Guest diesel_jim Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Decided i'd have a day laning today, went for a gentle bimble, Marlborough,towards Pewsey, cut across the corner of the 'plain, watched the comp safari for a bit, headed towards Thruxton, cur a few trees down that were blocking byways (3 in all, not bad with a little bow-saw) so was feeling quite chuffed with myself. Did a few lanes near Palastine (not far from Middle Wallop.... Is that Top90's area? i saw his 90 parked up there? ) anyway, did a byway that has a very nice little stream/deep drainage ditch running next to it, thought i'd keep away from that, but no, my 90 had other ideas and promptly slipped into it. so, low box, center difflock.... nothing, stuck. engaged fornt and back ARB's, nada, still stuck. Oh well, i'll just run my winch cable to that hefty tree and be gone in 5 minutes. got the remote out, plugged in, and "click"...."click" again, PANTS! "click click click click".... nothing. one dead 8274. I had an earth issue with it before, so i whipped the earth cable off, cleaned, refitted "click" bugger! I'd left my multimeter at home, but with a little shorting with a screwdriver, i realised i had 12v there. so i stripped the allbrite down, cleaned it up, "click", still nothing. after an hour and a half p!$$ing around, i was getting rather hot under the collar. i finally gave up on the winch, through i'd try the "hi lift as a winch" routine, but after several futive attemps, nothing. eventually i had to just rag it back and forward to get out, with much digging to try and get a bit of grip from the front end to pull me out. It took a while, and took even longer to gte my shovel and make good what i'd churned up! in all, i was in that damn lane for 3 hours nearly! damage there was my radio aerial, CD antenna, RH rear mudflap torn off, and LH snorkel bent.... added to the winch that doesn't work. So i took another meandre back across the plain and headed back towards Swindon, was pressing on quite nicely through savernake, getting past the several 45mph sunday ditherers, and as i came down the hill into Marlborough, there was a "bang!" "clunk!", but the car still drove OK... I pulled into the (really expensive ) garage in Marlboro, and the RH rear brake caliper had broken off! well, one of the mounting lugs had broken and the other bolt had somehow worked loose, the caliper had spun sround the disc and was wedged up against the shock lower moutning. amazingly enough, the brake pipe hadn't broken. I could either wait 2 hours for the big orange taxi (AKA RAC), or bodge it. so i remove the wheel. pulled the caliper out, pressed the brake pedal until both pistons had pushed both pads together (luckily they were new-ish pads so had plenty of meat on them) and bungeed it to the axle, then drove home carefully with 3 wheel brakes. So.... after all that rambling, i think the message(s) have to be: a) check your vehicle thoroughly before you move out B) it helps to have someone with you (another vehicle). i do most of my laning alone, and i think this has been the worst day so far! not bad for 17 years of "off roading", but it could have been much worse c) it doesn't help to be stood in a lane thinking to yourself "i've got another 8274 and a tirfor sat in the garage....." And to top it all, my 90 now stinks of ditch water , because it was leaning over so far i had several inches of it in the fornt footwell for about an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 makes my end of the day seem quite pleasant yesterday 25mins to the end of the event co-driver says lets leave punch3 and finish me nah we'll get that easy we did get the punch easily with 12mins to go getting the car out the 90 slips sideways into the shrubbery front/rear winches connected to save the car falling down the hill sideways start winching then the shrubbery fights back holing the o/s simex then proceeding to push it off the rim recovery continued but the turning wheel has knackered the tyre sidewall till it fell off altogether. luckily the wonders of modern technology and the kind efforts of Ciderman our punch card got back in time not to be penalised. took us 25mins in total to get back to the start on 3 tyres and one wheel rim Sticky worked hard all day thank goodness. and we were rewarded with 2nd place overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 well you've both clealy had bad days- and expensive ones but can it beat that chap who posted this morning at 6AM to say that he was stuck in frimley and could someone give him a tug? by inference that means he probably got stuck YESTERDAY and so had to leave his car in the middle of nowhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 well you've both clealy had bad days- and expensive ones but can it beat that chap who posted this morning at 6AM to say that he was stuck in frimley and could someone give him a tug? by inference that means he probably got stuck YESTERDAY and so had to leave his car in the middle of nowhere! Funnily enouugh, one of the first lanes i did weas "4 mile clump" from barbury stables across towards marlborough, there was a mitsibushi L200 double cab thing stuck up on the edge of the track, all because he didn't try driving through the puddle (which was about 12" deep... nothing really).. driving along the length of 4 mile clump (about 4 miles i think... ) you could see his tyre treads in the mud going up and down the edge of the track, hardly in the "ruts" at all.... kinda glad he got stuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Hard luck Jamie, have been there with a broken rope and a dead winch motor, down a lane on my own. Having left the club laning group I was leading to recce this lane which I was told to avoid :D Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 watched the comp safari for a bit, Bugger - should have said hello if I knew what you looked like! I spent most of the day shivering in the car park trying to help fix peoples motors! Did you see the V6 freelander?? Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Bugger - should have said hello if I knew what you looked like! I spent most of the day shivering in the car park trying to help fix peoples motors!Did you see the V6 freelander?? Jon I didn't go over to the pits area, i was loitering over by where the edge of the golf course is. The blue freelander? is that Andy Drummonds one from TH Whites? Carlos Seintz (sp?) old ex-recce car? very sweet if thats the one you'r on about. (Andy bought 6 of them from the factory, all been in dry storage for about 5 years!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Bad luck Jamie and Tony. Tony, is that the first Simex you've pushed off the rim / wrecked? Its a total PITA when it happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top90 Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Did a few lanes near Palastine (not far from Middle Wallop.... Is that Top90's area? i saw his 90 parked up there? ) If it was parked outside a house overlooking the plain I was visiting family. I was on the way back from the Saturday event James did. Essex to Somerset seemed a long way just to marshall, so I did a few other things while I was out!! There is a nice lane 100 feet from the house that runs olong the end of the MOD land to the A343. I can't park on the drive normally in case the car drips. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 hehe sounds an expensive day. glad you got it home in the end. i think the worst day ive had was halfway up high button (gulleyed track near the devils punchbowl) the truck slipped backwards then gripped. two bend radius arms & a snapped prop. nearside wheel was as 2" forward, offside was closer to 5" had to get towed all the way up the track & it was rather interesting doing the 90min drive home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon White Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 I didn't go over to the pits area, i was loitering over by where the edge of the golf course is.The blue freelander? is that Andy Drummonds one from TH Whites? Carlos Seintz (sp?) old ex-recce car? very sweet if thats the one you'r on about. (Andy bought 6 of them from the factory, all been in dry storage for about 5 years!) Ah.............ok............. Er.........yeah - the blue x reg one..............that he rolled end over end halfway round his first lap!!! i dont know the history of it..........I just thought it all looked a bit nice and shiney before he went out in it........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 If it was parked outside a house overlooking the plain I was visiting family.There is a nice lane 100 feet from the house that runs olong the end of the MOD land to the A343. Rich That's one of the ones i did. not been around that area for a few years, just wanted to check they were still there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark green 90 Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 A simular thing happened to me yesterday, having a quiet plod north of marlborough,across m4 up through lambourne to back of wantage the last lane i was going to drive before heading home was quite tight and had a small ditch to the right anyway rounding a leaning tree my front wheel slid and dropped into the ditch,no problem i thought, i will just drive into ditch and back out! The ditch was deeper than expected and after several attempts i was well bogged half an hour later i eventually emerged Mental Note: get out and check,lazyness is not good.buy some waffles a ground anchor and snatchblock. (lukily winch was working) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 Bugger - should have said hello if I knew what you looked like! I spent most of the day shivering in the car park trying to help fix peoples motors!Did you see the V6 freelander?? Jon I was helping with the setting out on Sat How did the Freelander get on. The organisers kept asking me if I though he would have trouble, I don't know who they asked when I was racing with them four years age in a freelander... I drove it a few times on the Sat I was going to be a fast days racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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