Did Woodpecker in 2WD!!!

[Fish Taco]

Well, the guy who sold it to me warned me that the front right locking hub was sticking a bit and said he'd even give me the replacement next week when he got back from out of town. When I got on the trail at midnight and the hub turned into the lock position with no problem, I figured I was good to go.

Hmmmm, not exactly.

So we get about 1 1/2 obstacles down Lower Woodpecker before I realize my front wheels aren't :D turning a bit. "Yeah", I think, "I bet that hub didn't engage". And it never did. I rolled down Lower Woodpecker AT NIGHT IN TWO WHEEL DRIVE! Thank you so much to Huck and TJ for being the best and most patient spotters ever!

The conclusion: I only got stuck once and that was when we realized my front end wasn't engaged. Once we knew, between the excellent spotting, the 7 inches of lift, 35" Swampers, and some wicked low gearing, I rolled on through with no more problems. No damage. No more getting stuck. And only a little dent in my pride. Plus we saw a gorgeous bobcat! Not a bad night after all. And I'll forget that little dent in my pride once I'm back on four working wheels!

Thanks again Huck and TJ!!!

(By the way, also thanks to Huck's bad ass Jeep for pulling me out "like butter" when I was stuck. No laughing, Yotas! I needed it and his rig was up for it! No pics as proof though and I will deny it ever happened from this point forward!)

[AzBearFan]

good job, told you the toy would wheel the hell out of that old CJ!!!

what front axle are you using?? I have an extra hub for an '85 and earlier I'd be willing to sell. Just let me know

[rijrunr]

Hey Meg -

Congrats on the "De-Virginizing" run! Sounded like a good one, sorry I couldn't be there. Might as well been, we didn't have a single call all weekend up north. :(

You said that the right hub was sticking - and you said the front didn't engage. Those sound like two different problems. If your hub is bad and is not engaging, then you should still have torque to the other front wheel. If your front end is not engaging, (I.e. your transfer case is not putting power to the front), neither front wheel will have power.

Can ya clarify honkey?

[Fish Taco]

:D Yeah, I was so over my old CJ when I rolled down Woodpecker in 2WD!!! You were right. I'll never go back! And thanks a lot for the hub offer but the guy who sold the rig to me said he'd fix it for free because he meant to do it before he sold it anyway. If that doesn't work out for some reason, though, I'll definately consider your offer. Thank you!

Goose: I have a Detroit TrueTrack in the front so when my right front wheel wasn't engaging at all, all the power was going to it and none to my left. And that power of course didn't do any good since it wasn't locked. It was like I was running the whole thing with my wheel in the air.

You totally should ditch those fire guys every once in a while and come out with us! :p As soon as my hub is fixed (which hopefully will be Tuesday night) we need to go on a night run! HOW'S WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT AROUND 6:00 FOR YOU? I'll call you today!

Thanks!

[rijrunr]

Like I said on the phone, TrueTrac is a soft locker that should put almost-equal power to BOTH wheels. If no wheels were turning, and only one hub is bad, might want to check other things. We need to check it out to see what's going on. Did TJ or Chris notice if the front driveshaft was turning?

[Fish Taco]

Yeah we're not that dense man! Of course we checked and yes, the front driveshaft was turning.
Enough about my shafts and wheels, are you coming tomorrow night if my truck is well again??? :driving:


--Megan