My truck is in the ditch!

[CADplans]

I set my 60 HP, 10,000 pound tractor belly deep in mud one time.
The only thing we had was a 50 HP Oliver,, which would not pull the tractor.

BUT, the Oliver was a great "deadman",, once we spun in the rear tires.
I connected a chain to the Oliver, then to the longest stroke hydraulic cylinder I had.
Next, another chain was connected to the stuck tractor.
Although slow, the tractor came right out.
It only moved 15 inches before the chain had to be reconnected, but,
the repeated cycling of the cylinder was the best we had.
And, the cylinder was much better than a winch.

 

[blucoondawg]

Finish plowing the road down to the ice with the tractor so your not battling deep snow, get yourself a good amount of sand and sand the **** out of the road where's you need to pull then yank the darn thing out, use a snap strap that you can jerk on a little those will often pull something loose much better than a dead pull with chains cables

 

[LD1]

I dont think its been asked, but you said that both your 50HP and the borrowed 100hp spun.

What was the surface condition like where they spun? Are you trying to pull with those tractors still sitting on ice and snow. Because nothing other than chains or tracks is gonna do well going up hill on snow and ice.

Step one (assuming your 50HP has a loader), is to unhook the truck plow, and use the tractor to get it out of the way.

Step two is improving the traction conditions of the pull vehicle. If you are on ice, hands down the best thing is wood ashes from a wood burner. A couple of buckets spread down where the tractor is gonna be pulling, as well as in front of the truck so when it is no longer high-centered it can help.......will do wonders.

But as the saying goes.....no pictures....it didnt happen

 

[teg]

Get a BIGGER tow truck & better driver... one for 18 wheelers (Think of a huge come-A-long) and a driver that has experience.

If a tow truck driver is worried about getting stuck going to a job... you need a bigger tow truck!

 

[airbiscuit]

How about finding someone with an excavator or a skidder (and maybe a bunch of sand for the ice)?

 

[k0ua]

Get a BIGGER tow truck & better driver... one for 18 wheelers (Think of a huge come-A-long) and a driver that has experience.

If a tow truck driver is worried about getting stuck going to a job... you need a bigger tow truck!

As I said in my previous post. Call Jamie Davis (or the local equivalent) It would take about 5 minutes for a rotator to run two lines and pic up that truck with plow and all and set it on the road, and I say that without even seeing the pictures.

Don't any of you guys watch the "Highway thru He77"?.

Highway Thru **** - Wikipedia

 

[nybirdman]

I would try and find some-one with a "log skidder" or a tractor mounted "skidding winch".Lots of power and off road ability.Around here those with "dualies" remove the out side wheel in the winter.Much better in the snow with only one wheel on the back axel.

 

[747driver]

As I said in my previous post. Call Jamie Davis (or the local equivalent) It would take about 5 minutes for a rotator to run two lines and pic up that truck with plow and all and set it on the road, and I say that without even seeing the pictures.

Don't any of you guys watch the "Highway thru He77"?.

Highway Thru **** - Wikipedia

Great show...watch it all the time. You can learn alot just watching how he does recoveries !!!

 

[k0ua]

Great show...watch it all the time. You can learn alot just watching how he does recoveries !!!

Agreed. He and his crew, has done some amazing recoveries. Al Quiring is good too. Sure it is a "reality show", so that means there is unneeded drama and personal interactions, but the recoveries are real, and as stated above a lot can be learned if you pay attention. Those tow truck heavy recovery operators are not deterred, by snow, ice or steep terrain or "impossible recoveries".

 

[aczlan]

Great show...watch it all the time. You can learn alot just watching how he does recoveries !!!

We like watching it as well. Does make you somewhat paranoid driving on snowy roads though .
He would probably send a medium truck, or two smaller trucks though rather than a rotator. $600/hr (from the time the engine starts) gets pricy in a hurry.

Aaron Z

 

[k0ua]

We like watching it as well. Does make you somewhat paranoid driving on snowy roads though .
He would probably send a medium truck, or two smaller trucks though rather than a rotator. $600/hr (from the time the engine starts) gets pricy in a hurry.

Aaron Z

Agreed, the rotator would be overkill for what I believe is a simple two line recovery, but without pictures, well who knows?

 

[CobyRupert]

I dont think its been asked, but you said that both your 50HP and the borrowed 100hp spun.

What was the surface condition like where they spun? Are you trying to pull with those tractors still sitting on ice and snow. Because nothing other than chains or tracks is gonna do well going up hill on snow and ice.

^This. All these people saying find an anchor. Easier said than done, I believe OP has said there are no anchor points around.

Get better traction for your pull vehicle. Your 50 hp tractor should pull it out easily, provided it has enough traction.

Weight=traction.
Combined with "gripping ability" :
Tire chains = traction.

 

[aczlan]

Because nothing other than chains or tracks is gonna do well going up hill on snow and ice.

This dozer would beg to differ:

Aaron Z

 

[bcp]

A regular dozer track on ice is just a bunch of ice skates when it comes to sideways motion, as the video shows



Bruce

 

[airbiscuit]

Just don't do this!
'

 

[LD1]

A regular dozer track on ice is just a bunch of ice skates when it comes to sideways motion, as the video shows



Bruce

Yep. But forward is a different story.

 

[leonz]

What you are referring to is a sheave block/pulley that has one side that can be opened to thread wire or rope
through the pulley.

Unless you purchase a ten ton chain fall your not going to get anywhere. you will need to go to a rental house and rent a power auger and see about starting a fire in three places to winch that thing out with a chain fall and three post holes with 4 inch I beams and two sheave blocks with chain long enough to secure the sheave block pulleys.

The first hole and I beam is used to secure the cable come along and the first four inch I beam with each I beam at least 36-48 inches in the ground to keep them in place while spooling the chain falls and the wire rope used to pull the truck out.

If you can afford it you need 3-five foot by 4 inch I or H beams and have holes drilled in them large enough for chain to pass through them to hook the sheave blocks.

Your going to have to put the first hole on the side where the truck is, the second one half way up and on the truck side across the road from the truck and the third hole at a point across from where the rear axle can be secured with a long chain and a tow truck hook or a recovery strap-yes the axle and I mean the axle not the bumper!!

Unless you beer and pizza bribe some one with a 100 horsepower tractor that has chained tires to use as a winch base to pull the truck out in a direct line from where it went in your going to have to invest in the 10 ton chain come alongs the I or H beams and the post hole digger with a 6 inch auger and plan on starting a fire at each hole to melt the ice and soften the ground to make the digging easier-you may get lucky and be able to rent a two person post hole digger or a one person post hole digger on wheels that you tow there(I hate those as they are worthless unless you have sandy ground).

The only other option is hiring a big snow cat and learning from your experience. Always hire someone to plow these places with FWD's or Unimogs as they need to be sanded and plowed.

This is where a 75 horse power all wheel drive tractor with chains loaded tires and a snow blower works best.

 

[Egon]

Winter use tracked stuff may have cauk's welded to the cleats/grouser's. Works well or at least it did fifty years ago. The welded on cauls shown are a little too long for real ice.


For the OP: Jack the truck up and clear out stuff underneath? Also clear the route back to the road. Then use a buried dead man and hefty chain hoist and start pulling. Build a fire to bury the deadman.

For brute force method a big cat with winch with one inch diameter cable would work well. Pulling the cable down would not be fun though.


If I had the energy I could dig out slides showing yellow stuff with winches pulling.

 

[Deere Dude]

Calcium Chloride mixed with sand does wonders for traction fairly quickly. Maybe the tow tractors need a dose of that sprinkled around where they will be planted.

 

[jack707]

You need traction so throw a lot of sand down!then try again.