Guys I really made a boo-boo -warning carnage!

[jrou111]

Update -

So I headed out there equiped with my generator, plasma cutter, 9" angle grinder, and a ton of other tools...

When we got onto the road before the trail I saw two sherrif's SUV's and two big tow trucks. I was really worried something happened. But it turned out that someone got stuck trying to cross the river (the deuce could have made it)

Got back to the truck, fired up the generator, plugged in the angle grinder and made short work of the drag link It's difficult holding that much torque in your hands, but it finally made it through. Took about 15-20 min of grinding and it was off

Got the new piece on, put the batteries back in and fired the truck up! Drove right out of the hole (I wasn't stuck in the mud, just trapped against the tree) Headed home.

BTW, Someone stole the front shackles off the truck So now I've got to get shackles too They ripped out the rubber cover to the horn button and messed around with the controll switches too.

But at least my truck is home safe, a little worse for wear. I just keep thinking it could always be worse.

 

[jrou111]

Oh and one more thing - with the new drag link on, I've got like 4" of free play between resistance turning left to right. That's not right, Does anyone know how to fix that?

 

[m16ty]

Oh and one more thing - with the new drag link on, I've got like 4" of free play between resistance turning left to right. That's not right, Does anyone know how to fix that?

Sounds like you may have broke something in the steering box if you got evrything back tight on the frontend.

 

[jrou111]

Sounds like you may have broke something in the steering box if you got evrything back tight on the frontend.

I dunno, I've been sick with a cold. So I'm going to lay down and finally get some sleep. I probably won't deal with it until next weekend.

 

[poppop]

Changing drag links should not cause that. Something else may be damaged. Have someone turn the steering wheel and look for the lost motion. The blow that broke the link could have damaged the steering box. I would not drive it on the road again until I found the problem. Several years ago a guy was killed close to my house when the steering link can loose and his truck went into the woods and hit a tree.

 

[FreightTrain]

Yep.You broke a tooth in the stearing box I bet or broke something on the axle.(Check the bolts for the stearing arm on the knuckle.You are REALLY not going to like this fix if you gotta change stearing boxes.....How much you wanna sell the truck for now?

 

[Jakob]

Someone stole the front shackles? I'm assuming you mean the shackles on the bumper.

Sucks about the steering, hopefully it's an easy fix.

 

[jrou111]

Someone stole the front shackles? I'm assuming you mean the shackles on the bumper.

Sucks about the steering, hopefully it's an easy fix.

Yeah, someone stole the freakin shackles on the front bumper. But they left the chain and cable on the winch

 

[Jakob]

At least they didn't deadline your truck... cut/steal something important or etc. Think of it in a good way, the ONLY thing they took were the shackles. Oddly, another guy and I were just talking about stuff like this today. Apparently Harlan is getting very bad about disappearing equipment.

 

[FreightTrain]

That is why I would have camped out with the old 870 just in the tree line all night.

 

[jrou111]

That is why I would have camped out with the old 870 just in the tree line all night.

If by 870 you mean M4A3. I really thought about it last night, but I'm so sick (still sick from last weekend's recovery in the rain) that I just couldn't do it. Then I started thinking about going to jail over shooting some moron stealing some $50 shackles and suddenly it wasn't so fun.

Yeah, the hood was unlatched, but I think it was cause they were looking for the batteries.

 

[Gunwriter]

Man, I can't believe someone stole the shackles off your truck!

What the hell man, what kind of POS would do such a thing.......

really sorry to hear about your bad day....

 

[50shooter]

The good news is they couldn't drive the truck out with the broken drag link. Had you staked it out for a few hours the next crooks would have shown up with tools and had the link off...then you jump them and take your truck back having had the work completed.

Listen to all of us cussing some guy out for stealing the shackles off a truck in the timber. How many of us had our shackles stolen out of a "secure" compound on a "secure" military installation? Guess we shouldn't be to surprised.

Glad to you hear you made it out in good enough shape to fix your truck.

 

[dm22630]

Man, I can't believe someone stole the shackles off your truck!

What the hell man, what kind of POS would do such a thing.......

really sorry to hear about your bad day....

Well.....on the bright side, they didnt bust out all the windows & slice the tires! I am sure there were PLENTY of rocks on that trail that they could have used.

Be glad you didnt break down around here.....I had 20 acres & my neighbor had 40 adjoining.....he was clearing some trees out and little punk kids busted all the windows out of his dozer & track loader & cut the hydraulic lines one night.

It COULD have been much worse.

 

[EZFEED]

The good news is they couldn't drive the truck out with the broken drag link. Had you staked it out for a few hours the next crooks would have shown up with tools and had the link off...then you jump them and take your truck back having had the work completed.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Thats funny!!!!!!

 

[jrou111]

The good news is they couldn't drive the truck out with the broken drag link. Had you staked it out for a few hours the next crooks would have shown up with tools and had the link off...then you jump them and take your truck back having had the work completed.

Listen to all of us cussing some guy out for stealing the shackles off a truck in the timber. How many of us had our shackles stolen out of a "secure" compound on a "secure" military installation? Guess we shouldn't be to surprised.

Glad to you hear you made it out in good enough shape to fix your truck.

They tried to drive the truck out until I took the batteries with me. It had been backed up about a foot until the realized that the steering was gone.

I thought about letting someone else fix it, but who knows what bubba would have done as a trail fix. It was like we were in a race to fix the truck before someone lit it on fire or stole it

 

[jrou111]

Well.....on the bright side, they didnt bust out all the windows & slice the tires! I am sure there were PLENTY of rocks on that trail that they could have used.

Be glad you didnt break down around here.....I had 20 acres & my neighbor had 40 adjoining.....he was clearing some trees out and little punk kids busted all the windows out of his dozer & track loader & cut the hydraulic lines one night.

It COULD have been much worse.

I purposely rolled down the windows because I knew they'd get smashed. When I saw the sherrif's trucks and the tow truck I was expecting to drive up to a smoldering truck frame with all of the 'rockwells' missing.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Oh and one more thing - with the new drag link on, I've got like 4" of free play between resistance turning left to right. That's not right, Does anyone know how to fix that?

If you impacted the tree with the front wheel hard enough to break that drag link (never seen one broke) then you probably sheared off the center pin in the front leaf spring. The front diff is probably sliding on the spring. At least you still have both thumbs.

 

[wreckerman893]

James,

Sorry to here about the major malfunction...I just got to a puter and saw the pictures.
I have all the parts you need and I am having a FIRE SALE to pay off the bloodsuckers at Master Card.
I'll give you the SS discount.......ask my many satisfied customers...I deal in volume .

 

[Pawnshop]

Remind me to never break down in backwoods AL, sounds like there are scavengers roaming to woods LOOKING for stuff to steal! Thieves reallllly piss me off...