Toothgnasher
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- Lance
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- Jan 11, 2019
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- Oshawa, On
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- 2021 Gladiator Rubicon Diesel “Toothgnasher”
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Continuing the saga from Awake for 36 hours (so far) - rescuing a ZJ Jeep
The ZJ got off the trail yesterday! (Sunday, August 23rd)
Full story:
After planning the rest of the recovery for the week and poring over maps of the area, we discovered that the trail we had been trying to get the jeep down did, indeed, meet the backroad as we had thought. The trail from the backroad to the hunt camp we had left the jeep at was only about 2.5km
(This trail was an ORV trail labelled "shit show" on Backroad Maps. The trail the ZJ went on last Saturday is called Hell's Run locally. I'll use these names now to avoid further confusion.)
So five rigs gathered on Saturday - 3 JLs, a trail rig TJ and my JT and we started down Shit show. The first third of the trail was open, and practically a fire access road. Then the lead jail made a wrong turn at a fork and it and myself wound up at a Hunt camp where we had plenty of space to turn around thankfully. We got onto the right trail again and it deteriorated within 50 m. It was tight, overgrown, with deadfall across it. It was obvious nobody had used the trail in some time, including ATVs.
We spent a couple of hours inching our way through, clearing deadfall and me popping three fenders loose. The trail was that tight. We got to within 500m of the Hunt camp where the ZJ was located and had to give up. A water crossing at a swamp/small lake had completely flooded and washed out. The TJ owner tried to walk across and gave up when the water rose above his hips. We could not determine where the trail picked up on the other side, either, as the exit was completely overgrown.
Giving up, we turned around and headed back out and off of the shit show trail. Once we got out to the trailhead, we had a late lunch, discussed our options, and determined the only thing we had left was to go back in on Hell's Run and then out on that trail. It was the least worst option, and really the only option at this point, and it was going to be hell. We had spent two full days trying to avoid bringing the ZJ out on that trail.
We drove to the trailhead, and the TJ and one of the JLs ran ahead with some supplies to hopefully reach the ZJ with enough light left in the day to start a trailside transmission flush, or at least hope it could drive out under its own power. I led the rest of the recovery crew in Toothgnasher.
It started to *pour* rain. One of the JL's drivers had to turn around and leave because of commitments on Sunday. The remaining JL and I forged ahead, cutting down a couple of trees and got to shit show (Remember, the ZJ had been left at a Hunt camp on shit show) and arrived at the camp and ZJ just before midnight. By then, the heavens had fully opened the floodgates.
There was no way I was going to attempt to tow the ZJ out at midnight during the second coming of The Flood. I managed to get a signal to let my wife know we were safe and camping that night.
Sunday morning we were up at 07:00, and the work on the ZJ was started around 08:00 and finished at about 10:00. The transmission flush succedded in getting the jeep running under its own power - but not with out having to crawl under and persuade the ZJ starter motor with a hammer. Luckily, I didn't have to tow them out because, as it turns out, once we got back to Hell's Run, I blew the sidewall of the tire I had torn last weekend.
One of the JLs also developed issues with its front differential on the way out, with a "service 4wd soon" notice that would clear when he'd stop and restart. None of us could find anything wrong when under his JL, and the only option was to continue out, which he did in 2Hi as much as possible.
16:00 got us off the trail, and I took a hit on one of my taillights to crack the sensor cover, completely detached my rear passenger fender, and picked up a dent right above the slider behind the passenger rear door. I'll get quotes on repairing that this week, along with my tailgate.
17:00 had us back in the local town for coffee and food, and that's when the JL with the diff issues started making a loud clicking sound when he drove forward. CAA (AMA equivalent) was called for both the JL and ZJ, as the ZJ's starter motor had died completely. I got home Sunday at 20:00.
Sorry, I got almost zero photos over the weekend. I was too tired and concentrating on the driving.
The ZJ got off the trail yesterday! (Sunday, August 23rd)
Full story:
After planning the rest of the recovery for the week and poring over maps of the area, we discovered that the trail we had been trying to get the jeep down did, indeed, meet the backroad as we had thought. The trail from the backroad to the hunt camp we had left the jeep at was only about 2.5km
(This trail was an ORV trail labelled "shit show" on Backroad Maps. The trail the ZJ went on last Saturday is called Hell's Run locally. I'll use these names now to avoid further confusion.)
So five rigs gathered on Saturday - 3 JLs, a trail rig TJ and my JT and we started down Shit show. The first third of the trail was open, and practically a fire access road. Then the lead jail made a wrong turn at a fork and it and myself wound up at a Hunt camp where we had plenty of space to turn around thankfully. We got onto the right trail again and it deteriorated within 50 m. It was tight, overgrown, with deadfall across it. It was obvious nobody had used the trail in some time, including ATVs.
We spent a couple of hours inching our way through, clearing deadfall and me popping three fenders loose. The trail was that tight. We got to within 500m of the Hunt camp where the ZJ was located and had to give up. A water crossing at a swamp/small lake had completely flooded and washed out. The TJ owner tried to walk across and gave up when the water rose above his hips. We could not determine where the trail picked up on the other side, either, as the exit was completely overgrown.
Giving up, we turned around and headed back out and off of the shit show trail. Once we got out to the trailhead, we had a late lunch, discussed our options, and determined the only thing we had left was to go back in on Hell's Run and then out on that trail. It was the least worst option, and really the only option at this point, and it was going to be hell. We had spent two full days trying to avoid bringing the ZJ out on that trail.
We drove to the trailhead, and the TJ and one of the JLs ran ahead with some supplies to hopefully reach the ZJ with enough light left in the day to start a trailside transmission flush, or at least hope it could drive out under its own power. I led the rest of the recovery crew in Toothgnasher.
It started to *pour* rain. One of the JL's drivers had to turn around and leave because of commitments on Sunday. The remaining JL and I forged ahead, cutting down a couple of trees and got to shit show (Remember, the ZJ had been left at a Hunt camp on shit show) and arrived at the camp and ZJ just before midnight. By then, the heavens had fully opened the floodgates.
There was no way I was going to attempt to tow the ZJ out at midnight during the second coming of The Flood. I managed to get a signal to let my wife know we were safe and camping that night.
Sunday morning we were up at 07:00, and the work on the ZJ was started around 08:00 and finished at about 10:00. The transmission flush succedded in getting the jeep running under its own power - but not with out having to crawl under and persuade the ZJ starter motor with a hammer. Luckily, I didn't have to tow them out because, as it turns out, once we got back to Hell's Run, I blew the sidewall of the tire I had torn last weekend.
One of the JLs also developed issues with its front differential on the way out, with a "service 4wd soon" notice that would clear when he'd stop and restart. None of us could find anything wrong when under his JL, and the only option was to continue out, which he did in 2Hi as much as possible.
16:00 got us off the trail, and I took a hit on one of my taillights to crack the sensor cover, completely detached my rear passenger fender, and picked up a dent right above the slider behind the passenger rear door. I'll get quotes on repairing that this week, along with my tailgate.
17:00 had us back in the local town for coffee and food, and that's when the JL with the diff issues started making a loud clicking sound when he drove forward. CAA (AMA equivalent) was called for both the JL and ZJ, as the ZJ's starter motor had died completely. I got home Sunday at 20:00.
Sorry, I got almost zero photos over the weekend. I was too tired and concentrating on the driving.
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