this and the story of the escape from Clearview is what lead me to the idea of the FSJ logo! It also lead to the inclusion of Old Blue and john in a Chrysler video for the WJ launch in 1999! |
this and the story of the escape from Clearview is what lead me to the idea of the FSJ logo! It also lead to the inclusion of Old Blue and john in a Chrysler video for the WJ launch in 1999! |
 SJ - 1962-1991 |
 XJ - 1984-2001 |
 WJ - 1999-2004 |
 KJ - 2002-2007 |
 WK - 2005-2010 |
Find the recommended AMSOIL synthetics for your Jeep |
 CJ-10A - 1984-1986 |
 Jeepsters |
 MJ - 1984-1992 |
 Willys - 1946-1965 |
 Other Jeeps (FC) |
Scott Martin's CJ7 giving Old Blue a tug... and john with
mischievous thoughts of using reverse or the brakes... for shame...
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JUST MINDing our own business...
Went over to pick up my son at his friend's house and noticed an 18 wheeler
sitting in front of the nursery across the culdesac on 160th ST SE, a dead
end that slopes down and east of SR 9. My son mentioned that the 18 wheeler
was stuck... So I roll down the passenger window and talk to the
driver who is standing there with shovel in hand. I offer to try and give
him a little yank. He says that's very nice, but that he wouldn't want me
to hurt my truck... My family is scolding me saying I'm gonna hurt Old
Blue. I just say, it's not gonna hurt anything, worst case I'll spin my
wheels...
-------
THE HOOKUP...
So he agrees and I pull Old Blue up in front of this very large White
Freightliner, whip out my ever faithful 15 foot section of chain. Since I
figured the trucker would laugh himself into a coma if I offered to pull him
out with the rope tied to my hitch that's been used to pull everything else.
So, he looks the new Freightliner over and notices a pin right in the center
of the bumper to wrap the chain around. This pin is thicker than Old Blue's
axle... I hook my end up to one of the ears for safety chains on the
"psuedo-box-receiver-that-doesn't-work-welded-under-the-real-hitch", since I
figured the trucker might not like me hurling 2" hitch balls at his nice
shiny white truck...
-------
THE RIG...
He's got one of those real long white trailers. The Freightliner was a
sleeper. He had chains on the wheels on the back axle. I was already in low
range after navigating the ridge off the highway and getting down into the
driveway.
-------
SPINNIN' WHEELS...
I start to pull, the chain tightens... Old Blue's tires spin. I rotate the
steering wheel back and forth, then I drop to an idle, then apply power
again, tires spin... After two or three episodes I notice the truck is
moving... Finally I power brake a little and launch forward an inch or two
until the tires break loose... I let Old Blue roll back and launch again...
Now I notice the big cab is also starting to rock... Between the two of us
we're gonna keep this guy from spending another night stranded on this
culdesac...
---------
FEAR THIS!!!
I do another power launch and I feel it give, now I'm concerned... and begin
to accelerate... He's moving, and I'm trying to move faster, not wanting to
get run over!!!! All of a sudden I'm launched forward, free of the truck...
Not to worry, he's moving, and I'm going to get the heck outta his way, so I
scarf a left into the first available driveway. He rolls on past and up
onto the bare pavement just up from the gravel culdesac and stops... whew!!!
-------
ROCK N ROLL...
We hop out and he explains that what helped was when he shifted into second
gear and spun the chains until they dug down below the ice, and with the tug
that Old Blue had given him it got him up and rolling...
-------
RIP...
The reason I broke free on the last major tug was I had ripped the safety
chain ear off of my hitch. Not a problem, it was just on odd-sized receiver
hitch that we had welded underneath the stock Jeep 3,500 lb hitch that I'm
going to replace anyway... Guess Old Blue wanted to get away from that big
rig once it started to roll!!!
------
OH DRAT...
So we head on off to Everett, about half way there I realized, dang, I
should have taken a picture of me connected to that big rig... no one is
gonna believe that Old Blue pulled a Freightliner sleeper cab and a really
long trailer... even though it was empty and ONLY weighed about 37,000 lbs
(I asked... :).
------
GUESS WHO?...
So we take care of our business in Everett, and on the return flight Becky
announces she needs a head of cabbage... so, back up the hill to Albertson's
in Clearview... I pull in the space and am getting the shopping list
instructions straight when I notice in my rear view mirror that there is a
long, white Freightliner 18 wheeler type vehicle over by McDonalds... <big
grin>, so I look at the cab, yep, same one, "KSI" something, California...
:) So I hop back into Old Blue and wheel through several snow piles and
over so the driver's doors are side by side, roll my window down and ask the
trucker if I could get a photo with Old Blue in front of his rig, he says
sure... :) So I have photographic proof... well, at least a picture of Old
Blue and the truck together... :)
