I'm sure that many of us on this forum have a fair amount of off road experience. I've always thought that the more you do something, the better you get. Mind you, the more time you do something, the greater chance, via law of averages, that something bad will happen to you. This is (one of many of) mine.
Lovely summer trial in May, awesome trial site, just had a clear round, on top of the world, driving "an alternative route" back to the start area and "bonk" straight into a 3foot by 3 foot drainage ditch grown over with grass. Take a look at the picture.
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Right, your turn, bonus points for photographic evidence.............
On or around 19 Aug 2006 16:11:29 -0700, "Dave R" enlightened us thusly:
nice one!
my worst one was driving solo, no winch, and no wellies. stopped before a sod-off puddle, got out the starting handle, and walked alongside it prodding to see if it was deep or soft underneath. about a foot deep, nice solid stony bottom. Jumped back in, drove through and promptly went into the soft mud the other side, top-of-wheel deep on one side of the vehicle. had to walk about a mile to the nearest farm and beg a tow from a tractor.
Lessons: never assume what the terrain is like, and wear yer wellies so you can check.
with hindsight, I could see where I went wrong - the original track line was further to the left and I'd dropped the right side wheels off the edge into what was probably a ditch about 30 years before.
I don't have photographic evidence, but my most embarrasing one was getting both n/s wheels on my 101 completely stuck in a ditch, and being towed out by a little WW2 era Jeep
I believe there was a photograph which did the rounds of the greenlaning club, with the caption "Guess who's towing who"
I've done that down a flooded lane but the water was also consisting of cow piss/manure run off (as it does at the right time of year) and it was my sister in the passenger seat. She hasnt asked for a lift again!
I went down to the end of a track rather than walk the last half mile (in 2wd ) and drove into a washout tank trapthe exit angle was now too steep with limited grip and I slid back andthen selected 4wd but that slide buried the exhaust in the disturbed mud which naturally stopping the engine leaving me stuck in six inches of mud and 3 of water I had to dig her out and shovel hardcore underneath for more grip - my farmer told me later his swb had stuck in the same hole so he had left the keys in the 4x4 tractor just in case . Derek
|| I'm sure that many of us on this forum have a fair amount of off road || experience. I've always thought that the more you do something, the || better you get. Mind you, the more time you do something, the greater || chance, via law of averages, that something bad will happen to you. || This is (one of many of) mine. || || Lovely summer trial in May, awesome trial site, just had a clear || round, on top of the world, driving "an alternative route" back to || the start area and "bonk" straight into a 3foot by 3 foot drainage || ditch grown over with grass. Take a look at the picture. || ||
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|| || Right, your turn, bonus points for photographic evidence............. || || Dave
Showing Di round Wood Park for the first time, took her through the flooded quarry pit (about bonnet depth that day). For those that don't know the site, easy entry, then about 10m through deepish water with a rock face on the left and a slick rock exit needing maximum beans. Got half way, all fine, then gave it a bit extra to start the exit climb. Wash came off the bonnet, reflected off the rock wall and straight in through the passenger window. Dirty water and green slime. Earlier I had said (hot day), don't worry about keeping the window shut, there aren't any brambles here.
She has never quite forgiven me, even though she's had her own back on many occasions.
I've been lucky and have managed to avoid any daft c*ck-ups off-road, the closest I've come is on my very first ever off-road trip, a week after buying the truck, trying a lane on my own and rather nervous. I'd stopped on the lane (just wide enough for the truck with trees either side) in some fog to light a ciggy. I hear a shrieking sound and look up to see a massive horse and tiny teenage rider galloping out of the fog, the girl being just a passenger now with the horse having decided to take over. It crammed itself down the side of the truck, wedged between the truck and a tree, and thrashed around for a bit with more screaming from the girl. Eventually it reversed out and stood there looking a bit sheepish while the thankfully unharmed girl calmed down.
It was a daft lane to ride a barely-controllable horse down, it's on the outskirts of Reading beside the Swallowfield bypass, a busy road hidden from the lane, so it can be nice and peaceful then suddenly a motorbike will scream down the bypass. I've seen a fair few horses spooked around that area.
Reminds me of the time i used my little cut through under the railway, it's got a dip that goes about 3 feet below the normal road level & is very tight tunnel. I went through onje rainy day with my mind elshwhere & the window open. It was 2 foot flooded & it just hit the tunnel wall & then in through the window!! Jane wondered what the hell i had done!
|| On 2006-08-19, Dave R wrote: || ||| Right, your turn, bonus points for photographic ||| evidence............. || || I've been lucky and have managed to avoid any daft c*ck-ups off-road, || the closest I've come is on my very first ever off-road trip, a week || after buying the truck, trying a lane on my own and rather nervous. || I'd stopped on the lane (just wide enough for the truck with trees || either side) in some fog to light a ciggy. I hear a shrieking sound || and look up to see a massive horse and tiny teenage rider galloping || out of the fog, the girl being just a passenger now with the horse || having decided to take over. It crammed itself down the side of the || truck, wedged between the truck and a tree, and thrashed around for a || bit with more screaming from the girl. Eventually it reversed out || and stood there looking a bit sheepish while the thankfully unharmed || girl calmed down. || || It was a daft lane to ride a barely-controllable horse down, it's on || the outskirts of Reading beside the Swallowfield bypass, a busy road || hidden from the lane, so it can be nice and peaceful then suddenly a || motorbike will scream down the bypass. I've seen a fair few horses || spooked around that area. || || -- || Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!
You were lucky you weren't thrown in jail for wilfully being somewhere a horse rider wanted to go, deliberately hiding in fog with malice aforethought, and furthermore for allowing a horse to hurt itself on the side of your vehicle. Not to mention smoking in an area where a young person might die from your second-hand smoke. Narrow escape, mate, narrow escape.
|| On 2006-08-20, Richard Brookman || wrote: || ||| You were lucky you weren't thrown in jail for wilfully being ||| somewhere a horse rider wanted to go, deliberately hiding in fog ||| with malice aforethought, and furthermore for allowing a horse to ||| hurt itself on the side of your vehicle. Not to mention smoking in ||| an area where a young person might die from your second-hand smoke. ||| Narrow escape, mate, narrow escape. || || Ah but this was in the *past*, where everything was perfect, fuel was || free, people got along and there was no crime! Happy days! || || -- || Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!
Ok just read about eveyones elses off roading c*ck ups, heres mine:
Rode my trial bike in some floods a few years back. Got to a road i knew fairly well and proceded to ride up it. Nice bow wave, steady speed....then i found myself underwater.....managed to find a sub merged cattle grid and the front wheel slid on it and dumped me into 3 ft of flood water!!.
First greenlaning trip in my RRC. Was heading down a RUPP (remember them??) when i thought 'Oh bugger the gates too narrow for this, best turn round'. Stopped to talk to a local farmer. But stopping on a steep field, pointing down hill whilst the field is very muddy aint a good idea. Too much brake peddle resulted in me sliding passed the farmer sideways, put the diff lock in and tried to drive back up hill. All i managed to do was shower mud all over the car and end up in the hedge. Cue much laughing from farmer as he went to get his tractor...........
Oh and trying to pull Graham out of a big puddle at the unoffcial early this year, and discovering that my diff lock in the Disco doesn't do what it says on the tin. Still doesn't to this day.
1996 Camel Trophy Greek Team selections. The vehicle is theMarshal 1 vehicle 1993 event, the one that slipped sideways from a wooden bridge but did not fall, in the event's video, later used for team selection in 1994 and 1995 in the UK and for the final teams selections in Turkey and then bought by the undersigned and used for the selection of the Greek teams in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and for marketing and promotional activities of the Camel products in Greece) Location, knee deep in water sitting in the driver's position at the Karpenisiotis river in Evritania region, central Greece.
All the other four vehicles (110 pickup bodied, fitted with V8 3.5 carburated engines) have died due to water ingress in their electrics. Only operating vehicle is mine and it is assigned to retrieve the others from inside the river and pull them out.
After about 4 hours inside the water the special task is finished and a day later the event is over (with the selection of what turned out to be the winning team of this year's Camel Trophy)
Driving back home to Athens (a 250 Km drive) and at around 100 Km from Karpenisi the front axle seizes due to water ingress.
Worst error being that I have not checked the axles and transmission components for water contamination. Repair consisted of replacing the front axle with a secondhand one from a Range Rover LSE (so that I would gain the ventilated front brakes and twin front shock absorber mounts)
Have not cost me a penny since the organisers undertook the repair and spare parts cost. But got to learn to check for water contamination following deep water wading and especially when this is for a long duration.
Take care Pantelis
P.S. BTW this camel was involved in an accident 5 days ago when a speeding PEUGEOT 206 lost control and has hit me with its driver's side on the front LH side (driver's side). Damage is still not assessed since all bodyshell repair shops where closed until today. Damage appears to be a front fender (external and internal part), front valance, grill, light, repeater, light surround, front bumper, hood, a bent front and rear steering rod, a bent radius arm mount to the chassis and possible the LH side of the axle and the steering box.
beamendsltd> Here's the unedited text from our club mag article I beamendsltd> did. It still gets menitioned every time we get beamendsltd> together.......
Wow! That one definitely goes on the list of "Stories to tell SWMBO to make sure she doesn't come on the next trip".
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