I love this forum because members will bring there experience and knowledge to help another member in trouble, but Deerlope, your being a little harsh on ''jpinca'', I think. The guy only ask where was the safest place to hook-up the winch. Jmo.[/QUOT
Sorry! I am always willing to help but I need all the facts.
Hmm, I thought that was enough "facts" for the simple question at hand. I wasn't asking how to recover, although I'm appreciative of any helpful advice. I figured brevity was the best. But, for anyone interested in the whole epic:
I just bought the tractor and joined the forum, so I haven't had a chance to fill out the signature line. This forum was very helpful in my decision to buy this tractor and I plan to repair the range shift using info gleaned here.
I'm in the south San Fransisco Bay. We've been getting a tremendous amount of rain here and this is my first winter in my new-to-me house. The lot is pretty level with poor drainage. I've been doing some foundation and gutter drain work, but these things never get fully tested until it actually rains (only a few months of the year here). I'm filling in a drywell with drain rock that was delivered on the other side of the property. The 720 loader is working much better than I'd expected and seems to handle a full bucket fine. I'm no longer bummed its not a 730.
The load on the front tires, however quickly wore down major ruts in the saturated silt/clay soil. On one my return trips the front end found a hole and sunk. In retrospect, I should have stopped and assessed the situation, but this little tractor had been darn near unstoppable until this point. I proceeded to bury the both axles. The loader had gotten me moving before, but the ground was so soupy then it couldn't really help this time.
The tractor is now about fifty feet from, and pointed toward, my gravel driveway.
Against my better judgment and in a race against the next rain storm, I brought in my F350 to pull out the tractor backwards. Well, now my truck is stuck further in. Learning my lesson, I didn't bury it and just walked about disgusted.
I now have a 12k winch on my Bronco. First course is to retrieve the F350 and use it as a second anchor point. I plan to bring in some timbers and raise the front with the loader then pull straight ahead.Then pull out the tractor. I have a snatch block, so 24k of force is on tap hence my concern about winch points.
The loader mount look stout, but are they the best choice?
I could try winching backward as there is a big pine tree about 150 feet to the rear, but that would require driving into the quagmire again.
No pics just yet, but I plan to get some for posterity.
So back to the original question: what are the stoutest front/rear winch points for a 4300 w 720 loader.
Thanks.
JP