I was as stuck as I hope to ever be today :-(

[WilliamBos]

I have an incredibly muddy area where my manure pile is. Overall my property is in a valley and wet but the topsoil is black black organic stuff and deep since manure has been stored in this area for eons.

I was able to go in and dump manure fine but then I also have a pile of gravel in this area I have kept from a previous project. Thought I'd get a few buckets of it for a ramp my cows go over from one of their winter pens to the pole barn.

Boy was that ever a mistake. I got stuck and made the mistake of digging myself in there. Had my snowblower attached and it was stuck in the mud as well. Unhooked the blower and futzed around for a couple of hours. No way did I think my 2WD MF would pull me out of this one plus I needed a tractor with a loader to lift my blower out of their first so I could be pulled out in reverse.

I was lucky enough to have a buddy from down the street who has a 1980s Case backhoe loader come right over to give me a hand. We worked at it for another 2.5 hours. The backhoe helped tremendously as he was able to dig up some of the earth behind me and get rid of some of the really wet stuff. Also learned a few tricks on loader kungfu to use the loader curl to help me get out in addition to him pulling the tractor.

Snowblower chute has a little cosmetic damage (darn thing hasn't even been used once!) but I guess farm equipment can't stay pristine.

Tractor is finally freed! but looks like h*** since it was buried half way to the rear rims!

It has been unseasonably warm here this winter. I am hoping some really cold weather sets in so that the ground gets frozen up. If we plan to stay at our farm I think I'm going to take all of the top soil out of the manure area and spread it along with my manure over my pastures and find some clean sandy fill and build that area up.

Every time I go to Princess Auto, I tell myself I ought to get some slip and grab hooks for my chains. Each chain I own just has a hook at one end. I think I finally am going to set myself up better so that the next time I get stuck I will be more prepared.

Shouldn't you have a manure shelter?? (MOE Regs??)

Glad you got it out.

 

[rsewill]

There was a big transmission line (steel towers) being put up next to my parents' place early one spring. They were putting it across a bog and one of their 20 ton dozers broke through the frozen surface. They did get a heavy wire rope attached to it. They tried pulling it out with their other dozers but only succeeded in burying it. It went down 50 feet and they abandoned it for the summer. In January they brought in a bunch of floats and a big excavator and managed to get it out. It took them about a week to very, very slowly winch it up through the gray muck.

 

[sandman2234]

and they say I live in the swamp....
David from jax

 

[canoetrpr]

Shouldn't you have a manure shelter?? (MOE Regs??)

Glad you got it out.

It is highly recommended but not required for a hobby operation such as mine anyway. I think there are programs that will pay for part of a manure shelter. If I convinced myself I was going to stay here for a long time, it might be worth putting up a coverall back there to use part it of it for manure and part for hay.

 

[Herkypilot]

I was able to get my MX5100 stuck with about 2 hours on the clock. Nothing real serious, just trying to get to my back pasture to mow, but had to cross a creek that floods out a good bit. My 750lbs Bush Hog rotary cutter is what was really keeping me stuck as it was resting on the ground in the fully raised position. I was just me at the farm so I disconnected the Bush Hog, went and got my 4x4 Tundra and some chain. Worked up a sweat disconnecting the Bush Hog and used the chain and truck to drag it away from the tractor. After that, I used the loader to elevate the front wheels to shove some rocks and medium logs under them to give them better traction. I backed right out after that. Yup, even with R-1 tires, still no problem getting stuck! All in a day's fun times!:laughing:

HP

 

[jshwhite]

You know what they say about bigger tractors.... they dig themselves a bigger hole!!!

Yep, I had a friend that said "The bigger and badder you are, the badder you're stuck!" He was referring to his unimog that he buried up to the cab - took a D9 dozer to pull it out.

At least you didn't do any damage. My dad got a big skid steer with tracks stuck once and sucked muddy water in the engine - that was about an $8,000 mud hole.

 

[ishiboo]

Yep, I had a friend that said "The bigger and badder you are, the badder you're stuck!" He was referring to his unimog that he buried up to the cab - took a D9 dozer to pull it out.

At least you didn't do any damage. My dad got a big skid steer with tracks stuck once and sucked muddy water in the engine - that was about an $8,000 mud hole.

Oh so true. Every truck owner who gets stuck thinks a little tractor will pull it out no problem. Every small equipment owner thinks if they had just a slightly larger piece of equipment, they'd be home free.

I found out the hard way that wet clay in spring in my area does not mix with equipment. Got my Gehl 6635 buried 3/4" up the wheels. Fortunately I was close to a path and used my truck on gravel to pull it out.

Now I realize that when the ground is wet, all of the farmers simply stay off it with any equipment no matter WHAT they drive

 

[the6shooter]

I think a cheaper investment would be a good manure spreader, wa-la no more out of control manure pile. And if that doesn't work for ya you can say what did I buy theis peice of CRAP for??? (pun intended)
david:2cents:

 

[WilliamBos]

I think a cheaper investment would be a good manure spreader, wa-la no more out of control manure pile. And if that doesn't work for ya you can say what did I buy theis peice of CRAP for??? (pun intended)
david:2cents:

That sounds like an idea. We are not allowed to spread on snow up here, so still need a good storage spot. Got too get it spread by late fall, and stock pile it until spring.

 

[canoetrpr]

I do have a good spreader. I got stuck in the area I store my manure in - rather than in the pile itself. The whole area has been used by the different owners to store manure and then spread it over the years for many many decades.

End result is that the whole 80x60 ft area is rich rich rich in top soil. I'll bet I could dig 2-3 feet and only find black organic soil.

I have the same problem in my barnyard as well.

My buddy who helped me dig out suggested that next year I spread about 2-3 feet of the topsoil I can dig out of these spots and then find some free sandy fill and grade.

I'd love to do the whole manure area in concrete - just can't afford it. Heck I'd REALLY like to put a coverall over that 80x60 area so that the manure is covered and then I can use the extra space to store my hay bales covered! Just not in the books financially - particularly given that every few months I think about finding larger property