Updats for those who care: Well it is time to say good bye to the Sonoran Desert National Monument. It is being shut down to all vehicular traffic. Approximately 90 miles of trail will be shut down. They claim it will re-open in a few years but I doubt it. The enviromentla wackos will keep it shut down. When I was there I never noticed any garbage, trash, trail abuse, illegal dumping, people actually going off road and blazing their own trail, I saw none of it. I looked back through mu pictures and the place is so clean and pristine. Oh well, one more point for the ecoterrorists.

http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/showt...ht=butterfield


Story is below, if you don't want to read it all, the pics (mostly in order) and video clips are below the story.

Our destination was the Sonoran Desert National Monument. We were going to wheel the Butterfield Stage Route. The turn off is a tiny dirt road. We passed it then retraced and found it. We took a map of the area then headed off. We run into about 400 Mormons (near trail head). They are doing some type of walk/hike/historical trek (we wheeled on good Friday). After many beautiful miles we stop. I decide it's time for chips & salsa. I look in my bed and realize the ice chest got loose and I have salsa all over my bed along with all over the soda and water bottles (1st sign). Next we pass the Mormons which takes a long time when they're all over the place in a 1/2 mile long bunch. Right after we pass them my antenna decides it's had enough of my wheeling and it snaps off. I mentioned in another thread how I'm impressed with Alon's bracket and I said that the antenna will probably break before the bracket (2nd sign). Luckily Dusty had an extra one in with him so I used his old antenna for the rest of the trip. It just snapped at the base. We contine wheeling heading out now. We see a federal gov't Dodge that is patrolling the trails. Alomst back to the pavement (already covered 30 miles and we didn't do 1/2 of the trails). Pee pee break for Dusty and I. I get back in my truck start it and it stalls out after 3 seconds! I try again and nothing. Battery is good, fluids and everyhting are fine. It ran perfect all day so far (3rd sign). We head back into town (30 minutes away) to get cell service and decide how to get my truck out of the desert and near the highway. We pick up a U-Haul flatbed type of trailer and bring it back to the trail head. We unhitch the trailer and leave Dusty to defend the trailer. My girlfriend and I head out to recover my truck. We get there chain it up and attempt to drag it out. I pull on the handle to release the tail gate and the handle breaks (4th sign) .It wasn't very easy getting it out. Wheels spinning on Dustys new truck a lot of yanking and finally back to the highway. Now how do you load up a truck that is completely dead without a winch? We used my hi-lift. It took alomost 3 hours but we did it. Trailer connect to Dustys truck and my jack connected to his hitch also. It got really difficult once we got half the truck on the trailer. Finally on the road heading back to Phoenix. I was supposed to be at work at 4pm which is the time we hit the highway so no work for me. I got my truck back today from the shop. The fuel safety switch or fuel safety inertia switch was broken. I don't know how but it was tripped and broke somehow. Overall damage 1. Salsa all over the bed and no snack time 2. 5' Firestik antenna 3. Truck chits beside the trail 4. Tailgate handle breaks 5. Lost 1 KC light cover on the ride to the shop

On to the pics.........






























where she broke down




















Finally home





Overall it was a fun trip. Oddly enough Dustys truck was unscathed the whole adventure. I want to go back again to explore the whole area better. We took more pictures but these oens help explain the story best.

 

And that is why you don't go wheelin' on your own.

 

Talk about an adventure!

Glad you guys made it out without TOOOO much damage. At least everything that happend is fixable very easily and nothing major.

I think my worst trail truck crap out was a dead battery 16 miles up a trail, then 30 miles back to my house.

 

Hey Alon did you see where I talked about your bracket. Now you can say the antenna will break before the bracket! I also get a new batter every 2 years. Out here in this heat it's better safe than sorry.

 

I saw that !

when you said you'd break the antenna before you broke the mount i was like...ya...sure, like you'll ever break the antenna....I guess I underestimated you.

Next time you buy a new battery, want to send me your old optima? My trailer wants its own power.

 

Firestiks are to stiff for offroad without a spring sadly.

 

I'd be happy to send you my old optima (this one is 2 years in September). I don't know how or if I can ship a battery but you pay shipping and it's yours.

I'll be stopping by the local CB shop and pick up a Wilson antenna. Dusty is on his 3rd antenna but he has issues with the parking garage at work with his first 2. He went through 2 K40s and the Wilson he has now seems like the best so far out of K40 and Firestik.

 

put a damn spring on the antenna.. how come no one does that?
i've broke one and thats because i was being stupied and pulled it all the way back and tried to get it to go over and hit someone.... but it snapped instead ha


that was a good day.. you got home and i dont think the shop would have charged too much for that.

this just makes me want to come play in the desert that much more

 

The antenna flexs fine. I've wacked it on some trees/bushes a few times without a problem. I hit it earlier in the morning and it broke a few hours later. It broke and it didn't even hit anything. I know a spring could have saved it. Maybe I'll do that instead of the Wilson, humm.........

 

a spring is like $6...

and i would say get a "10 ft" spring... the 4' ones even on a 4' one is too loose

 

Hell ya I'll pay shipping. I think it is ok to ship because it is a dry cell battery. Let me know when you get a new one.

 

My inertia switch went out in my truck. I drove around for like a week or two with it tripping. If you would of reset it you could have gotten out of there without a tow.

Your like the 3rd or 4th person on this sight i know that this happened too. And when i asked the dealer if it was a common problem they said no.

 

We didn't think about the inertia switch on the trail. Of course we'll be more apt to look at it now.

It was a fun trip. Even getting the truck up on the trailer was exciting on its own.

 

It did pop into my mind briefly but I didn't know where it was located. Does anybody have a how to or pictures of how to reset it. I know it in that black box near the passengers feet. Thanks

 

hah nice, ranger hauling a ranger

 

Yeah I told U-Haul it was an F-150 so I would be able to tow his Ranger, the lady didn't even care. She told me that it's good for 82 miles but I can go further because there is no way to check so I can go as far as I want. lol totally great experience w/ U-Haul!

 

lol...yeah.. one we probably won't have again -- but good to know we have a friend in U-Haul!

 

That really sucks, but at least you made it home in one piece with no body damage. That trailer looks familiar, I used on like it a little over a week ago to haul my Pinto home.
DSC_0004-7.jpg?t=1205538465

 

that looks like fun, but to get the truck on the trailer why didnt you take the trailer off the truck and block the trailer wheels then pull one truck up with the other truck. it works for me

 

Cool adventure lol, I love reading your threads always makes me want to move out there.

 

how did it tow?

 

We tried that. Didn't work. We blocked the front/rear/middle of the tires. Pulled the truck up the trailer using the running truck. Once the front wheels were on the trailer it flipped up. The front of the trailer was 3'-4' off the ground. Scary stuff man, no good.......

 

awesome pics man

 

Pretty well, actually. We estimated it to be around 6000 pounds with his truck and the trailer. It was some work to get the truck up to speed, but, overall, the truck did well. I don't have the trailer brake hook-up on my truck or anything, so we had to really try and keep our distance, but I was honestly impressed at how well the truck did. Don't get me wrong, it was quite a feat to accelerate and drive - but it did well.

 

On top of the little box is a round hole with a button in it. Just depress it and it will fire back up. Its kind of like a reset button on the receptacle in your bathroom or kitchen. Its also explained in the owners manual.