Part 2 of the Craziest Four-Wheeling Ever!In the September issue, we tackled round one of the special tribute to our favorite reader Whoops! from the past 30 years. Let's just say there have been a lot of foul-ups in the past three decades. Narrowing them down was no easy task, as you people did some fairly interesting "wheeling"-and seemed pretty proud to show both us and the world your not-so-finest moments. Plus, we're not even talking about spontaneous transmission shifting, acts of Mother Nature, "next thing I knew," or the random flame.
Best Whoops! of All Time, Part 1, featured the first 15 years, so as you'd guess from our catchy title, here you'll find Whoops! the Next 15 Years. Thankfully, this section of the magazine keeps improving with age-as do your predicaments!
Keep your Whoops! coming!
Send yours to:
Whoops! 4-Wheel & Off-Road
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
E-mail to:
whoops@4wheeloffroad.com
Before and After
We tried to out-jump some dirt bikes...and we did! Too bad we overshot the landing by 52 feet, snapping the front axletube and rolling the truck over when we landed.
Geoff Barnes, Mapleton, UT, Oct. '05
Diamond Scars are Forever
This Whoops! took place in Gilmer, Texas, on a four-diamond-rated trail. Next time I'll leave the hardtop at home.
Kyle Eddy, Houston, TX, Apr. '03
But was the Dog OK?
This is the short version of a long story: A routine Sunday-afternoon ride, a '72 Scout, an '87 Nissan. Some quicksand, a broken axle, a flash flood, and a 15-mile walk. A Mack truck with a 30-ton winch, several support vehicles, and a flatbed trailer. Five long days of pumping water and digging sand. The Scout is back in action, but we don't know whether the Nissan will live.
J.F. Marshall & Joe Larson, Moab, UT, Sept. '98
Big Gulp
My friend David and I were on our way to a pond in my '77 Blazer. There is no direct road leading to it, so we had to trample through 7-foot-tall Johnson grass. We ended up in a big ravine that swallowed us whole!
Sid Mendenhall, Apache, OK, Dec. '95
Anyone for Bridge?
My ex-father-in-law and I went to my favorite fishing spot for my birthday. I parked my truck on the bridge like I usually do. We were standing beside the truck when the bridge collapsed. Fortunately, we only had scrapes and bruises and the truck had minor dings and scratches. A tow truck with a boom hoisted the truck from the 20-foot-deep hole.
Rod McBride, Colfax, CA, Sept. '96
Flattie Foul-Up
I managed to roll my '48 Willys into a stream that was more like a small pond. It took a shovel, a tow strap that broke, a Hi-Lift jack, and my friend's '79 Scout II to get my Jeep back over. After I changed the oil and put a hole in the exhaust to drain out the water, the Willys was ready for the 45-mile ride home.
Andy Estrada, address withheld, Dec. '97
Pyro Bronco
My friends and I were on Interstate 5 just north of San Diego when we saw this burning Bronco on the shoulder. We could only guess what happened.
Spencer Esch, Fairplay, CO, Apr. '96
Cue the Circus Music
A friend of mine took his two trucks, a '76 Ford and an '85 Chevy, one night to play and buried them both. He called me to come and pull him out, and I sank my '91 F-150 despite 7 inches of lift. At the high point of the night, there were a total of six stuck trucks. We had to get a skidder to get these out, but we buried it too. We used a bulldozer to get the skidder out. The two Fords were able to drive home with minor water damage, but the Chevy's motor gave out and took a ride home with the skidder behind a Peterbilt.
Ric Crawford, Thompson, GA, Jan. '01
Maiden Voyage
This was my '92 Ranger's first trip on the trail. It has a 4-inch Superlift suspension, a 3-inch body lift and 33x14.50-15 Mickey Thompsons. I was climbing a hill and I didn't see the large washout in front of me. It took $7,000 and a month of frame and bodywork to fix my truck. Now I just stick to mud.
Scott Cross, Orlando, FL, May '96
Flipped Out
Who: Rob Wachs
Where: Bunola, PA
What: Scout II
Why: Showin' off for the ladies
Possum: In a purely defensive move, the modified Scout will play dead until the stock aggressor retreats.
Apr. '01
Yes, it Could
After a long day on the 4x4 trails near Bridger, Montana, I decided that a little water couldn't hurt. But it turned into a big problem. The sandy river bottom refused to release my '79 Bronco and quickly drowned its 429 engine. After 2 days, several tow ropes and a lot of sweat, my thoroughly marinated Bronco was retrieved.
Brandon Gjude, Billings, MT, May '95
We Bet it Did
The rather large truck was coming downhill and lost control, went into a full skid and then slammed me against the bank, leaving me pinned and the Blazer crushed. It did hurt.
Billy C. Wade, Fall River Mills, CA, Mar. '95