[SCSL]

I recovered a Subaru wagon at Caribou in Nederland, CO 2 yrs ago,,, actually it wasn't even on the trail, but on the dirt road leading to the trail. He must have seen too many Subaru commercials. What your best (funniest, scariest, etc) recovery stories (and pics!) ?? Does anyone have a pic of a LR recovering a Jeep or Hummer? That would be priceless,,,

 

[John C]

Recovered a Ford Bronco from a parking space during the winter with my 81 Volvo 245 Wagon. The guy was parked on an icy street in Forest Hills, Queens (NY) and couldn't get out of the space (no traction). So I hooked him up to my wagon and yanked him out.

Then there's that pic on Dweb of a Freelander pulling out an H2.... now that's funny.

 

[OrangeCountyLR714]

school rescue - ford explorer

@ school there is a dirt area just enough room to park you cars length in, and it goes for a way down the road which is where i used to park. I didnt like my back end of my discovery to be sticking out too far so there was sort of an earth-made dirt drain for water when it rained which was kinda deep so i would drive over it and end up pretty far up and when i would back up the 4x4 system would easily get me out. WELL my friend in her 2wheel drive Ford Explorer did the same thing but her car got stuck so once i had gotten backed up and saw her I was like hahahahha, and so I stopped traffic on the 2-way street to pull her out =P it was fun and exciting. I guess my LR did come in handy since i never take it off-roading

 

[cellulararrest]

On a friday afternoon last winter, me and a friend thought it would be fun to take his 2 wheel drive ranger out on the power lines. We figured I could just follow him in my rangie to pull him out whenever he needed it. Well it worked for a while until he started going up a decent size hill. It was quite icy and he was having trouble finding traction. He was halfway up when he came to a stop the wheels still spinning. He started to slowly slide back down and off the trail into a snow filled ditch. I was able to pull him out half-way, but couldn't get him up and over back onto the trail. We tried for awhile, but there was too much ice. Worst part was it was getting dark so we decided to just leave it for the night.

Next morning I borrowed my friend's come along and we were able to get him out fairly easily. Needless to say, we won't be doing that again.

 

[curedude]

SAAB on the beach???

Running the beach I came across 4 knuckleheads in a SAAB about 20 yards out.... asked for a hook. I declined... at the time I was driving my CJ5 (1965) I affectionaltley called
The Turtle...I did however, call a buddy on the radio and he pulled him out

Anyway, before you call me a jerk for declining there is some history here... was asked to pull a Dodge pickup out several years ago, some minor damage to his vehicle and I was lambasted...he could have spent 600 on a back hoe, but anyway I have since been VERY leary as to pulling anyone out without making it perfectly clear that I am not resposible for any damages that occur...

I have ran into to many knuckleheads running the beach, drunk, tearing it up, without a pass that I will refuse to pull. If i see people that run the beach, *legally* and are in need, I will pull...

Call me a jerk, but I pay my dues and have since 86, will not rip up my LR or someone's truck if they are irresponsible... I will however pull anyone out that really needs help and is in a jam.. as i so too often have be in the same situation

 

[SCSL]

Great point---feedback?

Anyway, before you call me a jerk for declining there is some history here... was asked to pull a Dodge pickup out several years ago, some minor damage to his vehicle and I was lambasted...he could have spent 600 on a back hoe, but anyway I have since been VERY leary as to pulling anyone out without making it perfectly clear that I am not resposible for any damages that occur...

This is a great point. It's like the issue doctors face when treating someone in an emergency situation encountered on the road, in the woods, etc. When I recovered the Subaru I put a good bend into wagon w/ the high-lift. Luckily, he was cool & understood I was helping him out. Have other people been in situations where they have been sued or had any other problems after recovering another truck?

 

[Greg S]

Subject: A good snow day

At least I think it was a good day! My 2 boys and I went for a little
jaunt over a local mountain as we often do. The difference this day of
course was the snow. Only about 4 - 5" at the bottom of the mountain
but about 18 - 20" at the top of the pass. Very shortly after
starting on the lesser-traveled portion of the road, I had to put on
my chains. This was rather embarrassing as I was parked in the
middle of the road at the time and while doing so a few members of
the local four wheel drive club had to stop and wait while I
finished. They had been up the mountain to play and not one of them
had chains on. Of course none of them had worn out "All-Terrains", Instead
Super Swampers and "MT"s" were more the order of the day for them.

We drove on up the mountain and at the plateau found a picturesque
spot for a photo. Smooth unbroken snow on a flat pullout on the side
of the road made a nice setting in about 8" of snow. So what,
wonders I, is that loud breaking sound as I slowly pulled out to
continue up the road?

Not much farther we start the steep accent to the top of the "Pass".
Only a few hundred feet into this untouched snow there is another
bang and I get the feeling that the front wheels are trying to pull
without the help of the rear. I guess we just broke an axle lads.
So....? Do we winch the couple hundred yards up the steepest
roughest part of this road and then just follow the beaten path back
down the mountain? Or do we turn around now and go back down the way
we came, all down hill.

Two healthy lads and myself, a good winch and lots of line, lets go
to the top and then follow the tracks back home! It had taken us
just over an hour including putting on two pair of chains to get
this far and it is only a couple hundred yards or so to the top. It
would probably take us longer to turn around and go the long way
back.

Of course that couple hundred yards took over two hours of tough
slogging and I didn't have a long enough whip to keep the boys at a
dead run the whole time. They kept complaining about the depth of
the snow, seems that in the open and the higher elevation it was 20"
or so deep on the flat and deeper in drifts where the good winching
stumps were buried and needing digging out. I maintained
self-control and not once did I tell them it builds character. Nor
did I give them heck for choosing two stumps that managed to pop
right out of the ground at the most in-opportune times.

We finally topped out and got turned facing the road home to find
that nobody had been up there today or the day before. No tourist or
sightseers had been here to make a path home for us, no tobogganers,
no drinkers, partiers or car thieves/arsonists. It was then I
discovered that, even for a Land Rover, 20" of wet virgin snow is
too much for just front drive even with snow-chains. With no input from my winching crew, I
decided it would take too long to winch another couple of miles to
where I was sure there would be a road with the snow packed enough
to get home on. Of course I was sure this road would have had a well
packed path too. We managed to turn around without the winch and
head back down the pass and out the way we came. It took only about
half an hour to get back to the pavement the way we had come.
Tomorrow while I'm at work David will check to see what axle is
broken. Probably the long one as I have a brand new short axle as a
spare. The only other damage is a shredded inner left side fender
from the tire chains at a creek crossing on the way down the
mountain.

Could somebody tell me again why we do this Land Rover off roading
thing?

 

[xpower racer]

Not so much a recovery (cos he was in an armoured vehicle with a thrown track) but I rescued someone out in the Desert in The Oman.

I was on a recce in my 110 Wolf when I noticed a blob on the horzon with a flag hoisted up high. We wernt meant to go investigate that sort of thing cos there is a procedure for getting lost.

(stop, wait. When you havnt reported back when due everyone with a radio is commanded to stop and put white marker tape on the ground arround your vehicle and a helicopter flys around and asked everyone without white tape if they are lost or stuck)

Anyway. I finished my recce and had time so I drove over to them and when I got there found 4 very "pleased to see me" guys. They were in a Recovery "tank" and had broken a track. They did what I explained above but it had been 2 days and no one had come looking.. They had enough water for about 4 days but they were still starting to get worried.

They had been calling for help ont he radio but they only had a VHF set and a vehicle mounted whip wich gave them a range of no more than 20 miles.. they were a good 100 miles from anyone who could help.. I go on my HF radio and within a few hours they were rescued..


Oh by the way.. that flag they had up... it was the biggest pair of boxer shorts they could find.. :lol:

 

[Series 3 guy]

Dumbass In A Toyota

Before I Moved Into London I Lived In A Small Villiage Called Sonnng In Berkshire.it Has A Tendancy To Snow Like Crazy In The Winter And With All Thte Conifer Tree's About Providing Shade To Keep Things Icy,your Best To Just Drive With Reasonable Caution.i Was On My Way Back To The Village After Clearing Some Trees From My Land And Was Passed By A Chap In A Mercedes Ml300 Who Found My 5mph In 10 Inches Of Snow And Black Ice Too Bloody Slow.he Not Only Passed Me At About 40 Mph , He Also Found It Necessary To Give Me The Finger And Mouth The Accompaning Four Letter Words Associated With This Type Of Jesture.
It May Have Been The Speed Or It May Be He Didnt Have All His Hands On The Wheel While Taking His Eyes Off The Road To Make His Gesture All The More Personal,but The End Result Was I Had A Fantastic Front Row Seat To One Of The Coolest 4x4 Accidents I Have Ever Seen In Real Life Or Tv.
The Ml300 Spun Out Of Cotrol Hitting Several Trees ,concrete Fence Posts And Ended Up On Its Side After Hitting A Tree Stump The Berkshire Police Force Left After The Tree Fell Day's Before.
As I Approched The Carnage My First Concern Is That The Passengers And The Driver Somehow Survived.after They Were All Present And Accounted For I Took A Little Satisfaction In That He Was An Arse And Got What He Deserved For Driving So Foolishly.
He Phoned A Friend To Come Collect His Family And Himself.his Friend Showed Up 20 Min Later With A Toyota Hi-lux.he Was About As Classy As The Chap In The Merc.he Made A Point To Compare The Hi-lux To My 110 Saying Something To The Affect That Someday I Might Be Able To Pull Enough Cash Together To Get A Shiny New Toyota Like His.
As He Pulled Away,in Two Wheel Drive,in First Gear,spinning His Tyres In A Very "cool" Way He Drove Directly Into The Drainage Ditch.
I've Never Had Sooooo Much Fun Winching New Truck Out Of A 10ft Granite Lined Ditch In My Life.good Thing He Had Insurance!

 

[xpower racer]

That is the most gratifying recovery story I have ever had the pleasure of reading.. LOVE IT :clap:



Did anyone watch 5th Gear a few years ago when Toyota released its 50th Anerversary Landcruiser?

They went on and on about how it is the best off roader in the world bar none and how it was so cabable even with an inexperienced off roader behind the wheel.....

Then.. as any offroader can (including tracked vehicles).... it got stuck... So who pulled it out? the Local forestry commisions Landrover (standard) 90. And we arnt talking, pulling from the hard standing... they only had a small tow rope so it was right in there with it and still pulled the stupid, heavy lumbering peice of scrap out of the mud :buttrock:

 

[130CC]

This happened in a country town I used to live in about 5 or so years ago I did not get to see it but the Fire Crew were very embaresed when it made the papers.
In one mixing bowl add a one inexperienced driver, a new toyota 100 series (very well equiped), his family, lots of rain and a very swolen stream crossing( over bridge).You guessed it boys and girls this numb nut tried to cross the before mentiond stream crossing and found that a tojo floats very well and can pirouette quite gracefully down a stream. Lucky for this guy the car got stuck in the middle on not what you would call an island but more a high point in the stream bed. Well with wife screaming in the backgound and his ego more than brused he grabs the hf radio and calls for help. This is where the local volenter fire brigade and several members of the local 4x4 club join the story. With lights a flashing and sirens a wailing the fire engine heads bush to rescue the stranded family, why the needed the lights and sirens in the bush where no one can see or hear you who knows but boys will be boys. It was about 20 or so minutes after the fire crew arived that the 4x4 crew arived on the scene to find that parking a fire engine on a bridge that is covered in water was probabily not the smartest thing to do especially when it's still raining and your in the hills. The fire engine was no longer on the bridge nor was the togo on the so called island but both had been washed of their prospective pearches by the rising and fast flowing water. The togo was washed only a bit further down stream but this time got stuck on the outside bank all ocupants of the family safe and well. The fire engine was recovered later that week and the fire crew have yet to recover from their embaresment.
It is at this point worth mentioning that when it is not raining this stream is just that a stream a bubbling brook as it were only a foot deep and about four feet wide but the sign before it does say do not attempt to cross when raining or swolen and check depth markers on side of road. I guess when you have a big truck with flashing lights and a siren you don't need to pay attention to signs.
Adam

 

[Serg]

Before I Moved Into London I Lived In A Small Villiage Called Sonnng In Berkshire.it Has A Tendancy To Snow Like Crazy In The Winter And With All Thte Conifer Tree's About Providing Shade To Keep Things Icy,your Best To Just Drive With Reasonable Caution.i Was On My Way Back To The Village After Clearing Some Trees From My Land And Was Passed By A Chap In A Mercedes Ml300 Who Found My 5mph In 10 Inches Of Snow And Black Ice Too Bloody Slow.he Not Only Passed Me At About 40 Mph , He Also Found It Necessary To Give Me The Finger And Mouth The Accompaning Four Letter Words Associated With This Type Of Jesture.
It May Have Been The Speed Or It May Be He Didnt Have All His Hands On The Wheel While Taking His Eyes Off The Road To Make His Gesture All The More Personal,but The End Result Was I Had A Fantastic Front Row Seat To One Of The Coolest 4x4 Accidents I Have Ever Seen In Real Life Or Tv.
The Ml300 Spun Out Of Cotrol Hitting Several Trees ,concrete Fence Posts And Ended Up On Its Side After Hitting A Tree Stump The Berkshire Police Force Left After The Tree Fell Day's Before.
As I Approched The Carnage My First Concern Is That The Passengers And The Driver Somehow Survived.after They Were All Present And Accounted For I Took A Little Satisfaction In That He Was An Arse And Got What He Deserved For Driving So Foolishly.
He Phoned A Friend To Come Collect His Family And Himself.his Friend Showed Up 20 Min Later With A Toyota Hi-lux.he Was About As Classy As The Chap In The Merc.he Made A Point To Compare The Hi-lux To My 110 Saying Something To The Affect That Someday I Might Be Able To Pull Enough Cash Together To Get A Shiny New Toyota Like His.
As He Pulled Away,in Two Wheel Drive,in First Gear,spinning His Tyres In A Very "cool" Way He Drove Directly Into The Drainage Ditch.
I've Never Had Sooooo Much Fun Winching New Truck Out Of A 10ft Granite Lined Ditch In My Life.good Thing He Had Insurance!

Wow.. after all that you still towed him out?! Man you deserve a beer for being the nicest guy! :drink1: I think I would have laughed at them and left them there.. they had a phone, they could have called someone.. especially after the way you were treated...


Serg