitely shouldn’t be too bad to get it to somewhere that can be accessed by a trailer.

I like the idea of trying to get some air in the tires or bringing some other options for making it roll as this would help in reducing trail damage. Maybe just a compressor and some tire patch kits would be enough to get it off trail?

 

[pigmony]

I like the idea of trying to get some air in the tires or bringing some other options for making it roll as this would help in reducing trail damage. Maybe just a compressor and some tire patch kits would be enough to get it off trail?

My fear is that it has flat tires because the tires have been shot up. That's why I hope @AirheadNut is able to get some 4x100 wheels & tires to the area. With luck, the emergency brake will still be functional so you don't have to mess too much with the brake system.

 

[AirheadNut]

I can certainly bring the wheels and tires back with me this weekend, if the car is going to be retrieved on the 31st I'll have to hand them off to someone next week.