Abanoning your truck on the trail.
 

For those of you who have gotten stuck, and had to leave your truck unprotected in the wild, what things do you do/take before you walk away and cross your fingers nothing happens?

I ask this because a friend of mine is stuck right now in a terrible spot (due to his own VERY poor judgement of his trucks capabilities) and currently 3 of his windows are smashed up and I expect it to only get worse as I can see him being stuck there for a few days at least.

I've never had to do it myself, so I'm curious.

I would think you would roll down all the windows and unlock all the doors and retrieve anything that you would miss before you leave.

He didn't do any of that. :chairfall

Oh yeah, he burned out his clutch too.

:con:

A tow truck is cheaper than 3 windows. :hillbill:

EDIT: I'd NEVER leave my truck unless going to the hospital for life threatening injuries to myself or my family members.

I'd be more afraid someone would torch it than steal stuff off of it.

:guitar:

If it is stuck in an isolated spot, then nothing is safe. I remember a truck getting stuck down here and everything got taken off of it. Wheels, tires, everything in the interior, doors, even engine parts. I would take what I could carry. Anything that wasn't bolted down or locked. Tools and other equipment like that would be my main concern.

The tow truck company here is... less than desirable.

They really HATE going into the bush, and vocally express that.

My buddy had to leave his truck in a mud pit overnight once. He has a huge Dodge Ram with a 5.9L V8. He got really stuck around 5 PM, we tryed pulling him out with my 4Runner but he wasnt moving at all. Finally we called someone with a Chevvy 2500 on a 6 inch lift, still wouldnt move him at all. We had to leave it that night. We drove up around 6AM the next morning with shovels to dig him out. He also had about 1 grand in repairs once all said and done.

Find a local with a dozer and pay them a couple hundred to pull it/haul it out. Still cheaper than 3 windows and whatever else is gone by now.

:guitar:

From the truck that you'd find stuck in the bush? Haha, j/k.:hillbill:

Ah, I love having an Offroad Recovery service in town (aka Lemon-Aid Jay). The guy drives a gigantic Ram Charger...with rockwells and 52" tires...somehow it's still street legal.

So, for anyone in or around Calgary stuck in needing of an emergency tow, call Jason
Home #253-1675 Cell 680-2175

I had a friend that HAD the same truck and got stuck in a pretty deep mud hole aound 6 p.m. ...we had to leave his truck there overnight (in the middle of a ghetto neighborhood). The next morning the truck was almost completely stripped (some paneling and other non-important things were left) and there were kids playing in it... he was very sad...to say the least

It's funny you brought this up. Tomorrow I'm going out to winch a rolled jeep back over, and probably tow it back to town (I'll post pics). It will be abandoned tonight. We'll see how it looks in the morning.

There is really not a lot you can do besides removing the valuables. If someone wants to f-k it up, they will.

So who does everyone call when they get stuck? What do they drive?

Sadly, I'M that guy for a number of people. :D

I have nobody to call, which is why I drive very conservative and don't take risks that I don't find necessary when wheeling. All easy lines and careful driving.

Luckily my dad and brother both have 4x4s with winches and they live nearby. Plus my dad owes me after having to drive an hour out to get his F-250 out. Those things sink like rocks

I've seen some abandoned trucks on local trails. They didn't look too pretty. Rather, they looked much like crap.

Everyone should have a list of a few local buddies they can call if they get fuc, er...stucked.

I used to be the guy to call, my daily driver was a military deuce and a half. Man I miss that truck.

good thing in my area i know quite a few ppl that would come pull me out, and they know if they called i would be there soon after.

as for what i would take, i prolly wouldnt leave to be honest. atleast not the whole night, i would say its time to either sleep in the truck, granted its on all four wheels, or i would say its time to pitch a tent, more or less i would prolly work all thru the night gettin it out

I would get some camping gear and extra fuel and stay with the rig.

Unless you have the proper gear, that's not an option most times up here. -20 and snowing right now.
Otherwise, by all means.

For the amount of money he will be paying in vandalism repairs, he could have bought himself a winch and avoided this situation all together. Oh well, maybe he'll be more careful next time.

Due to everyones thirst for photos on this board (including my own) I walked back out there with the dogs and took some photos.

You can't see the surrounding terrain, but it's fall on your butt steep and a very large hill (200 feet or so I'd guess).

I'll post damage progress along with the final conclusion when the time comes.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/IMG_0890.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/IMG_0889.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/IMG_0888.jpg

I never understood why people advertised with stickers what kind of stereo is in their vehicle. Always seems like a dumb idea to me. It probably plays a part in why windows were smashed.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/IMG_0887.jpg

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/IMG_0886.jpg

I just noticed he has H4 conversion headlights. :cool: I intend on buying those too... :D

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k2...r/IMG_0885.jpg