Had an “exciting” drive home the other day

[Forestry_Ridge]

So figured I’d make a post on this, but about a week and a half ago I ended up in the ditch on the way home from the Ranger station I work out of. My front left wheel started making some weird ass noises so I was about to pull over and check, and something clunked. Next thing I know the front left drops as I’m already turning to the shoulder and I’m in the ditch. Truck suffered no damage luckily, besides what caused my misfortune. My front left lower control arm, wheel bearing and hub basically detonated and the wheel managed to go free ***** a couple hundred feet down the ditch. Had to get it towed the rest of the way obviously but I collected all the parts that broke that I could find. The mechanic that fixed the truck for me thinks I made an enemy because he was showing me what he says are tool marks on some of the damaged components. So yeah that was exciting. And expensive.

 

[audiophile]

Trucks can be repaired, you, a little more difficult. Glad you are okay as this seems best case scenario.

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

Trucks can be repaired, you, a little more difficult. Glad you are okay as this seems best case scenario.

Yeah. I got my truck back three days after it got towed to the shop. Ended up just having all the wheel bearing replaced, as well as asked the guy to check for the same tool marks anywhere else. He didn’t find any others but I’m going to be a wee bit lot cautious when I leave my truck parked at the ranger station. I can honestly see it being someone targeting it, because we’ve had some issues with people on the national forest I work on where people are targeting federal employees because government bad.

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

Yeah. I got my truck back three days after it got towed to the shop. Ended up just having all the wheel bearing replaced, as well as asked the guy to check for the same tool marks anywhere else. He didn’t find any others but I’m going to be a wee bit lot cautious when I leave my truck parked at the ranger station. I can honestly see it being someone targeting it, because we’ve had some issues with people on the national forest I work on where people are targeting federal employees because government bad.

By this I mean, all the wheel bearing replaced since he was already having to replace the front lefts when he was installing a new lower control arm, hub, etc.

 

[NJMOPAR]

I'd say it's time for surveillance cameras at the ranger station.

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

I'd say it's time for surveillance cameras at the ranger station.

I’d agree, but that’s against Agency policy since we are a federal entity on public lands(coleville national forest). Right now there’s only four or five of us at the ranger station because we are the only Permant wildland fire employees on this district, so if one of us is manning the ranger stations visitors desk, one of us is working at the camp ground and me or someone else is out on patrols, well then our personal vehicles are just sitting in the back lot next to the fire vehicle bays and cache unattended, and the back gate right there leads right onto the “highway”

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

I’d agree, but that’s against Agency policy since we are a federal entity on public lands(coleville national forest). Right now there’s only four or five of us at the ranger station because we are the only Permant wildland fire employees on this district, so if one of us is manning the ranger stations visitors desk, one of us is working at the camp ground and me or someone else is out on patrols, well then our personal vehicles are just sitting in the back lot next to the fire vehicle bays and cache unattended, and the back gate right there leads right onto the “highway”

During the summer there’s fifteen or sixteen of us because of the seasonal employees

 

[NJMOPAR]

Alarm system with a sensitive G-shock and a front/rear dash cam with the same on your personal vehicles shouldn't violate their 'rules' and may provide some peace of mind.

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

Alarm system with a sensitive G-shock and a front/rear dash cam with the same on your personal vehicles shouldn't violate their 'rules' and may provide some peace of mind.

Yeah it might. I’ve also debated just pulling engine 1 out since it’s in a double deep bay, backing mine in and putting engine 1 back in front of it. Only really could do that iv I was the patrol for the day though.

 

[Jeepwalker]

Did you have any work on it in the recent past? Does it have aluminum wheels? Aluminum wheels 'can' work lug nuts free, and that could casuer what happened to you. Possibly. Not common, but it's usually in owner's manuals to re-torque the wheel nuts after 200 or so miles of driving (after, say, having rotated the tires).

Just a thought. Glad you got everything taken care of and came out unscathed!

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

Did you have any work on it in the recent past? Does it have aluminum wheels? Aluminum wheels 'can' work lug nuts free, and that could casuer what happened to you. Possibly. Not common, but it's usually in owner's manuals to re-torque the wheel nuts after 200 or so miles of driving (after, say, having rotated the tires).

Just a thought. Glad you got everything taken care of and came out unscathed!

I do most of the work myself, and I haven’t done anything in the past few months. It just has the factory 2010 wheels so not sure. And the lug nuts coming loose wouldn’t account for the hub exploding as well as the damaged control arm etc. though I guess there may be a chance that if that was a side issue it could have possibly led to the wheel bearing failing

 

[ExpressRules]

Could the wheel bearing have failed which stated a chain reaction leading to all the other failures? My left front bearing needed replacement just recently. I started to hear a slight "hummm" when making right hand turns. It was barely noticeable and I was stopping on my way to work for an oil change at mechanic shop I use so told them to check the front wheel bearing. Sure enough when up in the air that front left wheel was so loose it was hard to believe it was so quiet during normal driving. Scared me a bit to think what could have happened if I put off checking the bearings and it failed at speed.

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

Could the wheel bearing have failed which stated a chain reaction leading to all the other failures? My left front bearing needed replacement just recently. I started to hear a slight "hummm" when making right hand turns. It was barely noticeable and I was stopping on my way to work for an oil change at mechanic shop I use so told them to check the front wheel bearing. Sure enough when up in the air that front left wheel was so loose it was hard to believe it was so quiet during normal driving. Scared me a bit to think what could have happened if I put off checking the bearings and it failed at speed.

I’m not really sure. I’ll ask the shop if by chance they still have the parts they replaced so I can get some photos. Once he said tool makes I couldn’t un see it. Looks like somone took a hacksaw to it partially with some marks from where they tried to start cutting. But as for the hub exploding, no idea how the wheel bearing could cause that, plus I hadn’t ever heard it making noise before a few minutes before I hit the ditch. It’s possible but with what else has been happening on the coleville I honestly am guessing foul play. But I could be mistaken. Just seems like a pretty solid coincidence of timing, what the shop found/saw on the parts, and what’s been happening on our forest.

 

[RangerWeaver]

I do most of the work myself, and I haven’t done anything in the past few months. It just has the factory 2010 wheels so not sure. And the lug nuts coming loose wouldn’t account for the hub exploding as well as the damaged control arm etc. though I guess there may be a chance that if that was a side issue it could have possibly led to the wheel bearing failing

your profile picture looks like it's the factory aluminum wheels instead of the factory steel wheels with the chrome covers.

I’m not really sure. I’ll ask the shop if by chance they still have the parts they replaced so I can get some photos. Once he said tool makes I couldn’t un see it. Looks like somone took a hacksaw to it partially with some marks from where they tried to start cutting. But as for the hub exploding, no idea how the wheel bearing could cause that, plus I hadn’t ever heard it making noise before a few minutes before I hit the ditch. It’s possible but with what else has been happening on the coleville I honestly am guessing foul play. But I could be mistaken. Just seems like a pretty solid coincidence of timing, what the shop found/saw on the parts, and what’s been happening on our forest.

If the wheel bearing grenaded itself the hub could have fallen apart.

 

[otanisan]

Howdy glad you are safe ,my 04 is in shop for all that

 

[Govtman]

During the summer there’s fifteen or sixteen of us because of the seasonal employees

You are up there! My sister just retired from the FEMA Blue team, she got stuck in DC when COVID blew up and she had to report to the Secretary of Agriculture daily for weeks on USFS issues.

She was a Public Affairs Specialist and has been all over the US on fires, talking to media, before she took the assignment with FEMA. Her and my BinL (LEO) ON Ouachita/Ozark St Francis.

Please be careful on those . I worked USFWS year after Storm King Mt.

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

You are up there! My sister just retired from the FEMA Blue team, she got stuck in DC when COVID blew up and she had to report to the Secretary of Agriculture daily for weeks on USFS issues.

She was a Public Affairs Specialist and has been all over the US on fires, talking to media, before she took the assignment with FEMA. Her and my BinL (LEO) ON Ouachita/Ozark St Francis.

Please be careful on those . I worked USFWS year after Storm King Mt.

Hell yeah! I’m with the Kaniksu fire module up out of the coleville national forest like I said. I live down outside of Moscow Idaho which is about a 3 hour drive from the ranger station. I’ve got a good few years of experience and still love going out in the field.

 

[huntergreen]

I’m not really sure. I’ll ask the shop if by chance they still have the parts they replaced so I can get some photos. Once he said tool makes I couldn’t un see it. Looks like somone took a hacksaw to it partially with some marks from where they tried to start cutting. But as for the hub exploding, no idea how the wheel bearing could cause that, plus I hadn’t ever heard it making noise before a few minutes before I hit the ditch. It’s possible but with what else has been happening on the coleville I honestly am guessing foul play. But I could be mistaken. Just seems like a pretty solid coincidence of timing, what the shop found/saw on the parts, and what’s been happening on our forest.

Shouldn’t that have been covered by ins ? Glad you’re ok .

 

[Forestry_Ridge]

Shouldn’t that have been covered by ins ? Glad you’re ok .

If you mean our forest doesn’t have a law enforcement officer on our district or the neighboring ones at current if that’s what you mean.

 

[rule18]

If you mean our forest doesn’t have a law enforcement officer on our district or the neighboring ones at current if that’s what you mean.

I think he meant covered by your insurance.