SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TONKA?
Well, we had left Dubai at 0600, completed the wadi by 1030, and as Fossil Rock was on our route for the return, Richard thought it would be a good idea to go back on tracks rather than road.
I did have my reservations given that his battery was knackered and that I had no jump leads.
Anyway we reached the beginning of the gatch track and I dropped the Disco into second, put my right foot down and shot up it. When I reached the fist major rock I parked the car and sat with camera ready wating for Richard, in hope of getting some good shots .... then my phone rang ....
Richard had got stuck, tried to reverse out in low gear and stalled. He was also stuck in gear.
I tried to pull him back in hope that it might enable hime to slip into neutral and then make it easier to tow him out. It seemed to work, and the gear lever was now in neutral. However I was just digging in the Disco.
At this point, three vehicles with Sharjah plates arrived. One of them had jump leads and we tried to start the Tonka (hence the above photo of the Disco in the position that it is). No joy.
We then had a Pajero towing (with three ropes so that he had traction) and it was at this point we noticed aht the Tonka's wheels were not turning ... it was still locked in gear.
The 110 CSW joined in and with a local audience (wish I'd taken more photos), we got the Tonka down the slope, into neutral, and running too.
A 40 kph drive to the nearest filling station and a long wait before a recovery vehicle could take the Tonka and Richard back to Dubai ... final verdict, well a new gearbox and battery for starters.
