My Kubota L4200 is a hero

[Jay4200]

My road turns into an ATV/Snowmobile trail just past my driveway - last house on the left, as it were. The guy plowing my road has decided to stop plowing just before my drive, leaving the last section of the road to be packed down by snowmobiles. Needless to say, it is not the best surface to be navigating with a truck or car - he's a d*ck. So, I was working the road at the bottom of my driveway with my loader and 3pt snowblower, when I noticed a pickup mired up to his floorboards in the snow 600-700 feet or so up the snowmobile trail - the snow is deep, but we haven't had an above freezing day since dec, so the snow can't pack in and remains soft and gooshy. Evidently, he was trying to find a house to help shovel the roof, and his GPS guided him onto the trail (he probably could have made it in the summer). Apparently he was working on it for 3 hours with a shovel, but hadn't budged an inch. After assessing the situation, I dug out an old chain from my barn, drove my L4200 out to his truck, hooked to his bumper on one end and my bucket on the other, and proceeded to pull him out. I ended up floored in 5th a couple of times trying to stay ahead (behind) him as he kept it pinned, but mostly crawled along in 3rd and would give a yank with a quick bucket curl when he started to sink - worked like a charm. I didn't do a whole lot better in the soft snow then the truck, and got pretty nervous that we'd both end up stuck a couple of times, but stayed afloat just well enough to make it out with truck in tow. All in all, it probably took 30 minutes to get him out. He REALLY wanted to pay me for the effort - probably would've cost him a grand to get pulled out professionally, but I just gave him the "pay it forward" speech and sent him on his way.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Sounds like a good piece of work on your part. :thumbsup:
If your snow is all mealy and deep with no bottom like ours it is amazing you could pull him out like that. Good work.
We have a lot of roads here that turn into unmaintained class IV roads but go thru to another main road. GPS users get sent down them all the time. There was even a UPS truck stuck out in the woods for a couple days.

 

[Jay4200]

There was even a UPS truck stuck out in the woods for a couple days.

That's pretty funny. Probably should have raided the cargo for ammo...

 

[TSO]

Nicely done!

I had to do that last year with a rear wheel drive van that was stuck on my street. It's all uphill back to the main road and it was really slick that day. I happened to be plowing and noticed him spinning. I couldn't get any traction pushing him. So I just lifted up his rear end with my bucket (using his hitch receiver) and walked him out that way.

 

[NWOH_Grizz]

Hooked onto his bumper? Must be one of the stronger ones. Usually the hitch on the rear and the tow hooks on the front work pretty well. Good job.

 

[kebo]

I tip my hat to the OP who helped out the driver who got his truck stuck on the trail. You're a good man, but... it's just a shame (and pathetic) that it would have cost him about a $1000 if he had paid a wrecker to get him out. Are we humans that dang greedy now??? :ashamed: