Stuck in the mud

[thoner7]

I would never remove the loader even if not working with it. When I owned a 2-wheel drive tractor (JD 2350) by using the curling action of the bucket, it backed me out of stuck situations more than once. Slow going, but it worked.

Younger then and always pushing my luck.

Curling the bucket just moves the dirt not the tractor. I've had better luck lifting the wheels and putting planks under the front tires.

 

[finn1]

Curling the bucket works for me, but sometimes requires a strategically placed plank or log. I need any event, I would leave the bucket in place rather than chance being stuck without a bucket.

Larger flotation type tires on the front will help, up to a point. That’s how medium duty trucks converted to fertilizer spreader Duty work with only 2wd in Farm fields. Just be aware of turning angles when sourcing wheel offset and tire size. Larger diameter shouldn’t matter much.

If soft ground is a regular problem on your property, maybe it’s time to consider a more modern 4wd tractor. Just be aware of the old story of how 4wd doesn’t stop one from becoming stuck, but rather lets you get farther into the swamp before you eventually get stuck.

 

[Zebrafive]

Care to explain why? I'm finding mainly implement tires

Implement tires usually do not have much in the way of ribs to help steer, they are more flotation only. I am not sure what ply you can get them in either.

 

[kirkawilson]

The MF 135 orchard model tires may solve some of your problems.

 

[searcyfarms]

weight is your worst enemy the only way to help it with a larger/wider tire to distribute the weight, problem is at some point regardless of the width due to reasonable options of tires, depending on the soil type and amount of moisture you will still peel the mud on the corner/turn have to stop because of something such as a fence/tree and then have to back up and you have lost your momentum etc............i have found that my 4wd deere does the same thing and even a lil word while in 4wd due to the tires trying to pull themselves through a corner you may not get stuck but you are creating a lot of things to fix/repair

we have had the wettest spring i have ever seen in my lifetime here in MO, i have not been able to mow very often and have been mowing TALL and only when its dry due to the destruction of my yard when mowing. I have even seen the guys putting duals on wright standers to help with traction/turning because of the damage they are causing to customer yards.

 

[CobyRupert]

....Solution? Don't drive on very soft ground, no matter what equipment . And, in my case, operate in 2wd and use 4wd to get you out of trouble, not to get your further into wet areas. There are areas I mow only later on in summer, when the water tables have dropped sufficiently. I don't like rutting out the land: unfortunately I recently pushed my protocols and ended up doing just that- creating some nasty ruts

weight is your worst enemy the only way to help it with a larger/wider tire to distribute the weight, problem is at some point regardless of the width due to reasonable options of tires, depending on the soil type and amount of moisture you will still peel the mud ....

It's tricky when deciding if weight or floatation is your friend. It really depends on soils types (and snow/sand types)....and if you're trying not to make ruts.
Floatation works, until it doesn't,....then you want weight. Weight = traction.
That is floatation works if there's enough traction (adhesion in the soil) to propel you forward and you're not busting through it and causing ruts.

I'm from the school that says you should put 4wd on earlier than later.
Ground can only hold/float so many pounds per square inch before applying more force turns it into sh*t.
There's the weight of the equipment (somewhat fixed) and the force that the tire(s) apply to move tractor forward. When at the margins of what soil can hold-up/float, having only 2 tires apply force is going to tear up the ground (push you over the edge) and make ruts quicker than if forward propel force is distributed among 4 tires. That is, you're less likely to get into trouble in the first place with 4wd.

...but like Finn says:

Just be aware of the old story of how 4wd doesn稚 stop one from becoming stuck, but rather lets you get farther into the swamp before you eventually get stuck.

 

[k0ua]

It's tricky when deciding if weight or floatation is your friend. It really depends on soils types (and snow/sand types)....and if you're trying not to make ruts.
Floatation works, until it doesn't,....then you want weight. Weight = traction.
That is floatation works if there's enough traction (adhesion in the soil) to propel you forward and you're not busting through it and causing ruts.

I'm from the school that says you should put 4wd on earlier that later.
Ground can only hold/float so many pounds per square inch before applying more force turns it into sh*t.
There's the weight of the equipment (somewhat fixed) and the force that the tire(s) apply to move tractor forward. When at the margins of what soil can hold-up/float, having only 2 tires apply force is going to tear up the ground (push you over the edge) and make ruts quicker than if forward propel force is distributed among 4 tires. That is, you're less likely to get into trouble in the first place with 4wd.

...but like Finn says:

I agree with him. I ran a 2wd heavy tractor for many years and some of those years were wet years and tearing up the ground and waiting for the ground to dry before mowing were of great concern. I got rid of the 2wd tractor and got a lighter 4wd tractor and all of my problems disappeared. I could mow in much wetter conditions without tearing up the ground and never got stuck either. Sure you can get 4wd tractors stuck and stuck "really good" but you have to use some sense. But what I am saying is all things equal my lighter 4wd tractor allowed me to mow in wet conditions without rutting where I would have had to wait for drier conditions with my heavier 2wd tractor or it would have "flayed" the ground on turns with the rib fronts and rutted with the back tires.

 

[Tennsawdust]

I have a new to me Massey Ferguson 150, which is a mid 1960s, 45 horse diesel machine. 2 wheel drive.

I'm afraid to admit that its just too heavy for my wet ground. With a front loader and loaded tires it's just much too heavy. I get stuck almost every time I drive it.

My old to-20 never got stuck. It's much lighter but it also seems to plant it's power to the ground much better.

So I'm looking for solutions and tips....

The biggest issue is the front tires sinking in.
I 've found some 8 and 10 in wide wheels with the proper bolt pattern for the fronts, in both 15 and 16 inch diameter s. But I'm struggling to find a tire that would be roughly 12" wide and the same diameter as the stock fronts (about 24"-26" going by memory) A small truck tire or R4 type tire perhaps? Even something from a small compact tractor or lawn tractor. Filling it with foam might help with the load rating, right? The tire size labeling is what gets me.

On the rears, wider tires wouldn't be too much trouble I don't think, but again could mess my diameters up. It's easy to swap rims on the wheels.

There's so much weight in the front, because of the loader I assume, I find myself spinning my rears tires in situations my to-20 would not have. So while I could lose a ton of weight by filling the rear tires with air, I don't know if that would help much at all..... but it would lighten the machine.

It's not a quick attach loader (obviously, it's old) so I'm not sure it's feasible to take off and on each time I need it .... with some quick attach hydraulic hose I might be able to Jerry rig something though.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

I feel your pain. I've had to pull my Ford out twice in the last week due to finding soft spots. There are several wet weather springs on our property and it makes for some surprises from time to time. A spot that was no problem 2 months ago might be a complete swamp today. I really need to put wider front tires on it. I went with wider rear tires when I swapped them out last year. You can run a 255 or 265 width truck or trailer tire on an 8 inch rim. Diameter doesn't matter on a 2WD. You will probably have better luck finding 16" tires. The loader on mine is very heavy, but it is also a pain to remove so I leave it on. It is a good counterweight going uphill and can make it tricky going down. My plan is to buy a 4WD in the next year or so.

 

[thoner7]

I'm looking at 4x4 tractors but man, they are expensive. My to-20 struggled in spots brush mowing with my 5 foot mower. I went to a 40 horse machine hoping to also go to a 6 foot brush mower. I also need to be able to plow a foot or more of heavy wet snow on a 700' driveway. And run a back blade for dragging and grading dirt.

I doubt I can get away with a 30 hp machine, but could I? Used ones are 10,000! Bigger is more!

 

[George2615]

I'm looking at 4x4 tractors but man, they are expensive. My to-20 struggled in spots brush mowing with my 5 foot mower. I went to a 40 horse machine hoping to also go to a 6 foot brush mower. I also need to be able to plow a foot or more of heavy wet snow on a 700' driveway. And run a back blade for dragging and grading dirt.

I doubt I can get away with a 30 hp machine, but could I? Used ones are 10,000! Bigger is more!

You could probably get away with 30HP. I ran a 26HP for 10 years doing all the same things. Now, (for the past 5 years) have a 36HP 4x4 cab tractor, use a 6' rotary brush mower, 7 1/2' PA snow blade on front, 84" double auger blower on 3pt., 7' rake, and other implements.
I'm assuming you have a 10K limit which is not a lot to work with for a decent HP tractor but would be a very good downpayment toward a new tractor with cab, heat, and A/C. Monthly payments would be minimal with a large downer.