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

Projp

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2004
Messages
504
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

Contributor
Red Head Grease Monkey
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
15,987
Loc.
Stockton, CA
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

Jr. Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2014
Messages
107
I love that Roger Miller song... and you demonstrated it, "All ya gotta do is put your mind to it." :)
 

ared77

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 21, 2013
Messages
2,957
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

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
1,790
Man that sucks. only good thing you got out of the experience was a story... :)
 

Nevadasmith

Jr. Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
182
Loc.
Fallon, Nv
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

Contributor
Guru Bronco
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
16,289
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

Shadetree Guru
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
3,551
Loc.
Aloha
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

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
882
"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

Contributor
REBEL
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
81,983
LOL, learn from our mistakes right.. Hey had to try it though right
 

broncoman805

Jr. Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2011
Messages
251
Loc.
Oxnard, CA
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

Sponsor/Vendor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jun 19, 2014
Messages
4,114
This you?
IMG_0527.jpg
 
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