New Years Day Mudding
by brian @ 20:38:09 - [perma-link]A few times a year this big muddy field near St Helens opens up for
trucks. Josh, Ryan and I took my Defender up to check it out. When we got there, I pretty much just slid down the first hill. The
low gears wouldn't engage, and the wheels just spun. We limped it over
to the big bogs and watched some of the monster trucks go through.
"The Punisher" (the black truck on 44" tires, i think) went through it
like it was nothing. A few others made it, a few had to be pulled out. After that we aired my tires down to about 20 psi. It was like night
and day. I made it up pretty much everything we tried. The low gears
eventually clicked (no clue what happened there), and then I could do
controlled (well, slightly more controlled) descents. Then we had to go through the DEEP mud pit on the way out. I got
stuck, as did most of the trucks in front of (and behind) me. The mud
was up to door level. I climbed out on the hood and reached elbow-deep
into the mud to hook up the tow strap. We got yanked out, then called
it a day. The defender was pretty much mud-encased. Outside, inside, underneath,
and in the engine bay (probably from the mud bow-wave that spilled over
the top). Everyone was commenting that I didn't have enough tire
underneath it, and they're pretty much right. It needs a lift soon. | 
