Today was supposed to be a day filled with snowbashing and fun. High RPM's and the snow flying with digging jeeps out. But it was nothing close to that today. I really must of had someone watching over me today. A garden angel. I wana thank Matt, David, and there friend for all there help today and for saving me, and my jeep.

Day started off as I was supposed to meet Matt, David and my buddy in Nederland to do some snowbashing. Well I was in Estas Park. So I headed out around 830 to make my way there. As I made my way to HW72 the weather had gotten a little worse, snow falling an blowing like mad. Roads were a little icy, but nothing more then I could deal with. Well as Im coming around a turn some tard in a mini van desides to pull over on the shoulder of a blind curve. So I turn and hardly miss him, and the jeep starts coming *** around and heading for the trees on the side of the road. The back hits the snow and swings the front around and sends me plowing threw a few trees. I throw it in park jump out to see everything, and the jeeps looks fine. Good thing I made the bumper out of 1/4" dident even dent it. So I throw it in 4 and back out. get out and pull over to the side. Check the jeep out and everything loos fine. The *** in the mini vans just drives by me and dosent even stop to see if Im ok! jackass! So I hop in the jeep and on I go again. Well the jeep was a little squirly in the steering so I knew I messed something up but was driveable. I meet up with my buddy and we meet up with matt and david. Well I have them check out my jeep, and the tir-rod is hitting the sway bar mount on the axle, so I must of bent my drag link. SO I figured I would be ok and on we go. We head to peewink and run the trail in about 20mins. No snow at all. Not what we were expecting. So We head on over to Rollins pass where there will for sure be snow. Well the roads icy as heck and we see a few cars that have gone off the road. We are on 119 and just about to hit the road to turn off to rollins. I start pumping my breaks to slow down and get the jeep down to about 15mps and get ready to take the turn.......


This is where things when from a bad day, to a HOLY **** BAD DAY!


I start to turn and the jeep just start heading straight for the inbankment. Sliding straight for the edge. I crank the wheel pass side and hit the gas to try and spin the back wheels around to keep me from going off. No luck! Both drive side tires fall off down hill and I keep the wheels cranked. Now Im heading straight for a house and a brick wall. ( the wall is level with the road and then the house sits about 5 feet below the road and maybe 10 feet off the road) The jeep ramp up the brinks and comes to a crashing stop. my heart beating and thanking god I dident role off the mountain. Dont know how I dident but I dident! I see Matt whip the jeep around and come flying up to me. david jumps out with a strap and a shackle. Matt backs the jeep up with front of jeep facing my pass side to try and pull me up. We try but no luck. Drive side front tire is off the ground and the axle is holding the jeep up on the brinks. Thanks god I had control arm skids other side my control arms would of been mangled. Drive rear tire is barely on the bricks. keeping me from going over. Matt keeps trying to pull me but no luck. With the tire over the edge we cant get it back up. We have my other buddy in his open open JK hook a strap up to my rear but no luck with him pulling me eather. By this time we have traffic blocked be theres straps from one side of the edge to the other, and we have a crowd of people watching us try to save my jeep. we pull my high lift out to try and jack the front end up above the brick. . . . and she failed me. The pins were all messed up and not catching. So it wasent rasing. So we were able to force the pins in and out to crank the high lift up. We get the leep close to the edge of the road and we try again. High lift falls and so does the jeep, but It caught just enough lugs on the tire the pull the jeep up and to safety! we pull all the jeeps to the side and check the damage. I peeled the lip of my rim off the tire and am leaking air. So I get the tire swapped out and about this time the sherrif coming rolling up. Asking us what happened, why we tampered with evidence, left the scene of the crime. Matt explains we had to choice but to try and pull me up because the jeep was going over down the hill, Or going to roll into the house so we had no choice. So needless to say we sat there for an hour and a half wating for state patrol to come rolling up. I recieved a careless driving $170 ticket and have to pay for the damage done to the wall. We finaly get on our way as I limp the jeep home. We stop at a gas station and check the jeep around, well my steering it toast. Check and see that my driver side control arm on the axle has been smashed and sitting farther back, and that my ballistic joint stud had bent and toast. So a new front end is in the works.

What was supposed to be an easy fun day of wheeling turned into a really bad day and a scare to me. When mothernature bits back, its a *****. I really must of had a garden angel watching over me since Im still here today and my jeeps in once piece still. I really dont know how. I hope Matt and David will post the pics that they have. If you get to see where I was you would wounder how I made it as well.


With this today the jeep with begin a new leg in its journey. I no longer want to be sitting at 6" with 33's. Going to rework the suspension and go for a low COG.

Plans for the jeep - Sell front coils and lower the front to around 4." Pull shackles out of the back and lower the rear to 4.5." Will be looking at getting 35" MTR's and little backspacing to give her a wide stance. Sell drop brackets, and maybe bushwackers and look at buying THOR front fenders. Then look at buying 9T3xj axles that hes parting with. Build sliders/replace rockers. Then full belly skid to protect everything under the jeep. So I will be selling DP brackets, 33 duratracs, 3 rims, track-bar, coils, bushwackers maybe, and axles.

I really learned something today, and I hope everyone else can that reads this. Till then and watch for the new build thread of the heep!

Chad

(P.S) if theres spelling errors, TO DAM BAD! i dont feel like rereading everything I just typed. Im not a english major, Im a welding major lol!

 

 

ouch man glad you're all right and not hurt. as for the rig 6in is good just get long arms and 35s. though the thing is ice is ice don't matter what you have your going to slide

 

Glad you are ok Chad!! That looks scary as hell!!

 

After wheeling with the guy who pulled me out, he sits at 4" and 35's I dont want to be that tall anymore. he has no body role, and can flex better then me! I just dont want to sit up that high anymore. Only takes one experience to change you and this was it.

It was man. I for sure though I was going down the hill and rolling. I really dont know how I dident. I was praying I dident. and it dident really hit me till later last night when I was like OMG I cant believe that happened and that Im still here

 

Wow man! It's crazy how things like this could have gone to the worst, I had a similar incident with a revine and a tree, if not for the tree, I would've been upside in the swamp below, lol. I know where you're comming from, it's kinda spooky.

 

Being tall and on 35s is awesome tho. i dont drive mine often tho but ill be at the same height on 37s this season

 

i saw your jeep at toys for tots. Pretty sick lookin man. Love the chop and how your buddys just hopped in lol.

 

Dam your lucky that didn't roll. Nice Jeep I think I saw it a few weeks ago, I25 C470 area mayb?

 

it's got nothing to do with your lift height, but everything to do with trying to drive with bent steering links.
why would you continue to drive on icy roads after you bent your drag link?

not trying to be a dick, just pointing out the obvious.

 

Thanks man im hopin to have it wheelable by my bday so i can hit patriot down at indy!

 

im glad ur fine,that would terrify me

 

My tie rod and drag link have both bent for awhile. Ive been driving with it like this for most of the summer, and I also figured that maybe the snow that was packed into the front end could of had something to do with the steering.

Na man your not being a dick. Not takin like that. Ill admit I should of went on that day. I should of went home, but I dident. I mad a stupid mistake.

Ya man badass jeep. Did dam good on the RTI ramp to. Better then me lol. How is the jeep not wheelable yet? what else you gotta do?

 

WOWSERS, GLAD your ok man !

 

it's all good man, glad you're ok.
good time to upgrade.