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Canadak
Dodge Dakota
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2/03/2002
15:02:38
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 Subject: 4x4 Ford hard luck story
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Recently a newby tried 4x4 in his 3 week old Ranger.His choice of site was a brand new subdivision yet to have any houses in it. He scoots across 150 feet of 8 inch flat snow cover. Then , CRACK, down goes the front end into a 3 foot deep muddy puddle the size of a backyard pool. Engine stalls. Doors won't open , too deep in the hole. Driver squeezes out rear sliding window , knocks on homeowner, calls 4x4 friend and tow truck. Towman goes and falls through ice as he hooks cable to rear frame. 1st attempt pulls Ranger 2 feet when rear sinks too.BANG,cable snaps. Nothing below the door handles is showing. 2nd tow truck arrives.Two tow trucks end up pulling Ranger 35 feet through 2inch thick ice creating polar bear swimming pool for free. Not an undamaged body panel on the Ranger.Newby is laughing stock of all his buddies and shells out 1/2 original purchase price to fix up his Ford Icebreaker. True story. I've got pictures to prove it. Glad it wasn't me. ------ Canadak --- 2001 QC 4x4 4.7 auto
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Josh A. Smith
Dodge Dakota
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2/03/2002
15:49:49
|  RE: 4x4 Ford hard luck story
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So where's the pics??
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Canadak
Dodge Dakota
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2/04/2002
22:34:37
| RE: 4x4 Ford hard luck story
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Sorry ,no photos. I'm technologically stuck in first gear when it comes to I.T.
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Chops
Dodge Dakota
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12/24/2004
12:57:42
|  RE: 4x4 Ford hard luck story
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This is my hard luck story.
Date: Jan. 6, 1986
Time: 7:00PM
Temp: -15F./-45 Wind Chill
Place: Big Creek Lake, Polk City, IA
Event: Driving across frozen lake after dark to get to the other side. (Why else?!) While cruising at approx. 35 mph, I see ahead in my headlights a fault-line in the ice. I tried to use the brakes to no avail. I was skidding just as fast as I was going. With less than a 100' to go, I decided to try to "punch it" and hope like hell I would blast over the fault. No such luck. The truck's front in broke in immediately at speed, and I drove right in like I meant to! The truck floated to the opposite side of the fault where the grill hit the solid ice on the other side. Thankfully, two friends were behind me in a VW Beetle and when they noticed my tail lights were "bobbing" they approached slowly and by the time they got there, I had already managed to climb from the cab into the back of the bed of the truck. They were hollering, "What did you do?!" I stood there wondering to myself "what now?" I was thinking I would step towards the cab and jump from the hood onto the solid ice, but when I took the first step toward the cab, the water started pouring in through the driver's window. I got back to the rear of the bed of the truck, hoping to stop this, but it wasn't happening. The front dipped under and the tailgate started up in the air. I stepped onto the back of the tailgate and right before it went under, I jumped for the hard ice. I went into the water, and swam as quick as I could to the ice. Thankfully, I had gloves on and due to the frigid conditions, when my gloves were on the ice, they froze to it immediately, allowing me to pull myself from the water. I stood up, turned around and all that was left was a black hole with a lot of bubbles. I had to walk 100 yards to the shoreline to cross the fault and then walk over to my buddies VW. By the time I got there, my clothes were frozen solid. (Only thing that prevented me from getting hypothermia) They took me home and the next day, I contacted the DNR to let them know what happened, and they hooked me up with a retrieval company. Thankfully, I was fully insured. It took this outfit from Clear Lake Iowa one full day to get the truck back on top. It had sunk in 21 ft. of water. They chainsawed a big rectangular hole in the ice, sent down a diver to attach the cable, then winched the truck to under the big hole they made in solid ice. They did this with a gas-powered winch and a-frame they setup on the ice. The winch was secured with two holes on either side of the winch, with a cable attached to two 24" pieces of steel that went through the holes, then spread out. Once the front of the truck was visible, they put two very large timbers under the front tires and pulled. As the truck was coming out, they opened the doors to drain the extra weight of the water, and then out it came. The truck was a total loss. I was fortunate to have my buddies there, or I wouldn't be here today. The insurance co. was billed and paid $3500 for the retrieval. Now, that was a hard luck event! That was 18 yrs. ago. What's funny though, is earlier that day, I landed a Cessna 152 on the ice right near that area, and took my buddy up for a ride. I landed back on the ice, dropped him off and told him I was heading back to the airfield and would get my truck and pick up a six pack. An hour later, I was standing there on the ice looking at that hole, seriously longing for one of those beers that was 21 feet below me! When the truck came out though, I walked over to it, grabbed my beer and thus ends my story. I'll tell you though, those beers were the coldest beers (and the most expensive!) I have ever had!
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Chops
Dodge Dakota
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12/24/2004
13:19:27
| RE: 4x4 Ford hard luck story
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OK. That first story was 18 years ago IN TWO WEEKS from now. This whole business of "hard luck" wouldn't be complete without the "first" chapter, which happened 18 years ago TODAY, (Christmas Eve, 1986)
Date: 12/24/86
Time: 1:30AM
Temp: 22F.
Place: West end of Mile long Bridge, Polk City, IA
Truck: 1986 Ford Bronco II XLT
(Previous event was with 1986 Nissan XE Super Cab 4X4 that was just purchased with insurance proceeds from this story that is about to follow)
It had snowed very heavy the day before and even though the plows had been out, the roads were still 100% snow and ice covered. I had been in town partying with my bro and my other friend (who was one of the buddies previously mentioned!). About 1AM, I thought it best to head home. I was tired and had a few beers. So, I hoped in my truck and headed for home. Long story short: I was approaching a slight turn just before the turn onto the bridge at about 50mph. I started to feel the rear-end slide, so I quickly grabbed the 4X4 selector and jammed it into 4 high and punched it, thinking that would pull me from the skid. Stupid me, I forgot to lock out the hubs! So that only made the skid worse. I was sliding sideways at 50mph and slammed the left-front quarter and wheel into a 3' diameter cedar tree. This caused the truck to roll seven times down this gravel road where I ended upside down just below the wrought-iron arches of a cemetary. (Didn't quite make it IN the cemetary!) The truck was completely totalled. All glass was blown out. The dashboard was into my legs. Thankfully, I was able to extricate myself and immediately a guy in a pickup came on the scene and saved my ass from a DUI! He took me all the way to my home and so began a two-week streak of some of the hardest luck I've ever known anyone to go through, and still manage to walk away relatively unscathed! (barring a couple cuts on my shins) In either of these events, I wasn't any laughing stock. It was some pretty serious $hit. After the Nissan Ice-Fishing expedition, however, I settled down considerably...(NOT!) I am lucky to have lived to tell these true stories. They cannot be made up. My insurance company was pretty pissed. My rate jumped to $2000/yr. for liability only on a 1981 Ford Escort two door after the Nissan in the drink bit! Now, 18 years later...and wiser...Everything's good. Married with children. Happy. It's all good! For a couple weeks in my life 18 years ago though...Man! That was some CRAZY $hit!
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Chops
Dodge Dakota
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12/24/2004
13:26:09
|  RE: 4x4 Ford hard luck story
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Correction. Christmas Eve, 1985. That makes these events 19 years ago, starting today. COOL! Might have to go ice-fishing next year to celebrate over near what has been affecionately renamed, "Nissan Point at Big Creek Lake!"
CHEERS!
Don't Drink and Drive on the ICE. (lakes or roads! LOL)
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