Took the 4 wheeler out yesterday with a few buddies. We didn't make it a mile when the drive axle on my machine snapped making it in essesnce a front wheel drive. I parked my wheeler and rode my buddies. For the sake of this thread we will call it "death trap". It was a honda 400 with no brakes and no electric start. We rode it out to the steep parts of the mountain with me in the rear they went up first I followed. after they went up I went up in 2nd gear about 3/4 of the way up the hill the machine bogged down and died.

"oh, bleep" was the first thing I thought as I started to roll backwards down the hill. I was dragging my feet flintstones style trying to slow my rearword progress until my right boot got sucked under the front tire, spinning the machine sideways and starting it rolling down the hill.

I woke up on the bottom of the hill staring up into the trees. "oh great" wiggle my toes and fingers, slowy test all of my limbs. Seemed to be ok. Got up and went to look for the machine, somehow got it back onto its wheels and tried to kick start it a few times, but it wasn't easy without a right boot. Right about then is when I started to hurt, bad. I went and layed back down until my buddies came to look for me. THe best way I can describe the feeling is if somebody put you in a large dryer on high, with a handful of boulders and a 500lb dryer sheet.

Aside from taking a pretty good beating the damage wasn't as bad as it could be. The machine still runs, and doesnt' really look that much worse for wear. THe two biggest loses were two of my rifles. My loaner 98 mauser stock was broken and the scope on my winchester 70 300 win snapped in half and off of the rifle. THe mauser was in a gun rack and the winchester was slung across my back.

I'm still alive and in one piece but I'm really sore today, going to take a little while to heal up I think. Hopefully I can get leupold to fix that scope for a reasonable amount, it was a brand new vxII 3-9x40.

Here is pic from the top of the spot I was climbing that I took three days ago, my machine in the foreground.

Bear,
Glad you are ok. You are lucky, as you could have broken something besides you rifles, like your NECK.

Shame about the rifles though.

Glad your alright bear. The stock and scope can be replaced, you cant.

I had a similiar expieriance going down the widowmaker out at jims creek. Lost all brakes going down, it was a hellofa ride.

Definitely a manufacturing defect by Leupold.

Glad to hear you are O.K.

The only atv crash I was in that involved a broken rifle stock I also broke my leg in six places.

Ouch.

THAT must have been rather exciting.
Good you aren't too badly beat up.

KEEP US informed as to what LEUPOLD says about "warranty" on the scope.

Be interesting to see if they cover it or not.

I hope you get smarter.

I won't be borrowing 4 wheelers without brakes anytime in the future.

The bears up here get all the press for being dangerous but machines mangle a lot more folks than the critters do. Too bad about the gear but I'm glad you ain't all Humpty Dumpty-ed like those guns!