ok a friend and i went wheeling tonight, and he got stuck in the mud, so i pulled him out. so after a little way his truck starts to stop wanting to move (aka truck=no go)

I called some people who know some people who know a thing or two about vehicles, and we concluded that the clutch got fried.

so my question is any ideas on how to get a truck with no clutch out of the woods?

Tow and push it with multiple vehicles, when there is hills and stuff just get all the speed you can.

What kind of vehicle is it? Are you sure it’s a bad clutch?

Even if the clutch was the problem, it shouldnt affect your ability to tow him outta there. Put his trucks transfer case in neutral and his tranny in neutral as well and tow him out.

Are there hills that you can't get him over or something?

we both were in hardbodys and i didn't want to tow because i have no towing point on the rear of my hardbody, and he has no tow point on the front, also all i had was a chain at the tim, so towing was kind of out of the question to begin with

as far as terrain goes, there is a downhill to a pretty decent mud hole then an uphill, then downhill the rest of the way. it is maybe a mile from the trailhead. and all of it is full of rocks, roots, and ruts

There isn’t any tow spots at all on Nissans? I thought they all had those 2 loops on the front. And even if they don’t, the sway bar makes a good spot to hook a chain. And for the rear, isn’t there holes in the frame somewhere to hook a chain?

i have no idea what happened to his tow hook, but i do know it has brush guard brackets

There's no way in hell I'd use the swaybar as a tow point.

I’ve used sway bars many times, on my friends blazer we would hook it to the sway bar, then get a running start in reverse to pull someone out, never had a problem.

You're f'ing kidding, right? :rolleyes:

Be sure and take a video camera next time you do so the rest of us can see how easy it is to kill someone.

Sway bar for a tow point? Anyone else try this?

My sway bar was attached by oh, 2 small bolts on each side. I wouldn't trust it enough to put human body weight on it, let alone towing from a STUCK.

I agree towing from a sway bar is just stupid

Well that’s what I’ve been doing for years, never had a problem doing it. If you don’t want to use the sway bar, maybe there is a hole in the frame or something else strong to hook onto. On the front of the Xterra there are the 2 loops and then the optional tow hook, isnt the hardbody like the same thing?

swaybar as a recovery point...thats almost as dumb as using leaf spring shackles!!! COME ON...WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO COMMON SENSE??? TOW points should always be FRAME MOUNTED in someway ie tow hook to frame, bumper to frame with recover points, hitch to frame etc...when u start using suspension components, make sure u have a lot of time left on ur warranty becasue ur gonna need it.

Well, now we've established the 'preferred' location for towing isn't suspension parts, this is what I'd suggest...

Assuming the DOA truck is still on the trail, go to a local 4x4 shop, pepboys, Autozone etc. and buy a set of Tow Hooks and straps. Since your buddy is probably in for several hundred $$'s for a new clutch, this is a small investment. Borrow/take a cordless drill and mount 1 hook on the rear of your truck and the front of his to the frame! The using the straps pull him out slowly and carefully- take all day if need be.

Good Luck!

Oh, one more thing, I'm not sure if your X is 5 speed, but if it is, use 4-low and try to release the cluch whenever possible as you are towing the other truck. If you leave it in 4-hi and ride the clutch a lot, you'll end up burning yours out too.

Does your Hardbody PU have a hitch?

PS: Be sure to make sure his Hardbody PU is running so he can use his brakes.

Since we're trying to turn this into something people can learn a lesson from.....

I think this violated the second cardianl rule of 4-wheeling.

#1 is Don't Go Alone....unless you have really understanding friends who won't mind being harrassed to bail you out.

#2 is Have at least 1 extraction point for the front and rear of your vehicle and your own strap. You cant count on other to bail you out.

Although I use the stock Xterra points, I carry 2 straps (2"-20ft+3"-30ft) and a pair is steel screw-type clevis'. This costs less than $100 at any 4x4 shop or farm implement store. Far cheaper than a off-road tow or bribing friends or strangers on the trail.

How stuck in the mud was he? High enough to flood the bellhousing on the transmission with mud and muck? I bet it was wasn't it? Well in that case there should be a small square drain plug at the bottom of the bellhousing flange that you can remove and start draining the water out. When it dries it will work fine but it should get pulled apart and cleaned (at best) or replaced (at worst).

Clutches aren't that bad, you 'could' replace it on the trail if it is that far back in the woods. (I'll put on my flame suit now for all the sissies that are going to whine about that comment).

well, we got him out. we used my buddies dodge ram v10 (we werent sure that my 4 banger could pull two trucks through a mud hole that was up to my bumper) and after we got it out of the woods we put it it on a flatbet trailer so we didn't have to redneck-tow it through town in rush hour.

Didn't realize you had a 4 cyl Xterra... That would have definitely been stressful on it.

Glad you got him out though.

He doesn't, unless he really doesn't have 4wd.

i don't personally own an xterra, my mom does. i own a hardbody, which is what i was in. the rason i didn't go up there in the x is because my mom doesnt like me going off road in it now that i have my own truck

lol

hey, i got to do what she says, she is helping me pay for the HB, plus,if i break something on the x, i am out of transportation until i fix it

No shame in that, XB. Nice of your mom to help you out with some wheels....