You can't cut off a lug nut with an ax

[Projp]

My son was helping me the other day put rear discs on the 67 halfcab and reminded me of an experience that could only happen to me.

I was pulling a trailer with my then almost new 99 Ford F250 LD, (the one with the 7 lug wheels), when I got a flat on the left rear. It was in a construction zone and I couldn't get totally into the emergency lane so I would have my son go down the road a ways and holler to me when there was a break in the traffic, (we were on a sharp curve).
Three of the lug nuts snapped off, three were galled but came off grudgingly, and the last one started spinning (the stud). I am in in the middle of nowhere and no way to get the last nut off. While doing inventory of my truck the best I could come up with was an ax. I really didn't think it would work but I tried chopping it off for about 10 minutes.
Realizing my woodsman skills were not going to do it I hiked up the closest mountain until I got cell service and called my oldest son. Several hours later he showed up with a sawzall and metal blades. There were no cordless ones then so he threw a generator in the back of his truck. We finally cut off the last nut and limped off the road with the remaining 3 lug nuts.

You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd and
You can't cut off a lug nut with an ax.

 

[thegreatjustino]

The 1995 Darwin Award Runner Ups:

In Wesley Chapel, Florida, Joseph Aaron, 20, was hit in the leg with pieces of the bullet he fired at the exhaust pipe of his car. When repairing the car, he needed to bore a hole in the pipe. When he couldn't find a drill, he tried to shoot a hole in it.

 

[jrwyant]

I love that Roger Miller song... and you demonstrated it, "All ya gotta do is put your mind to it."

 

[ared77]

That ax story is great! Desperate times, call for desperate measures right?

I remember reading once about a person who decided a good way to rid their basement of spider webs was to use a propane torch. Burned their house down!

 

[sanndmann3]

Man that sucks. only good thing you got out of the experience was a story...

 

[Nevadasmith]

My father had one of those locking lug nuts on his bronco back in the 90's...he was out prospecting. Cut a side wall. Had his spare but no jack. No lug wrench. 70 miles from the nearest town, 20+ miles from the nearest asphalt. He finally got the county sheriff on the CB, who in turn called me. I loaded up Jack's and 4 ways I had and even an extra spare. 3 hours later I found him. We start changing the flat. And he remembers the key for the locking lug nut is in his garage....he fought that lug nut with vicegrips, hammers, and rocks. After 2 hour's on the side of the mountain on Christmas Eve. I finally just put my four over the lug nut and bent it up an down till the stud broke......he drove that bronco another 5 years and never replaced the wheel stud. Last week at the grocery store I see a beat to crap bronco that looked like my father's. I walked over and checked that wheel stud is still missing 20+ year's later. Your story reminded me of that fun time! Thanks

 

[half cab]

When I was a teen I remember a guy had a Camaro convertible and his transmission went bad. He decided to try and pull the trans himself. He had no jack but had a come-a-long. Pushed the car under a big oak tree,wrapped the cable around the rag top frame, other end to big oak limb and went to jacking on the come-a-long.

Well needless to say a good friend of mine got the car real cheap. Put a transmission and top frame on it and drove it for yrs.

Btw he still has it. Probably still runs.

 

[miikee73]

We had a 57 Ford Country Squire wagon that had carb problems. My mom had to take an ax away from my Dad,he was going to chop the choke off the side of the carb.
I don't think the outcome would of been good.

 

[suckerpunched]

"You can't cut off a lug nut with an ax"

maybe not, but an old friend (gone now) ex military mechanic told me a story about cutting the wings off a P-51 Mustang with an ax to get it through a small village and back to base to salvage the engine.

same guy was fishing, when his boat motor quit at the back of the lake. ended out making a set of points from finger nail clippers and fished the rest of the day.

 

[sprdv1]

LOL, learn from our mistakes right.. Hey had to try it though right

 

[broncoman805]

Driving through the mountains i came around a curve, hit a rock and blow out the sidewall. Went to change the tire and found out there was no jack. Looking around i gathered some rocks and some branches, piled them up and drove my car wedging them under the lower control arm.

After wresting the wheel off of the car i dug a hole just deep enough to drop the tire in to get the tire on, tightened up the lug nuts and drove out of the hole and made it home.

 

[rydog1130]

This you?

 

[rydog1130]

My reply at the very bottom