September '08. Above, this is a challenging chunk of slick rock that, to our knowledge, only a dozen vehicles
have ever climbed, although not for lack of trying. There is a difficult go-around just to the right, which, with tail between
our legs, just about all of us must take; either that, or turn around. On this day, two of us had tried to negotiate it without success.
We all had high hopes for Dan, above, in his newly rebuilt rock buggy, it's a beauty (John Deere tractor colors green and yellow). However,
not being quite used to the rear steer, Dan believes that was somehow to blame for his slow and easy side roll. Also, it's the
spot that most of us fail to negotiate with everyone sliding off at that particular point. Fortunately, no injuries for Dan or
his ever patient side-kick, Karl.
We made a lot of mistakes on the recovery. Can you believe we had
not put a weight over the winch lines??? Our club is normally a stickler for that important safety procedure - on this day
we goofed; thankfully it turned out successfully. The recovery was a long, involved and difficult one, taking close to three
hours.
First the rig had to be dragged backward from the obstacle, where the roll bar then decided to
hook behind a point on the bedrock. The operation came to a screeching halt! Hi- Lift jacks and a winch did the trick getting the
rig, stilll upside down, back to where there was room to eventually roll it upright. The Hi-Lifts were not tall enough, so Karl
was busy attempting to build platforms using rock as flat as he could find for the jacks - his efforts turned out to
be unstable though, with the Hi-Lifts collapsing a few times. Finally, the jacks were able to lift the rig up a few feet,
and a tow strap was attached to the 'tractor' with six of the fellows climbing up a short, steep, loose hill with strap
in tow to see if they could pull it upright as the guys on the jacks kept trying to lift it higher. It was teetering on
the edge of being successful, when one of the jacks collapsed and the rig landed right back where it had been. Thankfully, the
guys on the jacks jumped out of the way in time, but the fellows on the hill were all yanked down, some landing smack on one
of our desert charmers, a cat claw. Quite a few scratched and bloodied limbs came out of that tumble, but brave souls that they
were, no one complained.
We then came up with the idea of using two winches. Jim's rig was on the
road about 30 feet up and an equal distance away; JJBlue was standing by ready to help, with Ken and his Jeep in back of her
as an anchor. Then, using both winches, we managed to skid the 'tractor' around for a better recovery angle. It
was a well directed operation by the crew, with both rigs winching at the same time. Once the 'tractor' was re-positioned, we
used a tree saver around the base of a juniper and a snatch block with Ken still anchoring JJBlue. Very quickly, the John Deere
tractor was lifted and then it dropped down on all fours.
After checking the 'tractor'
and adding fluids, Dan was able to drive it all the way out. There was very little damage to the John Deere, so far, only a bent roll
bar. Ken Peterson's Hi-Lift had collapsed during the recovery and had semi-pretzeled, becoming unusable. Dan has since
bought Ken a new one - four wheelers are such great people!
Dan thanks everyone profusely for their
help, what a great team. We'll have to do it again soon, right, Dan? Joan.
A few comments from Dan:
I have gained fame for
not taking charge.
Karl gained fame for a rock pile Hi-Lift stand.
I don't think the rock pile was a bad idea, it simply was not as
solid as we had hoped.
A whole bunch of guys are famous for hanging on the end of a strap.
Basic thoughts:
1) Safety
first. No rescue is completely safe but it is easy to get caught up in the event.
2) Proper use of winches and straps. We did okay
in this area correcting as we went.
3) Two winches accomplished the job safer and faster than one.
4) Hi-Lift jacks are useful and dangerous.
They are very difficult to use safely in uneven terrain.
5) Brains over brawn where possible.
First, turn
off the engine, then the group should consider evacuating passengers first, getting everyone completely clear of all danger. Then
have a group meeting to develop a recovery strategy. That 15 minutes may be time well spent if everyone can hear the discussions and
contribute as they see fit. This is a good time to inventory what equipment is available. If the first strategy fails, it may be wise
to start all over again with another meeting. This sounds like a lot of meetings but it also allows time to calm down and make
better strategic decisions. Keep in mind the driver and/or passenger may be a bit dazed.
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
That's all it takes - a fraction of a second and your rig could be over on its lid! One little misplaced tire;
a moment of distraction; a poor line and suddenly you've lost control and you're upside down, hopefully without damage to your body,
your passenger and your $$$ vehicle! Always remember Rule #1, never go in the outback without a couple of vehicles
tagging along. In this particular case we were at the 2010 Desert Splash (a terrific event in Parker, AZ) and there were plenty of
very knowledgeable, experienced and willing-to-help wheelers all volunteering their expertise. One fellow took control of the winching
operations, which was a good thing, and in no time at all with the use of superb winching and strapping techniques the Jeep was back
on all fours. At this gnarly section of President's Choice, there should have been a spotter available to assist those not familiar
with the trail - lesson learned, when in doubt never hesitate to ask for help from a spotter, there's no shame in asking guys,
it's the smart thing to do! We gals have an advantage there, we'll ask! Also, whether you have a hard or a soft top, make sure
everything inside is tied down! Everything loose inside can fly around with explosive force. Ray and his rig were strapped
out to the road and eventually he trailered his badly damaged baby home. We saw his Jeep a few days ago, it looks brand new.
We do believe that our buddy Ray will be back at the 2011 "Splash" that is, if he doesn't have a race scheduled for that weekend.
Do you notice anything wrong in these photos? I'll bet you do! Too many bystanders standing way too close to the winch lines. Very
dangerous. [Ed]
