Truck fell in a ravine....
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 852
Likes: 12
From: Kentucky
Truck fell in a ravine....
I was out scouting a farm road to get our trucks in to pour concrete for an ATT cellular tower today when I ran into this bad boy.....
In this spot there was not fast water, just standing. I was looking ahead about 200 feet where I was going to get out and check the road up ahead (should of got out earlier
). I was doing about 5mph or so when this thing caught me by surprise. The ledge broke off the side leaving both front wheels just dangling in the water. I tried to use 4wd, but to no avail. Ended up calling a tow truck to get me out. After the drama was over, I took a tape measure and this thing was 6' deep in the middle! Good thing I was creeping along.
The only damage i had was the driver side mud flap being ripped off during the rescue.
Any thing you guys would check or replace with this much water in the front end? I know the oil pan was under water, as well as the whole front axle. Would you suggest replacing the axle oil or engine oil? What about brake fluid? Any help would be appreciated.
In this spot there was not fast water, just standing. I was looking ahead about 200 feet where I was going to get out and check the road up ahead (should of got out earlier
). I was doing about 5mph or so when this thing caught me by surprise. The ledge broke off the side leaving both front wheels just dangling in the water. I tried to use 4wd, but to no avail. Ended up calling a tow truck to get me out. After the drama was over, I took a tape measure and this thing was 6' deep in the middle! Good thing I was creeping along. The only damage i had was the driver side mud flap being ripped off during the rescue.
Any thing you guys would check or replace with this much water in the front end? I know the oil pan was under water, as well as the whole front axle. Would you suggest replacing the axle oil or engine oil? What about brake fluid? Any help would be appreciated.
Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 852
Likes: 12
From: Kentucky
ya I learned my lesson. But look at the last picture.... see how fast the road went from 2 inches deep, to 6 feet deep.
New User
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 23
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From: crosby,tx
I know everything is supposed to be sealed but just to be safe check the front diff fluid. The one time you dont check it is when there will be some water in there and it's a whole lot cheaper to replace fluid than replace gears,bearings,and maybe axles later on. I drove an 06 polaris(it was new then) thru some water and didnt check things when I got back to camp,turns out the trans had some water in it and was junk after riding the rest of the weekend.
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From: Maryville (Mur Vul), TN
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Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: North of Salt Lake City
Wow, that's impressive. Glad you weren't going fast... that photo would have shown only the bed sticking out of the water. Looks like the running board bent a bit.
And yes, I'd replace the diff fluid also.
And yes, I'd replace the diff fluid also.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 6,600
Likes: 84
I had bad images of a wrecked 2011 super duty in my head reading the title before I clicked the link.
Since he was looking ahead he probably saw that higher rock ledge ahead but lesson learned for sure.
That first section of water looks deep!
I'm guessing your heart sank when you felt the front end drop?
I dropped the front end of my '02 Explorer off in a ditch covered by tall grass (never saw it, never knew it was there) a few years back.
I was disappointed I couldn't get out of it with the 4x4 but was reminded it wasn't a tank.
Since he was looking ahead he probably saw that higher rock ledge ahead but lesson learned for sure.
That first section of water looks deep!
I'm guessing your heart sank when you felt the front end drop?
I dropped the front end of my '02 Explorer off in a ditch covered by tall grass (never saw it, never knew it was there) a few years back.
I was disappointed I couldn't get out of it with the 4x4 but was reminded it wasn't a tank.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 345
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I drove my last truck through a lake like puddle that the water was above the hood. I just checked my air filter and changed my diff fluids and I had no problems so you should be good to go after you change that fluid!
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 852
Likes: 12
From: Kentucky
Ya. I had to add some drama to the title so you folks would look! I learned a lesson for sure..... The running board is not bent, but it sure took a beating. They are very tough I found out. I changed my diff fluid this morning and found no water in it, but it's still good insurance. Had I been going any faster then whole front would of been underwater. Just a FYI that my Titan tank took a hit on the nose, but everything worked great. I would not have the tank without the skid plate. There were some deep scratches in the plate, but nothing penetrated. Also just like to add, I love this truck.
I learned a lesson for sure..... The running board is not bent, but it sure took a beating. They are very tough I found out. I changed my diff fluid this morning and found no water in it, but it's still good insurance. Had I been going any faster then whole front would of been underwater. Just a FYI that my Titan tank took a hit on the nose, but everything worked great. I would not have the tank without the skid plate. There were some deep scratches in the plate, but nothing penetrated. Also just like to add, I love this truck.