How the hell did you get it out in that last pic????
G 'day totumpole. Great to see an early Disco doing the marque proud.
And I second thruds query. That must be write a story?!
Well if you are all sitting comfortably...
I was out for a drive on some beaches and tracks about an hour from home. Time got away from me and it was already the time I had told the mrs i would be home. I was down on the beach and could have taken the easy route out, but this track caught my eye. It was a pretty steep ascent going into a rutted section further up. It was about a 2m step up, followed by a 90 degree left onto a narrow track and then a 90 degree right. I took a couple of go's to get up the first bit. i was probably being a bit ambitious given I didn't have anyone else along with me to spot. As such, I turned left too early for fear of ending up in the bush straight ahead. The left wheel left the track and the 2.5 tonnes of fourby made sure the entire left side followed suit.
I teetered there on the edge for a while, wondering if the loss of my body weight on the right side would be enough to let it fall over the edge onto its side or roof down on the beach. It felt very much like the end of the Italian job, minus the gold. I eventually got out, and it didn't move an inch. The front axle and bulbar were bellied up on some sandstone and the back left wheel had a bit of traction on the face. I didn't get a photo from the upper side, but from recollection the front right was on the ground and the back right was floating in the breeze.
I have a winch on the front, but there were not any substantial trees directly ahead, and I was also concerned the slightest movement of the back end out to the side would be enough to tip the scales in the unfavourable direction. After some pondering, i figured tying the rear recovery hitch off to the right of the vehicle would prevent this and I got underway with the recovery. Luckily my recovery kit was lay on the back seat, and was easily accessible. If it was in the boot (on the left where it usually is) I might have been in a bit of trouble. This fact has led me to think long and hard about where best to keep it should other perilous situations arise.
The winch did all the work really, and tying off the end of the disco definitely did the trick. It was still pretty hairy and I really thought I was going to roll a bead on that front tyre.
So here is the set up. This shot was taken once I was in a better position with the front wheel back on the track, but demonstrates what I did to recover the vehicle. It also shows the pretty treacherous entry to the track.
It was around this point someone else drove past on the beach and realised I was in (or at least had recently been) in a world of hurt. He stopped and help spot me back onto the track. Just as well or I probably would have backed off the drop again drying to straighten the disco up to tackle the remainder of the track.
All in all took about an hour to an hour and a half the get back on my way. There was no real damage to the vehicle, only the front left of the bulbar is now bent back into the body with a slight dent below the headlight. 'Tis but a battle scar!
