Why to- not be complacent while working on you rig.

[scrubber3]

The montero needed a new rear U-joint and I was in the mood to replace it today. So I did what any intelligent person would do and jumped in, started it up, put it in 4lolc, pulled the parking brake, put it in park, and turned it off. Figured since I wouldn't be under it long that I wouldn't worry about blocking the tires. I am on an incline, but not anything that would make it go rolling just by being under it while I have drive tires engaged, not to mention that it would be on all 4 tires.

So I get under it and start unbolting the driveshaft from the pinion flange. one bolt...two bolt...three bolt...four--little resistance---:Wow1:What the f---!!!! I pulled out the 4th bolt and it started rolling. the left rear tire was inches from my waist. New 33x10.5 KM2 with 40 psi coming and me on asphalt. It was picking up speed fast!!! I knew I had little time before I'd either be squished to death or have a colostomy bag the rest of my life. Neither of which sounded enticing. I also knew that I had no chance of stopping it. I had parked 4 feet from where the asphalt ended and a steep drop off into the yard and directly into the wooden fence was. Once it would roll into me it would keep going over. Upon realizing the situation, all I could say was "NO NO NO NO".... all the while shimmying and rolling through all four feet of ground until it was just about to take that dreaded dip into the yard and then it would be over for me. At the last second I grabbed the frame and pulled myself up, all the while kicking my legs out and sling shooting myself out! I had no idea this was physically possible. I jumped up and ran for the driver door (please don't hit the fence), but it was too late. The fence stopped it after it took out a bush and an eight foot section as I was pressing the brake pedal down.

I know what you are thinking. "It was in 4wd, the front should have held it and the parking brake was on... not to mention that scrubber is DUMB for not blocking the wheels" right? Turns out, I forgot to lock the recently installed front hubs and didn't pull the parking brake enough to engage it. the Montero took no damage at all cept for a little bush coloring to the bumper that can be washed off. The fence will require a good 6 hours and probably 80 dollars worth of wood, which is more than a fair trade-off for my heart to still be beating. I really have no idea how the heck I was able to get out from underneath like I did. Guess my guardian angel pulled me out. Wish I could buy him a round or two, cause I needed one.

So no more complacency for this guy. Blocked tires if I am going under for anything from this point on. Hope this story can serve as an example for everyone. No matter what, you can never be too sure. AND REMEMBER->SAFETY FIRST!!!! Lesson learned!

Thanks for reading and try not to be too harsh on me. I posted as an example of what not to forget when working under your rig.

JW

 

[Silverwulf]

Glad you're OK. Sounds scary! It's easy to think "awe, it'll be alright this one time".

 

[1leglance]

Wow...
First of all, glad you are ok..
Second of all, we have all done something like this in the past so no one should give you a hard time...
Third, I work as an ICU RN and see stuff all the time where the story starts " I figued it would be ok to..."

Thanks for posting, it takes real guts to admit something that you would prefer to forget ever happened

I will be under my rig later today and you can bet the wheels will be blocked now!

 

[NothingClever]

Everything Lance said.

(Well, Ok, not everything...I'm not smart or patient enough to be an RN.)

 

[Skidmarkart]

Yikes... I was under my Montero looking around last night too. Didn't block it. Didn't lock the jacks. Next time, I think I'll be a little more cautious. Thanks for the PSA.

I second 1leglance - I work in a big medical center, and it's the mundane stuff that you aren't paying attention to that gets you... almost always.

 

[TangoBlue]

Everyone is being so nice...

...well, you're not getting off so easy with me. :violent-smiley-031:

What Lance really meant to say was, "Woo-hoo! Job security!"

Glad there wasn't too much carnage and you're okay. :victory:

 

[Clem]

Glad you're okay...Lesson learned.

Clem

 

[eurosonic]

Dzaang sounds scary. Thank God you alright. :Wow1:

 

[geocrasher]

One time I couldn't find my truck in the car port. It was in the street. Long time ago. No damage was done to anything, I was lucky, and I wasn't under it! Thanks for the heads up on this. It sure is easy to get complacent and think "Oh this one time it'll be ok".

 

[off-roader]

Ouch!! Glad you're ok.

I can appreciate where you're coming from when the 'load shifts' and what was stationary moves. Kinda like what happened when we were changing out the rear end of my rig at the end of the Slick Rock Trail in the Sierra Nevada's although that time we had the rear end raised completely using 2 HiLifts and the load shifted to the right and the rig almost came completely down. Was hell to raise her back up and secure her properly. This time using jack stands instead of relying on the HiLifts to stay in place and not move left/right.

For your kind of situation I purchased a pair of these (http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece-metal-wheel-chocks-97130.html).

They come in 'Mitsubishi Red' :ylsmoke: from the local Harbor Freight for less than $10 and keep them in the compartments under the middle row seats to help prevent accidents. Was a pretty decent price and they work very well.:smiley_drive:

 

[scrubber3]

On my way to the Harbor to pick some up now.

Thanks for taking the time to respond on my thread everyone. Wasn't the first close brush with meeting my maker, but definitely should have been the easiest to avoid. As my old Drill Sargent used to say,"complacency kills more soldiers than the enemy". Would have hated for something this "dumb" to have finally taken me out after all I have been through. I would have been more pi55ed than anything. lol

 

[Revco]

I learned my lesson when I was just 17. Working on my Mustang 5.0 in the garage, installing a fresh transmission all by myself. I just got it all bolted up from the underside and was going to set it back down on the ground. The front wheels were on drive-up metal ramps, and the rear was on jackstands. I slid my jack under the rear axle, raised it up enough to remove the jack stands, and started letting it down slowly. Before the tires hit the concrete, the car started rolling back on the jack. My little brothers '66 Chevy pickup was parked in the driveway behind the Mustang. I started panicking holding the jack stand and trying to hold the car up, but my skinny little 135lb body couldnt stop the momentum of the 3000lb car rolling down the metal ramps. It all happened fast. I found myself wedged between the '66 Chevy truck and my car. My back was on the trucks front bumper and my feet were on the Mustangs back bumper, basically a leg press, but I was pinned between. The jack handle was pointing upwards nearly out of reach and the rear end was teetering on the jack pad. I sat there for maybe 15 seconds trying to figure out if I was fast enough to drop down under the truck and let the car go, or if my head would get caught between the two and end up looking like a squashed watermelon. Then common sense kicked in and I loosened the jack handle and the tires hit the concrete and the weight was no longer pushing my legs into my chest. I slid out, the car didn't move, caught my breathe, and got back to work.

Since then, I over do it. Even something so simple as lowering a car off the jack stands can turn into a bad situation, so these days I put a little more effort into preparation. I work by myself in my shop late at night. The shop is on the outskirts of a small town and in an industrial park, so there's nobody to hear my scream or see me pinned under a car, so I have to be extra careful. I only slide under a vehicle without jackstands & wheel chocks if it's already on all four wheels. If I have enough space under the vehicle I'll slide a tire & wheel on it's side under the vehicle as another safety measure. Should the jack or stands fail, the tire can help give me some space before getting crushed.

 

[Inyo_man]

Glad to hear no harm came to you.
The same thing happened to a friend of mine back when we were kids.
He ended up in the hospital with broken ribs from his rig rolling over his chest.

 

[matt s]

After learning the hard way I now have a little rule for my self.

"If I think that just maybe I should do something in regards to safety then I stop and do it before continuing no matter how trivial is seems."

Sounds vague or simplistic but here is an example. Start to grab a tool, wonder "should I go grab eye protection for this?". If I even have to ask then the answer is yes.
It works for pretty much all situations. "Should I secure this bumper with a jack stand it's probably overkill?" Then the answer is yes.

You get the idea, and I have to say that the times I have hurt myself are the times I ignored that little voice asking the questions.

 

[rxinhed]

I have a similar story, but need not go in to too many details. Suffice it to say, I was outside my LUV 4x4 already and physically held it from rolling from the slanted driveway toward traffic on the 4 lane street I lived along. There was never a good break in traffic to let the truck go, it would have rolled into the apartment across the street. About an hour passed before a older woman walking her dog down the sidewalk asked me what I was doing. I simply told her that I was paying for my oversight, then requested that she either put the truck in gear or pulled the e-brake tight.

When doing a brake job, pull the wheel blocks last. Doh! :chef:

Russell