Don't Wheel Alone!

[Millerluck]

Don't wheel alone.

A buddy and a strap can get you unstuck most times.

Had to walk 5 miles one time when the front drive shaft fell apart on the Grand Cherokee my wife once had.

Stupid thing had a CV joint on the front end of the drive shaft instead of a U-joint. All the ball fell out.

Night time wheeling is a nother bit of danger.

Any other horror storys from wheeling alone?

Larry Miller

[Booger]

My brother got stuff wheeling alone and his gas tank started leaking on the exhaust pipe. He was by himself, but luckily nothing happened.

[JeepingMoose]

I was wheeling my Aunts 67 F-100 alone, about 10 miles back in the hills behind our cabin. I was crawling down an old fire road when I lost the brakes...for about 8 pumps! I just happened to look in my side mirror while pumping like mad and saw my tire/wheel/axle creeping outward! Broke a C-clip and out the whole shebang came. I got the rig stopped before the edge of the road, got out and blocked the tires, and walked home. Luckily it was a long walk; it gave me time to build an excuse as to why I was tearing around in my Aunt's truck without her permission!

[Blackjack]

Well............what d'ya come up with?

[Hump]

I've never had anyone to wheel with. I've broken tire beads, gotten high centered, rolled into trees twice, gotten stuck lots, ripped my exhaust off, and probably several other things that I have repressed. I always have somebody with me in the Jeep though. I have always perservered. A tow strap, high lift, shovel, gloves, determination, and a tool box full of all the essentials will get you out of most anything. I am not saying I recommend wheelin' alone, but it is definitely more of a challenge knowing you have to get over or through all by yourself.

[gsmikie]

i never had anybody to wheel with and after getting stuck (once for 2 years) i found a cool deal to get you out of ruts-sand-mud-in most cases its free and it wont rust does not weight anything .....i take a old truck bed liner and cut it up into 2x3 ft sections then i strap them(6-7) on the roof rack the sun wont hurt it nor rain now when you sink/get stuck take the liner and stick it under the tires it works like cat walk planks you wont belive how well it works if you live in muddy country cut some holes in it since i started carry this stuff around the winch does not work half as much but when im in mexico i dont mind getting stuck i can handle at least 5-6 month's

[Bob Davis '80 Chero]

I got stuck in a mud puddle one Thanksgiving day years ago, I was in a Landcruiser. Five hours of sitting in a mud flat, with the water over the tailpipe, bubbling away. I was afraid to cut the engine thinking water would be sucked into the engine. Tried to winch it out but the stake we had just pulled out of the mud. Eventually, a majorly lifted Ford truck came and pulled us out of "his" hole. Then he drove through it as proof.

[Paul]

The summer after I bought the Warhorse, and before any modifications were made to it, I drove to western Colorado to visit my brother. I decided to do a bit of wheelin' on the Grand Mesa, outside the city of Grand Junction. I got up pretty high when suddenly the Jeep started to stall, then it died all together. I determined that the fuel pump had failed, as nothing came out when I disconnected the hose from the carb and cranked the engine. So the dog and I walked/hitchiked six miles to the nearest town. I called my brother and he arrived a couple hours later with a new fuel pump. We drove to where I left the Warhorse, and just for grins I turned the engine over. Lots of fuel came out the disconnected hose! I had just learned about vapor lock!! It happened a few more times on that trip, and I found that by pouring water over the fuel pump the condition could be alleviated.
On the bright side, several years later I was able to help someone out who had the same problem. We were wheelin' in the desert on a hot summer day. A guy in our group had a cj-7 with a 304, and couldn't get any fuel to the carb. I had a flashback to my experience, and I poured some cool water over his fuel pump. After a few minutes, it fired right up!

[doubletime]

When I was 20, I let a friend goad me into trying to cross a creek on a dirt road north of Leland, IL. (I had an '83 Ramcharger with worn out 31" Wrangler A/T's and 3.21:1 gears and no L/S.)I couldn't make it back up the other side so I turned and drove downstream for almost a mile until I stuck the truck deep enough that water was running 3" deep across the tranny hump. We walked about 3 miles to a farmhouse and paid for a ride to Sandwich, IL where we collected a friend, his dad and their '75 Hi-Boy F-250. It took 5 hard yanks to free the Ram.