"McMike" (mcmike)
03/23/2015 at 09:05 • Filed to: Tow truck fire
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"McMike" (mcmike)
03/23/2015 at 09:05 • Filed to: Tow truck fire | 40
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Last night during dinner, a loud bang and a shockwave hit the the house and Mrs McMike dropped her fork and yelled, "The fuck was that???"
I went out of the deck to take a look. I came back inside to grab shoes, reply with "Woods are on fire," and run out the door.
When I got there, I found two trucks. One was a very stock looking Tacoma/Tundra Ford that had it's front end buried in a rut.
The other one, well.. wasn't that easy to identify at first. When I got closer, I realized that it wasn't his 4wheeling buddy.
It was a tow truck.
These are not off road trails, this is a power line right-of-way strip cuts through a county park area. No motorized vehicles allowed.
They are also pretty steep in places, and is pretty pocked with ruts. I'm impressed that the tow truck thought he could make it out of there.
We all know cars catch on fire. It could have been anything. Fuel (or other fluid) line, dry grass underneath caught on fire, whatever.. What I'm curious about is what was on that thing that shook my back window 200 yards away. I'm not that familiar with what could be that explosive on a tow truck. Air tank? LPG conversion? C4?
We live in the single-family homes the left side of the photo, the X is their entry point (and only access point for this trail), and the truck and fire represent truck and fire.
Entry point.
Thanks, dumbass. Not only did you ruin my dinner, but you also cost someone a tow truck. I'm sure that driver had better things to do than watch his truck burn, explain to his boss that the truck burned, and wait for a another truck to come and tow his burnt truck.
I was tempted to call the number on the side of the truck to tell them they're going to need a bigger truck, but I couldn't read the area code (which is required here in the DC area)
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Update - I believe we found what made the boom.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:35 |
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There!
ly2v8-Brian
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:35 |
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$kaycog
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:36 |
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Scary stuff!
Agrajag
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:36 |
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Maybe that truck was converted to run on LP.
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Agrajag
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:37 |
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Sitting eating dinner and the house shook. I looked out the back door and saw a brush fire in the power line path beyond our woods. I grabbed some shoes and ran to it.
Jagvuar edition.
Katsumoto
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:38 |
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Probably trying to do a recovery. Then maybe hit something that caused the gas tank to explode.
Some trucks do use compressed air to operate, but that looks light duty. I dont know if hydraulic fluid can ignite, but if it can, between the gas and fluid it could have been the explosion.
Or it hit some gas line, and the truck and gas line exploded.
Logansteno: Bought a VW?
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:41 |
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Maybe the lift arm hydraulics blew up? I don't think it would burst into flames shake the house explode though. Maybe the truck caught fire underneith on some dry grass and it made it's way to the gas tank before anyone noticed.
jkm7680
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:41 |
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You should have silently moved towards the truck and roasted your enemies silently above the fire without omitting a word or expressing human emotion.
For Sweden
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 20:50 |
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You done did it now
Coty
> BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
03/22/2015 at 20:52 |
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THAR!
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> Katsumoto
03/22/2015 at 20:56 |
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Maybe a compressor to air tires on downed vehicles? If this was the gas line that exploded, there wouldn't be a tow truck left.
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Katsumoto
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
03/22/2015 at 21:10 |
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Looks like it started as an engine fire. Going off the fact the front engine is heavily damaged but the rest isn't so badly damaged.
The tow bed's construction of diamond plate probably saved the equipment from further damage. I see enough tow trucks to know whatever their made out of is heavy duty. Designed to last longer than the engine.
Let us know when the news and police release a statement. My bet is on an engine fire that resulted in a gas tank explosion. I'll wager 10 internet points on it.
MysticStick
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 21:15 |
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It says to call the number in an emergency... But eh, pipe is probably fine. It's down there pretty deep.
PushToStart
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 21:17 |
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McMike
> MysticStick
03/22/2015 at 21:19 |
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I know. The photo was for effect.
PS9
> McMike
03/22/2015 at 21:33 |
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Gotta watch it with the spell casting when this guy's around man.
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:11 |
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I'll admit it. I've been that guy who views these access roads as rally courses. Might still be.
OPPOsaurus WRX
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:14 |
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all the lolz
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McMike
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/23/2015 at 09:15 |
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The house I grew up in backed up to some of these, too. Used to mountain bike back there. Every once in a while I'd hear some two stroke noise and thought, "Man, that sounds like fun."
Now I hear two stroke noise and want to call the cops.
Not sure if jealous or old.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:17 |
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Both?
CalzoneGolem
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:18 |
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Not sure if jealous or old.
A little from column A, a little from column B.
nafsucof
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:19 |
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propane injection on the tow truck?
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McMike
> nafsucof
03/23/2015 at 09:21 |
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It had to be a pressurized tank of some sort. We felt it.
That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:22 |
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My money is on air tank. If the tank was full, and it started heating up, eventually it would have burst.
A buddy of mine once blew up a regular balloon and then poured cement around it to make a cinder block, effectively one with a giant air bubble in it. He put it near a fire and it blew up like a bomb after a while.
It's a miracle he has all his fingers.
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McMike
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
03/23/2015 at 09:25 |
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It took me a minute or two to get down there, and the tow truck driver was already down with the stranded truck, and a lot of the truck was already burnt.
I'm guessing the truck was on fire for a little bit before the explosion. Gave the guy plenty of time to get away from it.
Mrs McMike posted all these photos to FB last night, and everyone was asking about the driver. I kept feeding her lines like, "We found him in a tree" and "He hasn't come down yet," but she declined to use them.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:26 |
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Yeah, looking at it again, I'd totally hoon back there. Sorry. Please don't call the cops!
cazzyodo
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:27 |
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:36 |
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That seems wasteful of such wonderful material.
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McMike
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/23/2015 at 09:39 |
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I know, right? She told me to stop after I suggested, "I think we found all of him"
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:43 |
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LOL
I hope there was one that involved something about tracking the brown spots he left on the ground as he ran away to find him.
Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:44 |
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I would guess an air tank made the boom, or a combination of a couple tanks. You would be surprised the amount of boom even a can of Axe can make.
Source: My lack of eyebrows for about a month when I was 14.
jariten1781
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 09:50 |
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Your neighborhood looks very similar to mine.
At least twice a year a truck/jeep/whatever gets stuck where I've got that star. It's a steep down and then there's a creek with about 4 foot drops on either side. The creek is usually invisible till you get down the hill due to brush and the soil retains moisture so they can never get back up (though they do spray mud everywhere trying). I walk my dog down that path every day so I always get to see the rescue operation. A couple times the tow driver tried to go down and get them, getting stuck themselves. Usually they end up winching them out from beside that sidewalk that comes out the cul-de-sac. Never had one explode though, haha.
It's fun to watch the electric guys come out and do trimming. They bring out a tracked cherry picker with long stabilizing feet and it always looks like it's going to roll to their doom. I wouldn't go up in it that's for sure.
thebigbossyboss
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 10:22 |
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HA. Man alive. Reminds me of when my family was eating dinner in a house we rented we heard a big bang. A driver whom didn't have a drivers liscense had smashed into a rock in front of our house.
V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 10:24 |
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Recurring problem I'm guessing?
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McMike
> V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
03/23/2015 at 10:30 |
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Recurring problem I'm guessing?
Not really. We hear a dirtbike/quad back there every once in a while, but nothing regular. NEVER a full sized vehicle, though. Parts of it just aren't passable.
WiscoProud
> Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/23/2015 at 11:31 |
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Last winter we came upon a snowmobile engulfed in flames in the middle of a trail, we basically had to wait for it to burn out before we could get buy. I was kind of amazed at how loud the shocks exploding were.
Junker_CM
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 14:58 |
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You should shake the hands of a man that could make a Toyota explode. He is the car driver you guys need!
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McMike
> Junker_CM
03/23/2015 at 15:00 |
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I'll remember that if I ever see a Toyota on fire.
Moarloud
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:00 |
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I wish we had powerline roads like that around Chicago. I'd probably by that dumbass in the stuck Tacoma.
Rev Les Crowley
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:00 |
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Motorcycle crash in front of the in-laws, at night. FIL is with the rescue squad, so goes out to help. Asks "why aren't the floodlights on?" Answer: "We haven't found the head."
David E. Davis
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/23/2015 at 15:00 |
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Pine barrens in S Jersey are full of these rally courses. Practically everywhere south of Rt 40 and west of Rt 55 begs for an off road excursion.
Rico
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:02 |
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Look everyone, a dumbass!
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Rev Les Crowley
> Katsumoto
03/23/2015 at 15:02 |
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Vehicle gas tanks seldom explode - the fuel/air ratio heavily skews in favor of "fireball" rather than "kaboom."
Dest
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:02 |
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Looks like the perfect wheeling spot!
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:04 |
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Are you trying to cover up his plate?
Also, calling the number on the truck would have been absolutely hilarious.
jlnbos
> Junker_CM
03/23/2015 at 15:04 |
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You need to read the OP a bit more carefully. It was the tow truck that blew up, not the Toyota.
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McMike
> Dest
03/23/2015 at 15:06 |
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It actually isn't. There's a deep, eroded creek bed about a 1/4 mile to the left that not much could pass. Some of it is pretty extreme for anything near the level of "bro."
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Junker_CM
> jlnbos
03/23/2015 at 15:07 |
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Towtruck Toyotruck, its all the same. I wont admit i'm wrong.... but i'm dreadfully wrong.
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carsmart
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:09 |
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Thats Henry's Wrecker Service.
Will with a W8 races an E30
> Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/23/2015 at 15:09 |
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A couple air tanks as in tires?
Travis M. Cotton
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:10 |
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Did the guy in the Tacoma walk over and go "Well there's your problem...."
Phyrxes once again has a wagon!
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:11 |
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From the picture it looks like that tow truck might be from Henry's Towing and Recovery, they do work all over NOVA.
boobytrapsandtreasure
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:11 |
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This reminds me of the original Men In Black movie.
F86Pilot
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:12 |
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Spectacular illustration good sir....
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Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
> Will with a W8 races an E30
03/23/2015 at 15:12 |
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Probably has an air compressor along with the tires, gas, and a fire extinguisher. All things that could boom. One could also go boom making the others go boom!
satalac
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:14 |
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Could have been the tires. The heavier duty tires sound like a bomb going off when they blow.
gla2yyz
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:14 |
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You need a tow truck for your....forget it.
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satalac
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/23/2015 at 15:15 |
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Used to take my old Forester XT on these too. Fun? You bet. Bright idea? Not so much.
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McMike
> carsmart
03/23/2015 at 15:15 |
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Good call!
I could read the number on the side, but not the vertical area code.
bidwell07
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:16 |
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Sweet. Now I know where McMike lives!
gt40mkii
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:20 |
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"We found him in a couple of nearby trees."
willmederski
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:23 |
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brrrap brrrrrrrrrrrap
as much as i love the sound of a two-stroke, i can't wait for electric dirt bikes...
SO much havoc i would wreak without disturbing the neighbors...
Sjubbdubb
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:26 |
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The internet. Finger-pointing 2.0 machine.
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Dest
> Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
03/23/2015 at 15:27 |
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Axe cans bring back many fond memories for me.
Hans_Moleman
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:29 |
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People who want to off road are well advised to look for public lands officially sanctioned for ORV access or for a local privately owned off road park. Typically it only costs $25-$50 plus the cost of an orange safety flag if you don't already have one. It's idiots like this who give legal off-readers a bad name and cause public ORV land access to be closed.
dannymac63
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:32 |
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Apparently they're expanding quickly!
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Moarloud
> Moarloud
03/23/2015 at 15:32 |
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*be
Blu3RSX
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:33 |
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DAD GUM!
Rock Bottom
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:36 |
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Tires can explode with a surprising rapport. Assuming the fire was underway, and was fueled by dry grass and diesel fuel, then it wouldn't have taken much to explode the baloneys.
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Thither
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:38 |
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Could have been a can of starter fluid in tow truck?
DanPadge
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:41 |
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Good thing there wasn't a bit of a wind or there'd be a much bigger problem than a crispy tow truck!
Bultaco's JMOD TownCar drives his pa to drinkin
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/23/2015 at 15:51 |
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Power lines are fun for the aimless adventure (how far will we make it today??) not so much fun for the unpredictable and virtually invisible rocks, downed trees, immovable sapling stumps, dumped appliances, massive erosion, and impossibly deep mud holes. You're either constantly vigilant, or getting a little bored and hammering on the throttle, and then reacting to whatever comes up just a little to fast for your brakes with a brown stain in your pants. And then you nearly get decapitated by a new, poorly marked wire fence that vepco decided to put up, and decide you're better off sticking to the trails for the rest of the day.
BeaterGT
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 15:53 |
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Expected at least one Lewis Hamilton pic
Moonbatting Average
> PushToStart
03/23/2015 at 15:56 |
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Ain't nobody got time for that!
Stevie Welles
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/23/2015 at 15:57 |
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I did this recently in our area. A trail just like this one. No signs (OK, the sign had been ripped off and was laying face down. I couldn't see it!), no gate, just a nice two track and my new to me 2000 Land Cruiser. I was really desperate to try her out a bit as we have no significant off-road opportunities in the area. It was fun but it ended in someone's back yard and I got accosted by an angry man on a 4-wheeler while I was headed back. When he looked in and saw my wife, child, and dog, he softened up and said to be careful.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> Bultaco's JMOD TownCar drives his pa to drinkin
03/23/2015 at 16:03 |
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Depends. Where I am in Florida, things are flatter, more open, and sandy rather than rocky, so I'd be less cautious, but for one like the one posted, I'd definitely slowly trundle through on a recce run first. Maybe even on foot to scope it out. I guess that's why my little FWD imports never got stuck or in a scary moment in the who knows how many miles I've put on them that way while these guys got their four wheelers and two trucks stuck.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> Stevie Welles
03/23/2015 at 16:04 |
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So a guy on a four wheeler had a problem with someone in a truck doing the same thing? ::rollseyes::
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PCD
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:06 |
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Some morons did this in Mandeville, LA but instead of an accidental explosion they lit a bonfire under high tension lines with a nat gas pipeline buried below. Fucking rednecks.
Farabomb
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:06 |
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Older.
I get mad when a brodozer mats it in the 100 feet of straight in front my my house.
Then I remember I have a loud ass Subaru and calm down. I hear the kids on the bikes and I just get jealous. I'd rather not pay the tickets and deal with the trouble it would bring.
Gonemad
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:07 |
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Can I guess a powerline shorting out on that truck? The lightning would sound like a bomb.
jezeric
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:11 |
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Michael Bay's next Transformer movie being filmed?
TechWeasel
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:12 |
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We live in the single-family homes the right left side of the photo
dafuq?
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McMike
> TechWeasel
03/23/2015 at 16:27 |
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Ooops. I meant to say, "the town family right homes in the single side of the left"
Sorry.
chevelle.chris
> dannymac63
03/23/2015 at 16:39 |
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I would bet however, that while the business has exploded - that drivers career is about to detonate.
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Travis Berry
> Bultaco's JMOD TownCar drives his pa to drinkin
03/23/2015 at 16:39 |
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Been a long time since I heard it referred to as vepco.
Dr. Strangegun
> Rev Les Crowley
03/23/2015 at 16:40 |
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Well hell, cover the gore, turn the floodlights on, and find the head easier!
shop-teacher
> Moarloud
03/23/2015 at 16:42 |
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We do, you just need to look harder :)
Pennsyltucky Dreams of America
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:43 |
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When I was about 15 I'd ride my Honda CR80 flat out through something like this, until a guy jumped out of the bushes with a shotgun and threatened to shoot me if I came back because his kids played in those woods. He was afraid I'd run them over, so they must have been deaf considering the 80cc 2-stroke I was riding. Ah, memories.
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Dr. Strangegun
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:45 |
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Any "heavy duty" truck has 6 handy-dandy pressurized tanks that just happen to be made of a composite of steel/kevlar/nylon in a nice flammable vulcanized rubber matrix...
Being a tow truck, you've also got to wonder if it's equipped with a compressed air tank (not for the brakes, for filling tires), or if something as blase as the hydraulic fluid reservoir has a blowoff vent, or if those DPF tanks are vented, etc. etc.
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busacca
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 16:56 |
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Now I hear two stroke noise and want to call the cops.
Don't be that guy. Grab an oil-burner and join them.
Ready for an adventure!
> CalzoneGolem
03/23/2015 at 17:01 |
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He probably yells "GET OFFA MY LAWN" now too...
Jon
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 17:04 |
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CaptainBoss
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 17:25 |
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That tow truck... no way. He'd need an F450 6x6 to even consider that. The shop I worked at in high school had one and it was pretty decent for that kind of soft-roading.
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tony decker
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 17:34 |
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WOW, hey Mcmike when you get off your soap box and join the rest of us, try not being such a douche. Some guy tried to go offroading and messed up. FFS
tooldtobehip
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 17:36 |
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Not 2 things you want to see in close proximity to each other.
At least not accidentally.
Kaufmania: Mark Webber's Stunt Double
> McMike
03/23/2015 at 17:41 |
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Hands in the air, just in disbelief.
Thank god a Jalop was near by to document this.
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Moarloud
> shop-teacher
03/23/2015 at 17:42 |
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GPS COORDINATES PLS
Jk I know of a few places down by the I&M Canal near Willow Springs, and an especially good one in a far south suburb that starts with an M and ends with an -a .
But seriously though, I could use some new offroad spots, share with a fellow Jalop? Haha
deus ex plaustra
> dannymac63
03/23/2015 at 17:48 |
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mrspof
> dannymac63
03/23/2015 at 17:52 |
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Those pricks have piles of cash to buy new trucks from fucking over people with their heinous impound lot fees.
Tom Bennett
> dannymac63
03/23/2015 at 17:55 |
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Explosive growth. (I see what you did there)