Glad you made it out alive #7! I'm still chuckling. #2 might remember a diving save for a certain kill switch on a sled years ago when I could run and dive without fracturing the ice when I landed. He may also agree that your not considered stuck until your: 1. Truck is under water and your radio is muffled due to being under water 2. Truck is teetering on it's frame 5 feet in the air 3. You need 200' of chain to reach you.
Went to break a trail for my sons sno -scoot yesterday up into the second field on my wife's touring model. I tried to blast over the wet long grass area between the two fields. Sled did a nose dive and I buried the front end real deep in the mud about twenty feet into it. I was almost thrown over the windshield. The long grass acted like ropes over my skies. I had to cut them out with an axe. The sled was buried almost over the nose. It was as stuck as a sled can get. I threw out my back trying to get it out. I cannot move today. I had my daughter Lily and her friend Kelsy, Griffin, Declan and my wife all helping me get it out. 1 2 3 push! 1 2 3 Pull! 1 2 3 lift! We got it out but it was almost left out there to rot. I will not make this mistake again. Just because there is snow doesn't mean the ground is frozen. A hard lesson learned.
I decided to go out to the truck and warm it up for the kids to go to school. I got halfway in the truck depressed the clutch and turned the key. I made sure the heat was on and that the defrost was on as well. I got out of the truck and off it went with no driver. Into my head popped the phrase WTF? The truck was in second gear and somehow it did not stall when I let the clutch out all at once.
After it started moving I opened the door and grabbed the wheel as it dragged my feet through the snow. I pulled as hard as I could on the emergency brake. I figured it was at this point an emergency. The Toyota finally stalled when it bottomed out in a ditch/swamp. The truck crushed some poor saplings with me wedge between my truck door and a tree. Crappy morning so far.
I figured this would be a good chance to try 4 Wheel Low and back it right out of this ditch/swamp I was in. No dice. I started digging four holes with four tires.
Next idea: call Wayne next door, he know what kind of idiot I am. He'll help. I said "Wayne, sorry to call you at 6:30am, but can you help me tow my truck out of the swamp." Without hesitation he said sure, but he still needed to get dressed first.
I was thinking what kind of rope/chain could I use to pull out the truck? I thought tie down straps that I use for the snowmobile. I thought one won't do it. I hooked up two to the trailer hitch and thought better of it. I better use four of these things at the set at the same length.
Wayne came over and said lets give this a shot. He didn't think the straps would hold, but he was willing to try. He said "you've got to take a picture of this" with giggling in his voice. I got the photo on my phone.
After hooking up, I signaled to "go" I blasted reverse low 4wd and nothing happened but tire spin. Then he started and within seconds Wayne's Diesel F350 pulled my truck out of the swamp, no problem.
I thanked Wayne 12 times as he drove off. Tolerant neighbors are great to have.
Kids get in the car cause I'm way late at this point.
I can't get the truck out of 4wd low. This thing is beeping and won't go back to normal driving. I switched the switch and nothing. I must have fuc**d up something in the swamp.
Boom into my head: idea, call #2 he drove these trucks for years. He said put the thing in nuetral and just sit there at a full stop. The damn truck went back to "2 wheel high". He wished me luck, knowing full well I will always need it.
Besides the sticks all over my truck and the 90 minutes of traffic going 10 miles. Everything is now ok.
Lessons learned:
Never let #7 near the drivers seat of your trucks Be nice to your neighbors Make sure truck is in neutral before letting out the clutch
Total distance traveled 30 feet forward and 30 feet back-net zero miles.
We just got word. School is cancelled here tomorrow. 3b and 3c have already laid out their snow suits. The scoots are full of gas. We are ready to go.... 6 inches of snow...
I love the early season family ride reports. My daughter keeps asking when she's getting a snowmobile. Mrs. #7 is asking nicely "not yet".
I was bored yesterday and went through all the annual trip ride reports since 2001. I made it to 2005. It's pretty exciting walking down memory lane reliving the early years' trips. We were so simple and naive back then, but no less fun.
Get those sleds ready. This year's trip will be the best ever.
#7, just shorten the pull cord a little that should solve that problem. Any time you need mechanical tips feel free to reach out to me Excellent ride report. #13.07 on the sno-scoot, 13.09 on the cat 120, and me on my ATV also logged some serious miles around the yard yesterday (a good 1.8 I'd estimate). He was little tentative on the scoot last year but now he's doing donuts and hitting every little jump he can. I don't have much faith that that little scoot will be in one piece after this year. #13.09 on the 120 followed us around singing x-mas carols the whole time (It was quite a scene, I'm sure the neighbors were impressed!!) Great to be riding on the white stuff again!!
After dusting off the Ski Doo way in the back of the garage and clearing a path to the driveway, I tried firing it up. I noticed a lot of play in the pull start and pulled it anyways. It took 15 or so pulls to get it started. I choked on the smoke for a while and then drove it out of the garage and on to the front yard.
Having seen the light of day for the first time since March, I saddled up #7.5 for a ride through the yard and into the wooded trail. We did a few laps around the usual track. I thought better of going any further since the snow was pretty thin and the leaves and branches were busting through.
The sled ran fine, but I'm a little uneasy about the pull start having so much play. I will have that thing looked at during my early season once over at Bob's Ski Doo.
I logged less than one mile on the sled but had some fun out there. It felt good to have the throttle on my thumb again.
This is going to be the best season ever. Some things you just know.
