'round n' back again
Explorer
in the winter i avoid the tree farm where i keep some old junk too big to leave on a city lot.
the tree farm is out on the river in NW oregon. it sits on the lee side of a east west ridge and is the lee side of upriver storms. it gets wet.
the old man who is the owner of this farm, is casual or careless about the maintnence of the road system preferring "natures way".
thus the access road is a mess. here is how it works. turn off the main road, 1/4 mile over a boggy rock road to a bridge across beaver creek.(i swear one day this bridge will end up in the river like the last one did. we never found the last bridge after the floods of'07).
across the bridge, lock into 4x4.
hubs? check
t case? check
drop into gear and boot it. there is a short sharp hill that rises 50 feet to a plateau where there are two large ponds. these ponds use this road as the easiest water access to the river below-an unofficial spillway.
rutted , muddy; torrential rains this winter have made this road a fabulous mess.
the old man told me on the phone that i would not make it up . i didnt want to walk, and i had montee so im driving. i hit that hill at about 35 mph, slowed almost to 5 mph sliding and slucing up that steep grade and around the tight corner at the top.
in my heart i felt like montee was not giving her best, but we were progressing so i stayed on it.
now the plateau is everywhere saturated dirt, torn up by the old man, and his heavy equipment, and no adult supervision.
roaring, sliding, slucing, i'm able get back into the far corner where im to dig into an old dodge cummins i have stashed there. i needed some parts.
i took a pic to prove i made it, as if the torn up tire tracks were not proof enough. i noticed there was little mud on the front fenders, but rear wheel wells were plugged with mud down to tires's surface. hmmmmm
check hubs yup locked in
WTH?
Well shrug, finish my business, starting to get dark, cold, and windy. at least the return is mostly down hill after i get across this plateau.
no dice. i took a route that still had some cover grass on it came around behind the conex and slid into a standing bog. stuck, by myself, I roar, I race back and forth; forward , reverse, nothing. digging deeper. ****** is going on with my front axle?
idle as a limp d*&^
finally in irritation, i went through the trouble of firing up the excavator walked it over there (gently for i did not want to hurt her feelings), i pulled montee from the muck, but i werent happy.
more roaring and sliding and i'm in the ruts going down hill THEN, felt a jerk and the b**** decides to kick in to 4x4, but now i'm free of that mess, and across the bridge
WHAT HAPPENED?
am i missing something when engaging 4x4?
ITS TIME FOR A 241!
the tree farm is out on the river in NW oregon. it sits on the lee side of a east west ridge and is the lee side of upriver storms. it gets wet.
the old man who is the owner of this farm, is casual or careless about the maintnence of the road system preferring "natures way".
thus the access road is a mess. here is how it works. turn off the main road, 1/4 mile over a boggy rock road to a bridge across beaver creek.(i swear one day this bridge will end up in the river like the last one did. we never found the last bridge after the floods of'07).
across the bridge, lock into 4x4.
hubs? check
t case? check
drop into gear and boot it. there is a short sharp hill that rises 50 feet to a plateau where there are two large ponds. these ponds use this road as the easiest water access to the river below-an unofficial spillway.
rutted , muddy; torrential rains this winter have made this road a fabulous mess.
the old man told me on the phone that i would not make it up . i didnt want to walk, and i had montee so im driving. i hit that hill at about 35 mph, slowed almost to 5 mph sliding and slucing up that steep grade and around the tight corner at the top.
in my heart i felt like montee was not giving her best, but we were progressing so i stayed on it.
now the plateau is everywhere saturated dirt, torn up by the old man, and his heavy equipment, and no adult supervision.
roaring, sliding, slucing, i'm able get back into the far corner where im to dig into an old dodge cummins i have stashed there. i needed some parts.
i took a pic to prove i made it, as if the torn up tire tracks were not proof enough. i noticed there was little mud on the front fenders, but rear wheel wells were plugged with mud down to tires's surface. hmmmmm
check hubs yup locked in
WTH?
Well shrug, finish my business, starting to get dark, cold, and windy. at least the return is mostly down hill after i get across this plateau.
no dice. i took a route that still had some cover grass on it came around behind the conex and slid into a standing bog. stuck, by myself, I roar, I race back and forth; forward , reverse, nothing. digging deeper. ****** is going on with my front axle?
idle as a limp d*&^
finally in irritation, i went through the trouble of firing up the excavator walked it over there (gently for i did not want to hurt her feelings), i pulled montee from the muck, but i werent happy.
more roaring and sliding and i'm in the ruts going down hill THEN, felt a jerk and the b**** decides to kick in to 4x4, but now i'm free of that mess, and across the bridge
WHAT HAPPENED?
am i missing something when engaging 4x4?
ITS TIME FOR A 241!
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