Ice-Wheely

/ Ice-Wheely #21  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

Congrats to you, Buck, for finally getting your tractor back and to the operator for such skill!!!

Any pictures of the operation while it was in progress?
 
/ Ice-Wheely #22  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

What.......no pictures of the extraction????? /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
 
/ Ice-Wheely
  • Thread Starter
#23  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

Mike,

Any pictures of the operation while it was in progress?

No. I asked my son to get the camera when they arrived (early) and he couldn't find it. I was dying to get some photos because it was quite a site. Took no more than 10 mins.

Buck
 
/ Ice-Wheely
  • Thread Starter
#24  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

Inspector507,

Here is a far-off shot of the machine taken seconds ago.

I wish I had the shots of the extraction. It is hard to keep posterity in mind when something so valuable is at stake.

Buck
 

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/ Ice-Wheely #25  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

After he broke up the ice, how did he actually get your tractor out?
 
/ Ice-Wheely #26  
I had the same thing happen many years ago when plowing a small pond so my kids could skate. I was using my Ford 8N with a snow plow mounted on the FEL.

The ice was considerably thicker where I checked it is was 10 inches so I thought I was safe. The pound is 10 feet deep in the deepest spot luckly I was in the 3 foot deep zone on the last push when the rear end broke through, the front tires stayed on the ice.

I had a 3PH winch mounted on the back so I quickly hooked to a tree behind me and started pulling. The ice broke unevenly which allowed the tractor to tip more than I was comfortable with.

By now the exhaust pipe is under water and the water is over the rear axles. I called a local contractor who had a lagre front end loader. He came right away with a long lifting beam in place of the bucket. Once the tractor was chained by the rear end he lifeted the whole thing out of the water and back up to dry ground.

If the tractor had weighted just a little more I don't think it he would have been able to lift it and back up in the snow. The first thing I did right there was drain both the transmission and engine crankcase to make sure I got any water out right away.

Every thing turned out okay. The reason I broke through where I did was because the water was not deep, the bottom of the pond was warm enough to keep the ice from getting as thick as it was in the deeper area I tested.

The though of driving on the ice again brings back visions of this experience. If I had been out just a few feet more I would have been in 6 feet of water.

Good luck drying out your tractor.

Randy
 
/ Ice-Wheely #27  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

Glad all turn out well for you. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

<font color=blue>TBN Best-Stuck (RobS) award.<font color=blue><font color=black>..guess I'm in the running for award also Rob,for I have some hum dingers when I got stuck. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif
 
/ Ice-Wheely
  • Thread Starter
#28  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

Mike,

We put a chain on his bucket to my bucket. First, since he was off angle to me, he put on force by trying to swing it left to right. No luck.

Then, he repositioned the excavator inline with my tractor and he went in reverse. Came right out!

Buck
 
/ Ice-Wheely #29  
Re: Ice-Wheely-SUCCESS!

Glad everything worked out for you Buck /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
/ Ice-Wheely
  • Thread Starter
#30  
Youare,

If I had been out just a few feet more I would have been in 6 feet of water.

If I hadn't had this experience, I may have had a more dangerous experience on my pond, which gets deep very very quickly. I seem to always learn the hard way.

Thanks for sharing. Someone out there will likely benefit from our experiences!

Buck
 
/ Ice-Wheely #31  
Buck, We are all glad that you got your machine out safely.

If anybody can post a link to the previous post where RobS won the worst stuck award I would appreciate it.
 
/ Ice-Wheely #33  
I can't remember a real "worst stuck" award, I just pulled that out of my axle. I wonder though, could we come up with a list of silly little awards and vote at the end of the year??? Maybe an autographed TBN hat to the winners??? What do you think Muhammad??? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
/ Ice-Wheely
  • Thread Starter
#34  
MossRoad,

I learned today that although the ice was indeed 5.5 inches, another factor comes to play in your formula. If there is snow on the surface, the ice can actually be very soft despite the ice depth. In my case there was about 9 inches of snow. The snow is an insulator that decreases the temperature gradiant from the water below the ice to the surface. This can make the ice much more weak.

Buck
 
/ Ice-Wheely
  • Thread Starter
#35  
MossRoad,

I took your advise to the JD dealership this afternoon. The mechanic said that the vent valve on the rear transmission is too high to be affected. He suggested that I let a little fluid out and see if there was a trace of water. I will do that tomorrow night as I could only change the oil tonight. He also suggested that I check the front axle fluid because the vent valve is lower.

Fortunatly the front axel was not submerged very long.

Good advice. I'll let you know if I find anything.

Buck
 
/ Ice-Wheely #36  
Glad to see you out and things are OK, now we can get back to SmokyMtnMan's "bota" /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif
 
/ Ice-Wheely #37  
<font color=blue>another factor comes to play in your formula</font color=blue>

Lots of factors indeed. That's why its just a rule of thumb. I've been on very hard 3 inch ice( even an inch and a half held me, barely, see above) and very weak 9-10 inch stuff. All depends on how it was formed. Snow makes for weaker ice, as does wind. The creepiest and strongest ice is the stuff that is totally clear, formed when no snow and no wind. I've only seen it once in my life. 10 inches thick and 22 degrees below zero F. No way to tell how thick it is with out drilling a hole. You can walk out on it, see the bottom, rocks, beer cans, tree stumps, weeds and you can't get near the fish. They see you coming and scatter. It's so clear you can't even see the ice. It is just like walking on water without getting wet. Very strange feeling.
 
/ Ice-Wheely #38  
Hey, glad you got it out! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I doubt it has any damage, but better to check, right?

Glad the dealer feels comfortable with the rear axle vent. That is what would worry me most. I don't know how the wheel bearings are set up on your tractor. Did the dealer say anything about those?
 
/ Ice-Wheely
  • Thread Starter
#39  
MossRoad,

The mechanic didn't say anything about the bearings and I didn't ask him. So it is still a good question. I'll call him in the next few days.

Thanks,

Buck
 

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