Well...
Today started with my wanting to wash the truck. But then I got to thinking that why should I wash all the crap off it, just to go bury it again this afternoon. SO I did't wash the truck, rather just admired the mud and laughed at how much fun it was.
Then my buddy rolled by and we went up on the old golf course near my home. Its a nice trail more than a pit. Had to move a wooden gate outta the way (simple log laying on two holders, easily moved) then it was all trail. Kinda bumpy, and I learned that when your front right wheel is up on a huge pile of rocks and you're damn near fallin outta the truck that you can't open the door to take a picture (I'm going back another day but I'm gonna give my buddy the camera so he can take the pics from his truck). Once I got the beast off that mound (kinda lost my clutch momentarily, gonna adjust it tommorow so that doesn't happen again), we went up the trail some more but I started having steering problems. Nursed the truck the 5 miles home, and repaired my steering.
The steering shaft on the older trucks is a crude knuckle assembly that really blows. So I put a couple of washers where the rubber joint is to try and lengthen the shaft. It appeared to be working so off we went again.
This time we didn't go to the golf course we went up on Jackson Mountain, using an OLD fire access trail. Real nice trail! (big pa s, you'd like it!!!), that leads back to a huge pit. Its not really big as far as size goes (probably 1 1/2 truck lengths wide/long), but its deep. My 35's were completely sumberged, and I was sittin on my rocker panels when I hit the deep spot. Real nice mucky nasty stinky mud too... my truck reaks, gonna wash it tommorow after all the guys at work see it.
Being greedy I decided to take a second pass(my buddy was just sittin there with his spot lights on the hole, he put his snowplow stuff on and has that low plow bar so he can't mud anymore), thats when the stuff hit the fan. I lost my steering 1/2 way thru the hole, luckily I managed to turn the wheels just enough that I made it back out of the hole. When I got out and looked my entire steering shaft was seperated from the knuckle (hence it being very crude!), and one of the two nuts that go on either side to "lock" it in place were missing.
It took us a while, but we figured out that if I wedged thick strong sticks (yes sticks! gotta love mother nature!) in there and pounded them a little with a hammer to seat them it should work. Well to be on the safe side I grabbed several branches and thru them in the bed, more sticks to fix it with <IMG SRC="/board/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif">. Had to stop about every 5 miles and rewedge/insert more sticks, but I nursed her home. I'm gonna take some pics of one wonderful use for sticks. Anyways, my truck is even more covered in mud than it was yesterday, that is an awesome hole to hit. And after I get my steering fixed AGAIN, and make sure its not gonna fall out or break on me I'm gonna go back up there.
Later all, I'm off to shower and eat. I'm starvin and stinkin.
-Chris
Today started with my wanting to wash the truck. But then I got to thinking that why should I wash all the crap off it, just to go bury it again this afternoon. SO I did't wash the truck, rather just admired the mud and laughed at how much fun it was.
Then my buddy rolled by and we went up on the old golf course near my home. Its a nice trail more than a pit. Had to move a wooden gate outta the way (simple log laying on two holders, easily moved) then it was all trail. Kinda bumpy, and I learned that when your front right wheel is up on a huge pile of rocks and you're damn near fallin outta the truck that you can't open the door to take a picture (I'm going back another day but I'm gonna give my buddy the camera so he can take the pics from his truck). Once I got the beast off that mound (kinda lost my clutch momentarily, gonna adjust it tommorow so that doesn't happen again), we went up the trail some more but I started having steering problems. Nursed the truck the 5 miles home, and repaired my steering.
The steering shaft on the older trucks is a crude knuckle assembly that really blows. So I put a couple of washers where the rubber joint is to try and lengthen the shaft. It appeared to be working so off we went again.
This time we didn't go to the golf course we went up on Jackson Mountain, using an OLD fire access trail. Real nice trail! (big pa s, you'd like it!!!), that leads back to a huge pit. Its not really big as far as size goes (probably 1 1/2 truck lengths wide/long), but its deep. My 35's were completely sumberged, and I was sittin on my rocker panels when I hit the deep spot. Real nice mucky nasty stinky mud too... my truck reaks, gonna wash it tommorow after all the guys at work see it.
Being greedy I decided to take a second pass(my buddy was just sittin there with his spot lights on the hole, he put his snowplow stuff on and has that low plow bar so he can't mud anymore), thats when the stuff hit the fan. I lost my steering 1/2 way thru the hole, luckily I managed to turn the wheels just enough that I made it back out of the hole. When I got out and looked my entire steering shaft was seperated from the knuckle (hence it being very crude!), and one of the two nuts that go on either side to "lock" it in place were missing.
It took us a while, but we figured out that if I wedged thick strong sticks (yes sticks! gotta love mother nature!) in there and pounded them a little with a hammer to seat them it should work. Well to be on the safe side I grabbed several branches and thru them in the bed, more sticks to fix it with <IMG SRC="/board/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif">. Had to stop about every 5 miles and rewedge/insert more sticks, but I nursed her home. I'm gonna take some pics of one wonderful use for sticks. Anyways, my truck is even more covered in mud than it was yesterday, that is an awesome hole to hit. And after I get my steering fixed AGAIN, and make sure its not gonna fall out or break on me I'm gonna go back up there.
Later all, I'm off to shower and eat. I'm starvin and stinkin.
-Chris
