- Joined
- February 7, 1999
- Messages
- 2,391
- Reaction score
- 11
- City, State
- Sherwood Park, Alberta eh?
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1992 XLT
This morning I met up with a guy name Steve (who drives an Early Bronco) from Everett Washington to do a little wheelin' at Walker Valley ORV Park just outside of Mount Vernon. We Later met up with another guy named Matt who lives in Mount Vernon and drives a Bronco II. Here is the story of our day.
We started up Expressway and Steve went first up the rock face. He tried and tried but kept getting turned sideways across the trail. After a few times somehow someone came up with the bright idea that he should back up it. It was looking good, he was almost there and then he slipped of his line a few inches. The driver's side rear went up to the sky. The Bronco wanted to buck! Steve held the brakes while the truck teetered precariously on the edge of going over onto the roof. We strapped the back of the Bronco to a tree just in case. Steve was able to creep forward slowly and set the tire back on the ground. He had a jello leg from holding the brakes. In the process of all this he somehow managed to break the ears off the driver's side front axle and to shear the passenger's side rear axle off at the end of the splines. So we turned around to go back.
As I drove my Explorer down the first part of Expressway I kept sliding towards that stupid root that sticks out about chest height. I tried a few times to reposition myself and finally I ended up hitting the damned thing. Every time I tried to get away from it I slid into the root again. I could probably have tried for hours and not get far enough away from the root and I was starting to get pissed off so I drove out of it and ended up with a couple of nice gouges in both driver's side doors.
Dead Link Removed
We started to work on Steve's rear axle (he did all the work but since everyone watched we get to take credit right? ). The broken part of the shaft was stuck in there good and the 3rd member had to be removed to get it out. After much persuasion with many pointy instruments and large hammers the broken piece came out and the new axleshaft was installed.
Dead Link Removed
Just as we were cleaning up all the junk and putting away the tools Matt came around the corner in his BII. We stood around to shoot the **** for a while and then headed down to the parking lot. We stopped again at the gravel road and then after a few minutes Steve said something like "We are going all the way back to the parking lot without stopping again right?" We all agreed and started to move. I was in the lead and I was looking back in my mirror as I drove away. I saw Matt in the mirror peeling out as he left. He appeared to shift gears and suddenly the rear of his truck kicked out violently. He had a terrified look on his face and I yelled to my passenger (a friend of mine who is also named Steve) "OH MY GOD HE'S GOING TO ROLL" just as I said that over he went into the ditch and onto the roof!!!!!!!!!! It was so quick it was unbelievable! It happened in a split second!!! The Bronco II came to a stop and about a second later Matt crawled out of the passenger's window. Dead Link RemovedDead Link Removed
He was shaken but appeared to be unhurt and he was lucky too because he didn't have is seatbelt on! We surveyed the damage and as quickly as we could we got a strap on the BII. I pulled it and managed to get it onto it's wheels without breaking the rear side windows!! Matt now had to make that phone call. You know, the one to his wife who thought he was going to the library. Matt jacked the roof up with a hi-lift since it was now only about 4" off the steering wheel and DJ (Steve's passenger) removed the windshield. Luckily the engine started fairly easily and Matt was able to drive the truck. We made our way to the parking lot and then on to Matt's house.
Dead Link Removed
This could have been a much worse accident if he had gone off the other side of the road down the sheer dropoff that God only knows how far it was to the bottom. All in all it wasn't a very productive day of wheelin' but it sure wasn't boring either. That's not the kind of excitement we were looking for but in the end everyone made it home safe and that is what really counts.
We started up Expressway and Steve went first up the rock face. He tried and tried but kept getting turned sideways across the trail. After a few times somehow someone came up with the bright idea that he should back up it. It was looking good, he was almost there and then he slipped of his line a few inches. The driver's side rear went up to the sky. The Bronco wanted to buck! Steve held the brakes while the truck teetered precariously on the edge of going over onto the roof. We strapped the back of the Bronco to a tree just in case. Steve was able to creep forward slowly and set the tire back on the ground. He had a jello leg from holding the brakes. In the process of all this he somehow managed to break the ears off the driver's side front axle and to shear the passenger's side rear axle off at the end of the splines. So we turned around to go back.
As I drove my Explorer down the first part of Expressway I kept sliding towards that stupid root that sticks out about chest height. I tried a few times to reposition myself and finally I ended up hitting the damned thing. Every time I tried to get away from it I slid into the root again. I could probably have tried for hours and not get far enough away from the root and I was starting to get pissed off so I drove out of it and ended up with a couple of nice gouges in both driver's side doors.
Dead Link Removed
We started to work on Steve's rear axle (he did all the work but since everyone watched we get to take credit right? ). The broken part of the shaft was stuck in there good and the 3rd member had to be removed to get it out. After much persuasion with many pointy instruments and large hammers the broken piece came out and the new axleshaft was installed.
Dead Link Removed
Just as we were cleaning up all the junk and putting away the tools Matt came around the corner in his BII. We stood around to shoot the **** for a while and then headed down to the parking lot. We stopped again at the gravel road and then after a few minutes Steve said something like "We are going all the way back to the parking lot without stopping again right?" We all agreed and started to move. I was in the lead and I was looking back in my mirror as I drove away. I saw Matt in the mirror peeling out as he left. He appeared to shift gears and suddenly the rear of his truck kicked out violently. He had a terrified look on his face and I yelled to my passenger (a friend of mine who is also named Steve) "OH MY GOD HE'S GOING TO ROLL" just as I said that over he went into the ditch and onto the roof!!!!!!!!!! It was so quick it was unbelievable! It happened in a split second!!! The Bronco II came to a stop and about a second later Matt crawled out of the passenger's window. Dead Link RemovedDead Link Removed
He was shaken but appeared to be unhurt and he was lucky too because he didn't have is seatbelt on! We surveyed the damage and as quickly as we could we got a strap on the BII. I pulled it and managed to get it onto it's wheels without breaking the rear side windows!! Matt now had to make that phone call. You know, the one to his wife who thought he was going to the library. Matt jacked the roof up with a hi-lift since it was now only about 4" off the steering wheel and DJ (Steve's passenger) removed the windshield. Luckily the engine started fairly easily and Matt was able to drive the truck. We made our way to the parking lot and then on to Matt's house.
Dead Link Removed
This could have been a much worse accident if he had gone off the other side of the road down the sheer dropoff that God only knows how far it was to the bottom. All in all it wasn't a very productive day of wheelin' but it sure wasn't boring either. That's not the kind of excitement we were looking for but in the end everyone made it home safe and that is what really counts.
