Mudnut
6th March 2011, 04:16 PM
Well needed a weekend away, and being the wet season, thought I'd chance some camping at Archer Point, just south of Cooktown. Loaded up the Defender, and drove the quad bike into the trailer. In with the family, and off we go. The trailer I might add, has my alloy rims, with the General Grabbers that came with the Defender. I had just swapped over from my steel rims, and muddies, to the alloys. My son tightened this side, and I must have forgotten to "finish tightening them" About an hour from Archer point, hit a bump, and felt the trailer lurch. Couldn't see out the back because of all the camping gear, so a quick squiz in the side mirrors, saw the trailer at a awful angle. Pulled up, and found the left wheel missing!!!:o Very tall grass, (about 1.5m high) and brambles, and a steep drop to an overgrown creek, made looking for it almost impossible. Figured it was gone for good. No marks of where it left the road, and not a bent blade of grass, it must have flown for a while!!! Back to the trailer, and inspected the hub. Everything appears O.K. The trailer was actually running on the hub up the road, until I pulled over. Have to unpack the back of the Defender to get to the spare wheel nuts, and in 33 deg. full sun, the wheel mounting was fun. The Defender "jack" actually came in handy, as I was able to slot it into the box channel at the rear of the trailer, and jack it up. I might also add of the 5 cars that passed, all of them stopped to see if I needed any assistance! We didn't get that in Melbourne.
On up to Archer Point for the weekend with friends, and had a relaxing, although wet weekend. On the way back, we thought we would give the area where I lost the wheel a quick going over, just to be sure. When we came to the location, stopped at the bottom of the hill where the creek passed under the road. Looking on the opposite side of the road, where the tyre vanished, and down the creek, there was a tyre floating, and hung up on some rocks. I didn't know that "alloy's with General Grabbers float" :eek: A quick scramble down the bank, and the tyre was retrieved without any dramas. With the rains we had, they must have washed the tyre downstream from where it landed, to where I could retrieve it. It was only then I let my wife know how much they cost. What could have been a very costly, weekend, turned out to only be a wet weekend. So once again, the universe was looking out for me.
Cheers,
Ken
On up to Archer Point for the weekend with friends, and had a relaxing, although wet weekend. On the way back, we thought we would give the area where I lost the wheel a quick going over, just to be sure. When we came to the location, stopped at the bottom of the hill where the creek passed under the road. Looking on the opposite side of the road, where the tyre vanished, and down the creek, there was a tyre floating, and hung up on some rocks. I didn't know that "alloy's with General Grabbers float" :eek: A quick scramble down the bank, and the tyre was retrieved without any dramas. With the rains we had, they must have washed the tyre downstream from where it landed, to where I could retrieve it. It was only then I let my wife know how much they cost. What could have been a very costly, weekend, turned out to only be a wet weekend. So once again, the universe was looking out for me.
Cheers,
Ken