Well, Finally getting around to processing a few pics of my recent truck mishaps...
Last Monday, Labor day, I was driving home from the central cascades of Oregon, when I passed an accident and sped up to about 30 or so MPH. A few minutes later, I lose power, then hear a big thunk. Not good. Luckily, it was about 1:30 or so in the afternoon on a sunny, warm and importantly, not a rainy day.
Here is the first pic.
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Ouch!!! As you can see, I dropped the drive train, disconnected from the transfer case, and amazingly, the u joint is still there.
Fortunately, a cop was giving a ticket just down the road and he came and called the AAA for me. A tow was there in about 25 minutes. He said that If I called, it could take all day. They get priority here in Oregon. Those cops gave out 4 tickets while i watched. At least I got some entertainment. Of course, the truck was a mess with stuff from 5 days in the woods, 3 with very very good rains....So I started packing and cleaning right there. I got some time to dry out the camper as well.
Here is a pic from the back. I had to enhance it, as I did a bad job of getting the shadow details....
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Notice the transfer case oil trailing the truck.....It smelled as you would expect.
I was just within the limits of Salem and thank goodness I was not on some desolate forest service road like I was just a few hours earlier....I was looking for some hotsprings, but that is another story. I'd probably still be up there if this happened earlier in the day.
I have AAA towing for 100 miles, a definite plus to have!!! I highly recommend it. They towed me to a Dodge dealer in Portland that worked on trucks. Of course, on Labor day, the sales department was open, and service was closed. I repacked the truck, hid the expensive stuff best I could, and got my friend Jason to come get me and some of my stuff. He nicely put me up for the night. Big red looked so terrible sitting outside the service department.
The sales folks wasted no time and suggested I look at some of the newer trucks on the lot. Typical. Nice, big, and expensive.
Here is what big red looks like when being taken by ambulance....
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The tow guy was very nice. He worked on the accident that slowed me down just a few minutes earlier. How ironic. Turns out, he owns a big
dodge truck, 4x4, diesel and we talked trucks the entire way to the dealer....58 miles away. He was sympathetic until he offered to drive me back to seattle.....somewhere about 400 bucks. 180 miles up and back.....yikes.
Well, I had to be in the office the next morning, but didn't know how to do it. Car service via the shuttles at the airport would have been 79 bucks, but they were full and didn't have one available until near noon the next day. Nice, vans with wifi to seattle in 3 hours, door to door. The Amtrak trains were done for the night and take 3 hours. Earliest into seattle arrived about noon. 30 bucks, not too bad. Alaska/horizon gets to me to seatac in 1 hour for about 149 not including taxes and fees. still gotta get there early and suffer the TSA shuffle. Seaport air, now that is a cool business airline. Little jets from Portland to Seattle's Boeing field. 50 minutes, 149 bucks all included. NO TSA screens. Easy on and off. Best flight into Seattle ever. Got to the terminal at Portland, they took my bags, got me coffee and we walked to the plane about 15 minutes later. In Seattle, landed, got off the plane, took the luggage, and my brother picked me up. In the car in less than 5 minutes after landing. Amazing. No crowds. This is the way to fly.
That would happen on Tuesday. After this research, time to buy my friend in Portland a beer for his help and get some Portland grub and sleep before heading to the airport.
Needless to say, got home, dressed and to the office with just a few minutes to spare.
Turns out, the dodge folks say they have never seen this before and think that maybe I lost the pin that holds the U joint to the transfer case. In hindsight, sounds like a weak point. Hmmm. it is a 1996 dodge ram 4x4 short bed with over 120 thousand miles. New parts alone would b e about 3000. refurbed about 1600. about 800 to put them in. If nothing else is wrong. I guess they say the drive shaft often bumps around and destroys most of the back underside of the truck. Not uncommon to lose shocks, springs, exhaust, gas tank, even bed in some cases. Luckily, I was going about 30. at 55, I am sure it would have been much worse.
The transfer case has seized and the wheels don't roll. That is why the tow guy had so much problem getting it off the truck. The axle might be OK. the drive shaft is bent.
Me thinks it is time for a new truck. I went looking today. Wow, they are nice these days.
I got called today that the parts are in and they will start work tomorrow. They promise to call if they find more damage. Great. If it works out, I might catch the train down and pick it up this weekend. Drive back up and decide what to do. I think I will be a bit gun shy and won't try to take it so remotely for a while. Not so fond of Dodge trucks today. Some parts were sent from back east. They don't make parts for this truck any longer....
Before all of this, I got some nice time at the Columbia river, in central Oregon, and in the Cascades. Did some reading, caught up on some odds and ends with the camper, and just relaxed. Joined some friends for the weekend along the Mckenzie Hwy. Until monday, that is.
Well, a really bad way to end the Labor day weekend. And cash for Klunckers ended a few weeks ago......
That is how my end of summer weekend went. How was yours?
Dave in Seattle
PS:
Of course, now all the questions are coming out as I review a lot of old posts.....
1. what would be the best new truck
2. maybe sell the hawk and get a grandby? Love the size!
3. don't really feel like building the furniture to fill the shell....Lots of time and energy
4. maybe getting a new camper with a heater would be really really really nice.
5. I can use my experience and do the truck and camper right this time.
I sense that I will post a lot of questions in the very near future.....after all, did spend part of the day looking at new trucks.....
