"Late Fall on the Upper Plains", or "How to 4 wheel on 3 wheels and a Log"

[regal403]

Warning:
Crappy cell phone pictures, beer drinking, rednecks, and 4x4s inside

If these things offend you, you might want to leave. Or just keep reading, if you enjoy getting offended by such things.


To set the stage, you could listen to this song while reading this thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgI4Gl2fS9c




Went down to Kansas last weekend to play in the dirt with a bunch of rednecks.

Here are the contenders. Let's go in for a closer look at them and their tow rigs (if applicable).

Disclaimer:

Most of the "information" in here is false due to me not knowing much about these vehicles and/or having a faulty memory and tendency to lie.

Martin's '82 K30 aka "Billy Big Rig"
454,SM465, NP205, Dana 60, 14 bolt

Tow rig: N/A



Jerry's '77 K5
305, SM465?, Dana 44, 12 bolt

Tow rig: '80 K20 flat bed

Jake's '9x ZJ
4.0L straight six, manual, and I think it's 4WD

Tow rig: WAY sweeter K20 (older K20 with a newer body)

Hillbilly aka John's '73 K20 aka "Frank"
454, TH400, Dana 44, 12 bolt

Tow rig: Doug's '96 Ram 1500
360, 1st transmission (200,000+ miles on it)

Ok, we're ready to roll!

Or not. Here's why they call him the Hillbilly, kids.

Finally got this pile running after dicking around in the parking lot for an hour.

Martin and I made it up the first hill in Billy Big Rig with no problems.

John broke Frank on the first hill. We pulled him up the hill, and somehow they got it back down the other side where it sat for the rest of the day.

This thing is way too big, long, and heavy to get over anything big, right?

Billy mid-domination.

I just barely missed the cloud of leaves and beer cans that when flying when Marty hit it. John said he could see the box seat's mounting brackets above the bed rail for a split second.

Here's some guy's Jeep trying to climb up what Billy just went over. I pulled him over, finally.

 

[regal403]

Fixing the ratchet strap battery tie down

I believe this was the first time we re-did the battery strap which went around the wrong-sized tractor battery we tossed in this morning.

New 4 door Wrangler dominating some rocks. There was air under the right front wheel just before this was taken.

We even did a little inadvertent logging.

I think we should get 6 people in there and go 'wheeling.

Jake told me to quick run over and snap a picture of Martin's 9 psi rear tire because it was wrinkled to shit.

I told Marty to hit it, and next thing I know Billy is roaring and spinning up the rocks, when all of a sudden...

That sweet tire rolled herself right off the rim.

See?

Well, looks like we're going to have to wait for Jake to go rob a tire off John's Frank so we could put it on Martin's Billy.

It's a Jeep thing. You wouldn't understand. (Or so I'm told)

These guys were drill sergeants from Fort Riley, KS, and were actually pretty cool.

4 wheeler mating season

Billy stuck as fuck. In other news, it was very very windy and cold.

I think that's supposed to be inside the axle tube, not standing up on the ground looking like it just snapped off.

Something is wrong in this picture. Can you figure it out?

 

[regal403]

Jerry was all done trying to get up those rocks, and was going to back up and ascend on the easy route when this happened. It made quite the noise.

After Billy got a tire transplant from Frank, he was able to give old Jerry's K5 a tug up the hill and off the rocks.

Backing plate made a little furrow

Believe it or not, this story gets better.

So now we're on top of a huge hill way the fuck away from the trailers and tow rigs, and Jerry doesn't have a right rear wheel. Oh, and his right front locker took a shit earlier in the day.

Billy to the rescue!

I like the loaner stock steelie and eBay Hummer tire better than the wagon spoke and swampers.

How in the fuck would you get this thing back?

How many rednecks does it take to fix a Chevy?

Someone had the brilliant idea to lash a log under the axle as a skid. Bets varied from it lasting anywhere from 5 seconds up to 10 feet.

Well, I guess it held after the jack was removed. Why not give it a tow?

Here we go!

Made it 50 feet before it was realized that the front of the log should be tied down (or would that be up?) as well.

At this point, Jerry realized he could just drive himself sans tow. It was quite possibly the world's first LWD K5 (Left Wheel Drive).

All of a sudden, Martin stopped. I got out, wondering why.

 

[regal403]

Notice that the log is still holding up very well!

Ah, so THAT'S why he stopped. It's Driveshaft Hill, notorious for destroying driveshafts due to its extreme topographical and geological conditions.

Pretty view, and pretty far down. Also, it's pretty steep and pretty rocky. Needless to say, Jerry was pretty well fucked at this point, as there was no other way out of there.

Oh, did I mention the 3 foot rock dropoff? Billy would have a hard time, so there was no way Jerry's truck could make it down this.

Not only did he get it down the ledge smoother than Marty did, he drove it right down Driveshaft and past a dumbfounded couple in a Toyota, along with a few 4 wheelers and other pickups at the bottom. Everyone had their mouths open as Tripod drove by, left wheels spinning, and log skid dragging.

He shoved the wheel back in and drove right up on the trailer, no problem.

Back at the parking lot, it was gettin' to be about that time...

Sun going down behind Billy.

God I love this truck.

Headed home.

On the way home I stopped by a coal-fired power plant near town for a picture.

The End of a very fun day.

 

[rodburner]

Looks like a fun day Regal. I used to flog my 69 Chev 4x4 Carryall up in the woods too.Great days. BTW,everybody knows Hydro electric is better`n coal.

 

[regal403]

haha, sweet!
Fixing coal cars is a big part of my job, so they help keep me employed.

 

[loxpump]

Cool pics. Reminds me of 4 wheeling my 1969 Kaiser Jeep CJ5, at St. Joe park, years ago. Kind of need moving water for the hydro stuff, but coal does the same thing kind of, just gets water moving, in the form of steam.

 

[rodburner]

haha, sweet!
Fixing coal cars is a big part of my job, so they help keep me employed.

10-4.The high price of electricity keeps me employed in the natural gas biz.:fight3:

 

[MOSES]

The log worked like a charm. I've had to do that before but I run full floaters now.

Looks like some fun ! Where was that at ?

I like to do a little wheelin myself.

 

[Kirkus51]

Nothing like having a day out with the boys!!!

 

[ssjones]

Now that looked like a productive day!

 

[regal403]

The log worked like a charm. I've had to do that before but I run full floaters now.

Looks like some fun ! Where was that at ?

I like to do a little wheelin myself.

Tuttle Creek Lake Off Road Vehicle Area:
http://www.flatlandersjeepclub.com/ORV/ORV.htm

It's just north of Manhattan, Kansas. Pretty cool area.

 

[MOSES]

Tuttle Creek Lake Off Road Vehicle Area:
http://www.flatlandersjeepclub.com/ORV/ORV.htm

It's just north of Manhattan, Kansas. Pretty cool area.

Nice ! I'll have to check it out one of these days.

I like to frequent Hot Springs ORV park in Ar. and localy Barnwell Mnt.

http://www.orvpark.com/

http://www.barnwellmountainra.com/

I usually hit up Moab and all over Co. every year but this was a bum one,
had to stay local....

 

[buckstoy]

Looks like a good time to me, that 3+3 chevy would have had me cracking up, can you say high center!! Thanks for the pics and story!opcorn:

 

[Texas94fs]

mmmm makes me miss my mud terrains and the ranch i used to work on, nothin like a bit of rock climbing and muddin!

 

[koifarm]

The log trick kinda reminds me of "The worlds fastest Indian" in which his trailer breaks down and he fixes it the same way......

 

[regal403]

The log trick kinda reminds me of "The worlds fastest Indian" in which his trailer breaks down and he fixes it the same way......

That's what we were all thinking! It was a genius way to get out of there minus a wheel.