General Ford Ranger DiscussionGeneral discussion of the Ford Ranger that does not fit in any other sub-forum.
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I'm really bored at work and need to kill some time so I figure I'll tell my story about my last trip to circuit city.
I backed into a space Circuit City a few weeks ago. There was apparently a metal guard rail on the edge with hedges all around it so you could hardly see it (it was dusk too). I try to leave and it's like someone tied my truck down, it wouldn't move. The tires were spinning and chirping but it was like the scene in Tremors where the graboid was holding the truck against the hill. WTF I say. So I back up and try to go again, still it's like I'm anchored down. (Cue Earl.. "Your hung up I tell ya!"). I get out to look for a rock or something in front of my wheels. Nothing. It's dark so now I'm getting annoyed at this invisible force field holding my truck in place.
I crawl under and I see what happned. My hitch ball was able to slip under the guard rail because it is slanted in. But it can't pull out because of that same reason. It was like a barbed fish hook. Now this is really pissing me off. I figure, it got in, I can pull it out. So I put in 4wd and try to force it out. The damn thing wouldn't freakin budge.
The only way out was going to be taking the hitch off the receiver. Of course, I have a lock on the pin for the receiver. Where is the key? It used to be in my book with the manual but it wasn't there. CRAP! I had to tear the whole truck apart trying to find this damn key. Finally I found it. Of course, all the pressure on the hitch from being under the rail made this a pain in the ***. And naturally the lock was all full of corrosion and I had to bang on the damn thing with a tire iron to get it to unlock. This must have looked hillarious to everyone else in the parking lot.
There was too much pressure on it to pull the hitch out of the receiver so after I managed to get the damn pin out, I got back in the turck and pulled forward. The hitch caught the rail as usual but since there was no pin, the truck basicly pulled away from the hitch. Yay. I was free! )@*$)@!
So, the lesson of the day: Watch for camauflaged guard rails that try to grab your truck.
Something that might have helped, depending on how caught up it was, would be to let some air out of the back tires. Of course, pray there's a gas station close by that has functioning air pumps to put air back in. :-D
But, removing the hitch I would definitely agree would be the best bet.
I have gotten to where I never take my hitch out cause I have been hit three times from behind and that has prevented all damage to my truck....great in low speed collisions...
Ha! That's funny. I can easily see myself in that situation!
I keep my hitch in the ex-cab now. Partly 'cause I was too cheap to buy a locking pin and the punks in this neighborhood would steal that in a second. But also partly 'cause I don't want it to rust in place like that.
i always leave my ball in my hitch, cuz if someone is gonna run into the back of me, i want them to smash into the hitch, before the bumper... i figure in a low speed accident, that wil save my bumper...
Guardrail grabs my truck, refuses to let go.
great story!
