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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BAJACAT
OMG, I miss the trip of the year, Im going to hate myself for the rest of the year, i can belive I wasn't part of this, Im sorry what happen to Neal,
but thats Baja, Im living proof of that, after so many trip to Baja, i had to do some repairs on my Dodge, I usually check my truck after my Baja
trips, but this time i didn't, shame on me. Im glad everybody is ok. And yes Antonio is great asset to BajaNomad,one more time NOMADS RULE.....
DK, what happen to your bumper? |
We missed you Jose, but I know you were with us in spirit...
The trip was epic... not because of the location, but because of the people who were there... There WILL be Santa Maria Gang reunions, like there are
Matomi Gang reunions... Only, I think we will do easier trips out of El Rosario or perhaps a Shell Island campouts? Just like the Matomi reunions...
being on the first trip is not a prerequisite to attending the reunions... isn't being a Baja Nomad great?!!
The bumper was caught on a rock within sight of the mission... I was slowly dropping down a 2 ft. ledge/ boulder... when the body fell onto the rock,
just behind the tire... put a deep dent there, then as I moved ahead that rock caught the end of the bumber where it wraps around the back corner of
the truck, and 'peeled' it back as I drove away from the rock drop off. edm1's motorhome also had the same kind of bumper damage.
The road is highly difficult and at the moment, I consider it impassable. If it weren't for this great gang, I would have not gone into the bog. Oscar
(of Santa Ynez) warned us that the water was 5 feet deep and none of us would reach the mission... He also said the motorhome wouldn't get 3 kms. from
the ranch!
I am working on the detailed trip report... so stay tuned!
[Edited on 6-3-2010 by David K]
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edm1
Senior Nomad
Posts: 568
Registered: 8-23-2006
Location: Oak Hills, Ca
Member Is Offline
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Jose, you saved yourself a bumper by not joining the trip :-). I bet your bumper would have been a 3x copy(baja)cat.
But you missed the company of some of the best people in the 4 wheeling crowd and the excitement of having to face the challenges that we faced during
the trip in and out of the Mision!!!
DK is right; what you've seen in photos and have read in the teaser posts are just a third of the whole thing, and then some belonging to the category
of "what happens in Baja stays in Baja".
Art
[Edited on 6-3-2010 by edm1]
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BajaCactus
Senior Nomad
Posts: 663
Registered: 5-22-2004
Location: Km. 55, carretera transpenisular, El Rosario, B.C.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Helpful
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Ongoing repairs...
Neal is waiting in El Rosario for his Tacoma to be repaired... our staff at BajaCactus directed Neal to a local mechanic, who after inspecting the
vehicle found damage to the main gear and some other internal parts inside the rear differential... Also both the tie rod ends have to be replaced.
Our staff looked for the parts in El Rosario and the San Quintín area but they could only found one tie rod (and very expensive by the way)... so they
called me earlier today (June 2nd) to request I look for the parts here in Tijuana.
I already bought the two tie rod ends and have them with me here in Tijuana.
The rear differential is another whole story... I thought it could be faster to just find a used differential, but after spending the whole day
looking and looking and looking, I was unable to find one with the same characteristics as Neal's... so after some calls, I found a place in Tijuana
that sells rebuilt differentials and transmissions (a lot cheaper than a used one by the way, and with more guarantee).
Anyhow, I finally ordered one for Neal and they should have it ready tomorrow afternoon... if everything goes well, I should be shipping everything to
El Rosario in a day or so.
In the middle of all these, when I was coming and going and making calls; I made one call to Neal, explaining all these and telling him not to worry
and that everything was going to be resolve soon... then, as if he had some kind of "Jedi" power to feel over long distances, he very calmly, with a
sooth and relaxed voice said to me: "Antonio, do not stress yourself my friend... there is no hurry, I am well, I have supplies for a couple of weeks
and I am in Baja... do not worry, just relax and take your time young boy".
Wow!!!... what a guy... he was calming me!!!.... he really thought me a lesson in life today... thanks my friend..
So, as you can see, Neal is well, happy and just relaxing... waiting for his vehicle to be repaired... and he should be out of there soon... yes I
know... relax, there is no rush, everything will happen when it happens... 
Enjoy Baja my friends...!!!
BajaCactus
[Edited on 6-5-2010 by BajaCactus]
BajaCactus
"Where Baja is so much more than a dream..."
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David KThe road is highly difficult and at the moment, I consider it impassable. If it weren't for this great gang, I
would have not gone into the bog. Oscar (of Santa Ynez) warned us that the water was 5 feet deep and none of us would reach the mission... He also
said the motorhome wouldn't get 3 kms. from the ranch!
I am working on the detailed trip report... so stay tuned! |
I heard from Marian Johns tonight that water actually seeped into some of the vehicles due to the water being a 3 feet in depth! I have never seen it that deep before, but water collects in the canyons and can
present challenges for the hardy four wheeler. 
As for the trail being impassable, that motorhome sure proved Oscar wrong. 
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
| Quote: | Originally posted by David KThe road is highly difficult and at the moment, I consider it impassable. If it weren't for this great gang, I
would have not gone into the bog. Oscar (of Santa Ynez) warned us that the water was 5 feet deep and none of us would reach the mission... He also
said the motorhome wouldn't get 3 kms. from the ranch!
I am working on the detailed trip report... so stay tuned! |
I heard from Marian Johns tonight that water actually seeped into some of the vehicles due to the water being a 3 feet in depth! I have never seen it that deep before, but water collects in the canyons and can
present challenges for the hardy four wheeler.
As for the trail being impassable, that motorhome sure proved Oscar wrong.
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Some bog pics, going in and coming out:
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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Talk about hatin' life...
That mud smells worse than backed up sewage!
But, being towed through mud with a grenaded rear differential with All-Terrain tires is the pits! I *am* impressed with everyone pulling Neal's
broken Taco to Hwy 1!!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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It was edm1 and CG who did the pulling and winching for the most part... HB Murphy was the hero for his vehicle directing skills and mechanical help.
I did have fun doing the gasoline igniting to bead (explode) the tire on the motorhome! I saw it done on a YouTube and heard that was the Mexican way
of fixing truck tires when you don't have a high volume of air! It was great... great balls of fire!
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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::The White Elephant::
David,
You have told me how trouble-free Toyota-brand pickups are, but there is a white elephant in the room here. I honestly believe that Neal must have
over-loaded his pickup with the heavy camper, carrying more weight than his vehicle is rated at carrying - let alone on a tough trail like Mission
Santa Maria.
Should he be running heavier duty u joints, and what about the ring and pinion gears? Did these explode? Or was it the axle shafts? Or was it the
rear carrier? Regardless, I was flirting with disaster when camping with my Ford Ranger several years ago. I could load so much weight over the rear
axle, but I know its' time would come sooner or later since these pickups are basically 1/2 ton and not 3/4 or 1 ton vehicles.
What should Neal think about building into his rear axle assembly so that this doesn't happen again??
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Ken, there were 4 Toyotas on this trip along with 1 Dodge Dakota and the Chevy van/motorhome. Neal's '03 had an aftermarket transfer case, manual
tranny and overload springs... not sure of how many miles on it, but you know how much he travels.
That camper was a lot of weight for any small truck to carry and the road was the toughest I have ever traveled. The motorhome had a tire come off the
bead twice (too low pressure) and the Dakota got a sidewall rip (new Michelin tire), other than some body damage nobody else had problems that I can
remember.
I am sure Neal will answer your questions about the differential (no drive shaft or U joint issues) and tie rod end failures (may be totally from
being pulled).
The amazing Toyota was Bajatripper's 4Runner with open differentials and 'street tires'... He only had to be pulled a bit through the bog where he
lost traction in the 3 foot deep water/ slimey mud. Paul's '09 modified Tacoma and my '10 stock Tacoma were great. The A-TRAC* was amazing in the mud
and on the Widowmaker and the rest of the mountain climb... I never touched the rear differential lock.
*Active Traction Control gives the traction of front and rear lockers without interfering with steering. A-TRAC uses sensors at all four tires and
matches rotation across the axle giving torque to tire with traction via a hydraulic brake booster. Available on '09 and newer 4WD Off Road TRD
Tacomas (also on 4Runners, Land Cruisers, FJ Cruisers, Tundras and Lexus models).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMvtTKzVy2M&feature=playe...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
David,
You have told me how trouble-free Toyota-brand pickups are, but there is a white elephant in the room here. I honestly believe that Neal must have
over-loaded his pickup with the heavy camper, carrying more weight than his vehicle is rated at carrying - let alone on a tough trail like Mission
Santa Maria.
Should he be running heavier duty u joints, and what about the ring and pinion gears? Did these explode? Or was it the axle shafts? Or was it the
rear carrier? Regardless, I was flirting with disaster when camping with my Ford Ranger several years ago. I could load so much weight over the rear
axle, but I know its' time would come sooner or later since these pickups are basically 1/2 ton and not 3/4 or 1 ton vehicles.
What should Neal think about building into his rear axle assembly so that this doesn't happen again?? |
The photo of Neal's differential opened up, added in BajaCactus' post!
[Edited on 6-3-2010 by David K]
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hbmurphy
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 6-1-2010
Member Is Offline
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I know it's just me but... I would never let a "Good crisis go to waste!" -
When that happened to me, I re-geared to 4.56s and added an ARB locker - I am very much like ART - I did all the work myself (to save a little cash
and to know how to deal with it should it break on the trail) with the exception of the gear set up. I used a guy by the name of Chase at East Coast
Gear Supply (www.eastcoastgearsupply.com).
He warranties the labor and gears for 5 years! He ships a completed third to you in a paint bucket and then you send yours back in a prepaid paint
bucket.
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edm1
Senior Nomad
Posts: 568
Registered: 8-23-2006
Location: Oak Hills, Ca
Member Is Offline
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. . . never let a "Good crisis go to waste!"
There's definetely a trip retrospective to be done - lessons learned - as there were things that we did that could be improved to enhance our
readiness, skills and equipment for the next trip.
And one of them is never tow a disabled vehicle for 5 miles hooked to your hitch that is just tack-welded to the frame (unfinished job), especially if
it is also welded to the rear doorframe and ribcage of your motorhome. If the hitch came off the tack-welds, it would have torn the rear door apart
and the rest of the body along with it, with my daughter and dog inside. LUCKILY none of that happened. My greatest worry was if the hitch struck Neal
behind me, but getting Neal out of those difficult obstacles overrode all those odds. The lesosn is: bring the portable welder with you.
[Edited on 6-3-2010 by edm1]
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hbmurphy
Junior Nomad
Posts: 59
Registered: 6-1-2010
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by edm1
. . . never let a "Good crisis go to waste!"
There's definetely a trip retrospective to be done - lessons learned - as there were things that we did that could be improved to enhance our
readiness, skills and equipment for the next trip.
And one of them is never tow a disabled vehicle for 5 miles hooked to your hitch that is just tack-welded to the frame, especially if it is also
welded to the rear doorframe and ribcage of your motorhome. If the hitch came off the tack-welds, it would have torn the rear door apart and the rest
of the body along with it. LUCKILY none of that happened. My greatest worry was if the hitch struck Neal behind me, but getting Neal out of those
difficult obstacles overrode all those odds. The lesosn is: bring the portable welder with you.
[Edited on 6-3-2010 by edm1] |
If the hitch came off the tack-welds, it would have torn the rear door apart and the rest of the body along with it.
Oh my!!!
Regarding lessons learned.... Bring Strarter Fluid and get Comm Standardized with all vehicles ( I am a very big advocate of 2 meter/HAM but CB's
would work too).
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Maybe high volume air supply, too? Just in case I am not around to blow your tire back onto the rim with gasoline! LOL
What a great time... Check your u2u regarding photo exchange... I made extra discs of the photos from my camera... Lot's of your van, Art.
I just posted Part 2 of the full trip report and photos here: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=46050
[Edited on 6-4-2010 by David K]
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | | Originally posted by hbmurphyRegarding lessons learned.... Bring Strarter Fluid and get Comm Standardized with all vehicles ( I am a very big
advocate of 2 meter/HAM but CB's would work too). |
I make it a point to only invite people with at least a CB radio in their vehicle. I'm running dual compressors and an air tank capable of reseating
a bead and running air tools, because you never know when you will need it.
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edm1
Senior Nomad
Posts: 568
Registered: 8-23-2006
Location: Oak Hills, Ca
Member Is Offline
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Another lesson could be using a strap longer than the 15-ft strap used to tow Neal, with which he could not see very well in front of him or doesn't
have enough time to react to the boulders that I had to go over or maneuver around. I think a 20-ft or 25-ft strap would be ideal and could have
prevented or at least minimized the tie-rod damage to his steering system.
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edm1
Senior Nomad
Posts: 568
Registered: 8-23-2006
Location: Oak Hills, Ca
Member Is Offline
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The frustrating thing about re-seating the beads in this trip was that it was hit and miss. I popped the bead in both outer dually tires, driver's and
passenger's sides at different times. The first time (driver-side), Maya and I reseated the bead by just tightening a strap around the tire and then
pumped air from a 2-gallon compressor at 105 psi, Maya doing the pumping while I was wiggling the tire back and forth inside the wheel.
The secod time, the entire team tried the same using the same strap, the same compressor, trying Paul's compressor, Paul's straps, trying another tire
carcass, and we couldn't seat the bead. We finally resorted to explosives :-) and finally was able to set the bead. The good thing was that we were
never desperate since if the gasoline explosion did not seat the bead, we had a last option - use the inner tubes that I brought as a last resort. DK
had fun doing the gasoline igniting, though.
The bottomline (lesson learned) is that what makes it difficult to seat the bead is that the tires are 8R19.5 Load Range F tires being mounted on a
7.5 inch wheels, making the tire a little too narrow for the wheel. I'd bet a 245R19.5 tire (like the front tires on the motor home) would mount much
more easily.
[Edited on 6-4-2010 by edm1]
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
Member Is Offline
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The tires edm1 has on his MH can not be beaded with a compressor and air tank unless you have a 2 inch outlet with a gate valve and special nozzle.
The sidewalls are to stiff. Using gasoline or lighter fluid to seat the beads is a common thing, in Mexico and in the USA. (Of course not at Costco
etc.) I've used it many times, learned it from a friend who owned a trucking company. He had a 15hp compressor with a 50 gal tank and used this
method. On board compressors are great for the re-inflating tires after lowering the pressure for sand, rock crawling, etc. A good air wrench speeds
up tire changing and other repairs also. I have a 20K tank of CO2 which works very well for this also.
The length of the tow strap is somewhat dependent on the terrain. Along strap is dangerous if there are a lot of sharp turns. I carry several straps
which can be linked together if I need more distance between vehicles. I have a 30ft strap called a Super Strap or something like that. I 1" strap
is rated at 10,000 lbs. It does not have hooks (I don't want hooks on my straps - ever) but is made so you can weave it back into itself 3-4
times.This way it can always be undone. It also stretches so it can be use to pop a vehicle out of a hole they are stuck in. Makes a smoother tow
also, less jerking when slack is taken up. Costs 2-3 times the other straps but in my opinion well worth it.
We try to be prepared for anything, but sometimes come up short.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3145
Registered: 3-20-2010
Member Is Offline
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Hey, Gang
Man, that was some trip! Can't say that I've ever been down a worse road. The company was great, can't think of a finer group of people I'd rather
travel with. Even without being able to speak English, my wife had a fantastic time.
Art's motor home had to be seen to be believed. If I hadn't of witnessed it myself, I'd of figured the photos of it were photoshopped. The sound
of that beast crashing through the swamp trees reminded me of video documentaries of bull elephants charging out to meet challenges to the herd. Just
the sound of it behind me probably scared my little 4Runner into performing way above its normal capabilities, running like a scared dog.
Paul's swamp rat was something else to see, zipping back and forth, winching here, pulling there, making u-turns so effortlessly. I might just
have to get a real job so I, too, can outfit my rig like that.
And who could forget the roar of Chris' V-8 Dodge in the canyon as he yanked Neil's rig through the swamp.
It was a real pleasure to meet David K and his wife Elizabeth. As a lurker, I've admired his work on this board for some years now.
I'm sorry I had to leave the group (by popular demand, my breath must have been particularly bad that day) to get Kurt back to civilization since
he wasn't feeling up to snuff (Kurt, I've got your ball cap and sweat shirt and will be getting hold of you shortly). I'd have loved to have seen the
bead setting by David K.
I was fortunate enough to avoid putting any new dings in my 4Runner, pure luck since, with my setup (or lack of), I really didn't have much
choice but to throttle and go at times, taking my chances that it wouldn't bounce on anything hard. The only water intrusion I had was from my wet
clothes, as I thought I should check the water depth for our group (yeah, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it).
I was most impressed by the way the team came together to get Neil's rig out of there. That certainly would set my mind at ease for any future
outing we might go on.
An unsung hero in all of this is Jose. Although I don't know him personally, we all owe him a debt of gratitude for twice going to the effort to
set that trip up. Too bad things didn't work out for him so that he, too, could take his rig out for some abuse.
The only disappointment for me, personally, was that Oscar wasn't at Santa Inez when we got back. I really, really wanted to do a little
gloating. He was awful certain that none of us would even come close to the mission. The morning of our departure from the ranch, as the team members
arrived one at a time, he'd tell me "ya llego otro que no va a llegar" (here comes another one who won't make it).
At the moment, I'm visiting with my Mom, Bajalera, in California, so I'm unable to download any of my photos. By the time I get back to La Paz,
this thread will probably be dead. But I will certainly forward a disc to team members who desire one. Of course, given that I live in La Paz, I will
have to wait until my next visit to the U.S. before I'm able to mail them.
In the meantime, if any of you guys make it down my way, you've got a place to stay, should you desire. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!
Take care, all
Steve
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64540
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Thank you very much Steve... It was great to meet you and Zully!
I told Oscar it was a "piece of cake" (or maybe in my poor Spanish I really said it was a "lot of crap") to drive through! LOL He did learn that ALL
(TODOS) reached the mission... even the motorhome, and he WAS surprised!
Send our best to 'bajalera', and good luck with getting her book published. I want to order an autographed copy.
Please click on the blue "You have a u2u" link in the upper right hnbd corner of the Nomad page. I sent you a note about the photo disc exchange.
Your 4Runner and driving skills were amazing... with only open differentials, non-aggresive tires, your stock Toyota rocked!
See you in La Paz... and you are welcome in our Oceanside home, anytime (Mi casa es tu casa)!  
[Edited on 9-17-2010 by David K]
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