Thread: Well it was Friday!

Well done Jamo. Fancy having to admit to being recovered by a Patrol.

Sounds like an interesting Friday

Jamo,
Sorry I did not get your call and resulted in you having to be recovered by a Patrol. The phone number on my mobile (missed call) would not connect leading me to assume it was a OS call or a satphone, and not recognising the number was non plussed.
However if you had gotten hold of me it would have atleast resulted in photos.
Shamefull thing is I was at home in the back shed with the home phone (mobile inside the house). By the time I got your message Toddy would have got you out anyway.
Time to update all local contact numbers for us all I think.
Cheers
Craig

That's alright Craig! I was too close to the lake and had no mobile coverage so I was on the satphone, but forgot that others might not be able to call back.

Wow Jamo,

Glad you got out without water in the D3. That would have been a bigger disaster. Good to know the door seals are real seals

BTW now I know what you look like.

Chris

Originally Posted by Jamo

I only had one job left to do: Inspect a vacant bush block that fronted Lake Warden.

The gravel road ended at the block and I continued down the sand track that circled the lot. There was a small patch of water across the track, no more than two vehicle lengths, so through it I went. Or, should I say, in to it I went. 'Through' infers I actually made it to the other side.

Half way in forward progress ceased and a slight sideways lean developed. I tried to reverse out, moved two feet, stopped, sank and listed further.

Oh well, try to winch out. Well, swamp paperbarks do not make for good anchor points. After three attempts did nothing other than a bit of land clearing, I tried CraigE -couldn't get through, my neighbour - not home, and then got through to Todd from Southern Suspension & 4x4, the local ARB dude. He came out in his Patrol .

The drivers side of the disco was in the water to about 9 inches above the bottom of the driver's door, but only the tops of the wheels were visible. The passenger side was only in water up to the sliders.

At first glance, I couldn't work out why the much more visible left rear wheel wasn't getting traction as the diff locks should have been sending the drive there.

I felt underneath it and discovered it, like all the rest, was not touching bottom. The wheels had each washed all the loose silt away from underneath and the D3 was sitting on her belly with all four wheels paddling.

tried snatching - nothing!
tried the hi-lift (I'd started trying to dig ground for the plate) - got a little lift, but was very hard work and the jack went further into the silt than the car went up!
Todd tried to winch me backwards - single line pull, nothing!
Then we tried the snatch block! she slid a foot backwards and then one of the wheels started to grip and she drove out.

No water at all came through either door seal.

I'd taken my shovel off the car a week or so earlier and not replaced it.
I'd not listened to Joan when she said 'is this a good idea?'.
My 15 month old was whinging, not because oif the predicament, but because whe wanted to get out into the water and mud too.
I had to be rescued by a Patrol.

Incidentally, when I first climbed out of the window and checked the situation. There, next to the track, was a broken snatch strap still attached to part of a bullbar! All I had to do was get out of the car first and I'd have seen that and turned around!

I was too caught up in the situation to take any photos during the recovery. Here is one just after. Excuse my posture. I was tired and had lost most of my blood to the mosquitoes that inhabit the lake. You can see the tide mark on the car.

so all in all it was a good inspection

cheers

Nice stuff Jamo
Im guessing only GGHaggis has punished his D3 more
At least you didnt have to leave the thing sulking in the mud all night like I did with BlackBetty
Andrew