Montana • August 2017
The DayI Met Johnny
A rock under the skid plate, a white FJ Cruiser on its side, a night on the mountain and a next-day recovery. Plus the day I met one of my best friends, and how I ended up with TRPLOK.
The Crew
In late August 2017, a small group headed into the timber for a weekend of rocky, tight trail. My tan FJ Cruiser. My brother in his maroon Nissan Xterra. Tom in his white FJ Cruiser. And Johnny in his 80 Series Land Cruiser.
I’d never actually met Johnny before that weekend. He was just some guy off the internet, and I’d invited him to come wheeling with us if he wanted. He showed up. He’s been one of my best friends ever since.
The Fix Everybody Forgets
That weekend, my brother’s Xterra sprang a coolant leak at the firewall, at the heater core. No parts store for miles. So we bypassed the leak with a sacrificial Streamlight flashlight and kept going.
Nobody ever remembers that part of the story. It might be the most impressive thing we did all weekend.
The Roll
On a steep, boulder-choked chute in the timber, a rock rolled up and went under Tom’s front skid plate. It lifted the front of the FJ off the ground. With the front tires in the air, Tom had no steering and no braking, and the truck drove itself right up an angled rock ramp and flipped onto its side.
My brother and I crested the hill right after we heard the curtain airbags go off. Over the radio: “Oh hey, Tom, are you OK?”
No response.
He was fine.
Secure It, Then Go Home
The first thing we did was secure the FJ with a tow strap so it couldn’t slide any farther down the steep chute. Then we made the call not to try flipping it that day.
We left it on its side overnight, all piled into Johnny’s 80 Series and drove home to get a trailer. Quite the first wheeling trip for Johnny.
The Next Day
We came back the next morning with the trailer and a recovery guy. With the FJ already secured, the job was rigging the lines, getting everyone clear and bringing it back onto its wheels slowly.
Once it was back on its wheels, it started right up. Then Tom had to drive it back down the same chute it had just rolled in. That was spooky. Whatever you do, don’t do what the last guy did.
It made it down, and it drove itself onto the trailer.
The Damage
A blown-out rear quarter window, a cracked windshield, dents in the hood and fender and a lot you can’t see in a photo. The curtain airbags did their job. All in, it was about $25,000 in damage.
Tom got it fixed and sold it two weeks later to a nice dental hygienist. I still see it around town.
Fast Forward
Here’s the part of the story that matters most to me. Tom took the money from the FJ and bought an 80 Series. He built it up, wheeled it for years and eventually sold it to me.
That truck is TRPLOK, my triple-locked Lexus LX450. If Tom’s FJ hadn’t rolled that day, I wouldn’t have it.
Read more about it in LX450 vs. 80 Series, or see it on the Rubicon.
What a Rollover Teaches You
People first. Get on the radio, get eyes on the driver, and turn the engine off. If they don’t answer right away, go to them.
Secure it before anything else. A truck on its side on a slope can keep going. Strap it to something solid so it can’t slide or roll farther.
You don’t have to fix it today. A truck on its side in a steep chute isn’t going anywhere once it’s secured. Going home and coming back with a trailer and a pro was the right call.
Use rated gear and real anchor points. Rated recovery points, rated straps or winch line and soft shackles. Never a tow ball.
Control the landing. Bringing a truck back onto its wheels takes control on both sides so it doesn’t slam down or go over the other way. Stand clear of every line under tension.
Check before driving. Tom’s FJ started right up, but after a rollover it’s worth letting the engine sit upright and checking fluids before you crank it.
Drive out slow. Driving back down the same chute that just rolled a truck is spooky. Spot every move, and don’t do what the last guy did.
Watch your skid plate. A rock that rolls under the front skid can lift your front tires and take your steering and brakes with it. On steep, loose chutes, go slow, use a spotter and keep your wheels on the solid rock.
Carry weird spares. Sometimes the fix is a flashlight.
For more on getting unstuck, see Snow Wheeling in Montana.
More From the Trip
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