Fallen through the ice?

[jimmyj]

I have seen a few threads in which people document falling through ponds. But I drive through a swamp in the winter when it's frozen in which the water is only 1 to 4 feet deep but there is lots of nasty black muck. Has anyone ever fallen through in such a situation? If so, what got you out, excavator or dozer or ?

I am asking because I was wondering about breaking the ice in late January at a high spot where there is no real water or mud in the middle of the swamp to try and make a pond. I want to make a deeper spot for the critters because the whole swamp gets quite dry by August. However, not dry enough to drive a tractor in. I suppose an excavator with wide tracks and swamp mats may work but summer is a no go for the equipment that I have. I worry I'll just get stuck and be in a really really bad bind.

Any comments?

 

[Don87]

Theres a dozer behind my house, on the pipeline, in the swamp.
You can't see it cause the "muck" swallowed it.
If you break the ice, with you and your machine on it.........theres a good chance you will never be seen again.

 

[jimmyj]

Yeah, that's kinda what I'm worried about....

 

[kebo]

If you have the time and money to throw at it, it could probably be done. I guess the first thing to check is would this violate any wetlands or conservation acts by the local or canadian govt's??

If not breaking any laws, then see if you can locate and talk to someone in that area who has actually done something like that before. Maybe talk with with some heavy construction/grading companies, or find someone who builds ponds?

If you do wind up getting a piece of equipment to fall through the ice, there are some videos on youtube of trucks and fish huts that have broken through the ice. Some of them are quite interesting too, like the one that has about 6 segments to the entire event. I think on that one they actually broke the truck in half pulling on it and it literally came out in two sections!! I like to watch them and see what you canadians do for entertainment up north during those frigid winters!!

While your intentions are good, my opinion would be to just leave nature to her own devices in that habitat, the critters will move around as they need to to survive. Also, considering you've been stuck in your pond twice already, you might leave well enough alone!!

 

[Egon]

Why not work from solid ground beside the swamp??

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Build up a log berm to work from out to the deep end. Then as you back out lift up your berm.. As mentioned sometimes good intentions can get you in trouble.

 

[Transit]

If you do get stuck in the mud [grease] it is too late to think what to do, think now how to get out, long cables, winch, trees, another tractor on solid ground. It will take a lot more force to pull the tractor out than just towing it.

 

[MikeD74T]

Here's a Canadian that can tell you about getting machinery out of the depths. www.kingofobsolete.ca
Couldn't you take a lesson from the ice road folks, the builders - not the "truckers" and clear snow & freeze up the ice thicker in the area where you want to work? MikeD74T

 

[Qapla]

Since you are wanting to do this for the critters, check with any local or regional animal help/right/preservation/etc groups and see if you can find one that may do it for you - at no cost to you.

Worth a try :thumbsup:

 

[jimmyj]

Couldn't you take a lesson from the ice road folks, the builders - not the "truckers" and clear snow & freeze up the ice thicker in the area where you want to work? MikeD74T[/COLOR]

What I do now is I skidoo around a trail a lot and tow a drag. As often as it snows, I'll groom the trail and it makes an amazing snow road. It also pushes the frost down. Once I get a really good base, and it's been cold for a while, I start running the same path with the tractor and a box blade. Makes an AMAZING trail for hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling or 4 wheeling.

I'm pretty scared of falling through with the tractor though, maybe the conservation authority is a good idea as suggested. This area was real wetland years ago due to beaver dams and natural features. The beaver dams are failing over years (no more beavers) and my neighbor dug two huge ponds and filled his wetland so the water table is lower. Hence me wanting to "help" the wetland.