Pulling a rare old Jeep Wagoneer out of a junkyard sounds like the fun part of a project. According to @oversteer____, it was the stupidity that followed that made the day unforgettable. His caption says it all: “Don’t do what I did. Be smarter.” What was supposed to be a simple haul home turned into a full eight hours of mistakes, rusted bolts, mud, and one very humbling discovery at the end.
@oversteer____
The two hundred dollar trailer
The builder starts by admitting he should have known better than to buy a $200 car hauler on Craigslist. The trailer came with a list of problems. The loading ramp was cracked, the wheel bearings were going bad, and the tires were dry rotted. Even so, they got the Wagoneer onto the trailer. But he realized quickly that if he drove it home like that, the ramp would have dragged along the road, so the crew decided to rip it off. He thought that would be the hardest part of the day. He was wrong, and he says the ramp held on for dear life, taking about 30 minutes of effort before it finally let go.
Rusted bolts and a long night
Then he remembered the Wagoneer is four-wheel drive. If you are towing a four-wheel-drive vehicle with the rear wheels on the ground, you generally have to remove the driveshaft so the drivetrain is not spinning along with the wheels. The universal joint bolts on this one were rusted solid and would not budge, so he took the joint out using what he calls the almost proper tools.
By then the sun had gone down. He figured nobody was going to steal a junk Wagoneer sitting on a junk trailer, so he left it and introduced the guardian of the pile: a plank of wood he named Plank. The next morning he realized the dry rotted trailer tires were never going to get them home, so he swapped them for slightly less dry rotted all-terrain tires. He made a trip to Harbor Freight for proper tools to deal with the driveshaft, joked that Plank had been stolen, and then got the job done. With the driveshaft off, he tied it up to the frame so it would not drag. Then he noticed the spare tire carrier would drag as well, so that came off too. He also introduced a friendly dog he says he found in his yard, whom he describes as the goodest boy ever.
Stuck in the mud
Then came what he calls the moment everything went horribly wrong. The trailer sat in a patch of mud, and the wheels spun. He threw some rocks under the tires, thinking it was just a wet spot, and it helped only a little. Plank volunteered as a traction board for attempts one, two, three, and four. He was a trooper, but not enough. Eventually a second board, which he playfully calls Plank’s brother, showed up from the bushes.
When something else broke, he decided to send it at full speed. He says he created a board-launching machine, because the board kept shooting out from under the tires. He reset, tried again, and made things worse, since now a wheel was trying to fall off the trailer. The ratchet he was using also seemed to be doing nothing, and that made him wonder whether something else was going on.
The embarrassing answer
That something else was the parking brake. He says the truth hit him all at once: he did this to himself. He put the wheel back on the trailer, confirmed it, and admitted the parking brake had been on the entire time. In his words, that was eight hours of his life he will never get back. He ends on a positive note, saying they made a new friend, cleaned up the dog, and inviting followers to keep following along as he restores the Wagoneer.
What to learn from his bad day
The story is funny, but it carries real lessons for anyone who hauls project vehicles. Here are a few worth remembering.
- Inspect a used trailer before you buy it. Check the tires for cracks and dry rot, spin the wheels and listen for rough bearings, and test ramps and tie-down points. A cheap trailer can end up costing more than a good one.
- Know your drivetrain. Four-wheel-drive vehicles often need the driveshaft removed or the drive wheels lifted when towing on two wheels. Check your owner’s manual or a factory service manual before you try it.
- Soak rusted bolts early. Penetrating oil needs time to work. Applying it the day before can save hours of frustration and broken tools.
- Secure loose parts. A driveshaft or spare tire carrier that drags on the road can create a hazard for you and everyone behind you.
- Check the simple things first. When a wheel will not turn, look at the parking brake, the brake drums, and the hubs before assuming something is broken. As this builder found out, the answer is often the easiest one.
- Plan for traction. If you must work in soft ground, bring proper traction boards, a shovel, and a strap or winch. Using a lumber plank is a gamble, and boards can launch out from under a spinning tire.
Why the Wagoneer is worth the trouble
The full-size Jeep Wagoneer, built for decades starting in the early 1960s, is considered an early forerunner of the modern luxury SUV. Enthusiasts often call this body style the SJ or full-size Jeep, and the caption hashtag “fsj” refers to that. Good examples have become popular with collectors, which helps explain why someone would spend a long weekend pulling one out of a junkyard. Projects like this are a labor of love, and sometimes a lesson in humility. Even the most experienced builders can overlook the parking brake after hours of work.
The best part is that the builder shares the mistake openly and laughs at himself. Anyone who has spent a Saturday fighting a stubborn bolt can relate, and anyone planning a first haul can learn from the whole thing without paying the same price in time.