need a winch

[wallyrees]

I need an electric winch to pull my JD-450 crawler loader out of soft sticky mud. I know it weighs 9 tons, but I don't want to lift it, just say.....pull straight forward or backward on level ground on it's tracks with one track buried a bit and tractor resting on the body. No it is not stuck right now, but it has been several times and will be again.
What is minimum power for an electric winch?

 

[Todd727]

Hook a chain into the grouser pads and then around a tree or another anchor. The dozer will crawl right up the chain and winch itself out.

 

[wallyrees]

That sounds like a great idea, but I have thrown a track and wouldn't want to do that again. They are very heavy.
Do you think it will work by hooking a track on only one side? I don't see why not.
It should work because I usually only have to move a few feet to get out of the muck.

 

[Todd727]

Yep. If your tracks are properly tightened and you are pulling fairly straight, it works good. I did it several times on a Cat 931C, which was D4 size. Just take it easy and you'll get the feel for it. Oh, I've thrown a track too (not from using the chain). You're right, PITA. At least I had the front bucket to help pull it back into place.

 

[David Devuono]

Some amazing videos on Youtube in Russia getting their tracked personel carriers out of muskeg. They take a log or two an chain it to both tracks, pull the log under the vehicle which sends the vehicle forward out of the mud. Once the log reachs the rear, unhook the chains and drive off.