Thanking my lucky stars

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Sometimes you have to just thank your lucky stars. Case in point. This weekend I went to New Orleans to help Yankee build his fence and to accompnay my fellow clan mates to the international beer tasting festival held that Saturday. Well that Saturday morning Lowe's messes up Reed's order and we end up driving to Lowe's to grab some of the supplies to go ahead and start laying posts in the ground. We load up 12 bags of concrete (960 pounds), 12 bags of gravel (600 pounds) and some posts (say maybe 100 pounds). So that's 1660 pounds of cargoe in my truck that has 8" of lift and 35" tires. The bed was squatted down to almost the axle. The ride back to his house had frequent violent shaking episodes when we hit a bad frequency for the shocks. Got to his house OK. Unloaded and had a good weekend. I get to going home Sunday afternoon and the truck is still acting funny even without the massive weight on it. Remebering Darrens story I get out a few miles from his house a look the truck over. Everything looks good. I attribute it to maybe slinging a few lead weights off or something. But the truck for the most part is making it but every now and then if I hit the wrong bumb at the wrong speed it would act up. I stop again and give it the once over. Still nothing showing. I tell myself I'll take it in and get the tires rotated and balanced when I get home. All is going ok until I get about 2 miles from my house on the Causeway on Mobile Bay. At 60 mph the front passenger tires snaps right and sends me flying off the road into a world of scared to **** spinning oblivion. I end up doing almost 2 complete 360's and take out a number of small trees and bushes and a pile of sage grass before she comes to a stop. Thank my lucky stars she didn't flip. The loose gravel saved me there. My truck has a very high center of gravity and how the hell she didn't flip on me is above my comprehension. What happened is the bolts (And these are 16mm 2.5 inch long grade 8 heavy duty bolts) sheared off and allowed the pitman arm to come loose from the frame. My new parts come in tommorrow and I had to take off work yesterday Monday to spend 3 hours drilling and easy outing the remaing part of the large ass bolts that still remianed in the frame.

The funny part about the story is when it happened and the truck came to a stop I jumped out of the truck screaming and cussing as my heart rate was through the roof. An older lady who was behind me had stopped to see if I was ok and when she rounded her car and saw me blowing my lid she ran back to her car and took off. LMFAO.

Even better than that was since I was only 2 miles from my house I took a piece of nylon rope in my truck and literally tied the pitman arm back to the frame and limped the truck home. LOL. You don't get more red neck than that boys.

Any way. I'm just delighted to be here.

[LA_MERC_Onji]

damn andy. thats some scary shiot aint it? its a good thing you were in a truck and not an suv
glad you made it away ok man

[waltersw15]

That is pretty scary. And I agree with you, it is truly amazing that you did not flip (Well, you did, but the truck didn't :) )

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Wow man...glad you're ok.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

These auto related near catastrophes are F R E A K I N G me out. Good to hear you're good to go and in one piece!

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

1: Glad youre ok.

2: That is about the redneckiest thing I've ever heard. Nylon rope...lol

Only that would have made it worse was if you had used deer intestines and duct tape.

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

Damn Andy! Glad you made it out OK, how's the truck doing? Is it going to survive?

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

DOH Glad you're okay. We wondered why Candace called asking when you had left...

[Ab1dab1]

Damn Andy....good thing you weren't on the bridge when it let go or you'd have been swiming without your gear.

Glad you are in one piece.

Abi

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

You said it. If the last bolt would have sheared off any sooner it would have left a mark.

As for the truck the new parts get in tomorrow and other than a few more scratches and minor dings most of which were already on it it should be fine. I'll probably go get some detailing or minor body work done on it, but most of that is from past things like hitting that brand new refridgerator on I10 at 70 mph. LOL. My truck has one hell of a history to it. From racing mud derby's in Quachita Parish to running pipe lines in Grant Parish to playing on the beaches in Destin too driving too all the shows its been it to all the things I've hit run over or smashed that include but are not limited to road signs, a 4 wheeler, a V W bug, a chest of draws, a refirdgerator, trees, highways cones (reed got like 50 in one night and I got up the next morning and asked why are there highways cones lodged in the A arm of my truck, lol) two deer, one hog, and ton of bugs, LOL.

[waltersw15]

Sounds like you racked up a few road kills :)

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

damn Andy, it looks more and more you get all the good luck when it comes to accidents....and your brother gets all the bad luck. Share the love...er...I mean Luck!!!

glad to hear your ok manno.

[LA_MERC_RPSNIPER]

Dang man!! Glad you are alright. I have no idea how that big truck did not flip on you though.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

it would have left a mark Oh, I would have left a mark...just not on the road.

[waltersw15]

Skid marks on the road, and skid marks in the underwear eh?

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

right you are

[LA_MERC_Maverick]

wow, im glad that you're ok, that would have scared the crap outta me.

[SweetGirL]

When you said "Causeway", I was thinking a big ole "ker splash" in da Mobile Bay! Trees? Shrubs? You musta been coming off the Causeway, right? I used to hate driving over it when it was foggy and/or raining - - idiot drivers think it's the Talladega Speedway. I especially hated it in my Stingray since it was tricky on hydroplanning.

Anyway, glad you're okay, buddy. I think we're all more conscientious about automobile noises and not ignoring them since our other buddy's accident. We really DON'T want ya to be "twisted steel".....

[LA_MERC_Shadow]

You are one lucky SOB!!

[Chi_Townz]

Note to self...Always keep nylon rope in the back...

lucky you are!

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Conda went MacGyver on us.... Nylon rope...HA! What's your next trick? Make a blow torch out of a curly-straw and a No.2 pencil? :stick

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

Glad to hear that you made it out without any bodily damage.

[LA_MERC_Nutria]

Well Andy.. make sure you order the right part. You are talking about the idler arm not the pitman arm. Idler arm bolts to the frame... pitman bolts to the steering gearbox. The cause was probably with the front lifted up more it put a strain on all your front end parts... check em out. Glad to hear you ok though bud

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

Another thing to look at while your under there is to check all your welds. Namely the ones that are affected by your lift kits. I had a friend last summer that the welds that mounted his rack and pinion to the frame broke. I think it's because of the lift kits he has. The kit had been on the truck for about 3 or 4 years when that happened to him.

Glad your still hanging aroud with us Andy.