Snow Stuck in the snow, in a ditch

[Lockport]

I did the very same thing you did last year. I looped a nylon tow strap 28,000lbs. around a 3PH lift arm while a 60" BB attached and drug it out with a Peterbilt highway tractor. Tore the strap and bent the turnbuckle.

 

[IdahoTractor]

You have to be kidding me. You never pull a tractor or hook anything up above the axle on a tractor. To do so will greatly increase the risk of flipping the tractor. You always use the drawbar or at the very least the rear axle if you don't have a drawbar or anything better but NEVER PULL FROM THE ROPS or anywhere above the rear axle

NO - NO - NO. NEVER pull or tow from the REAR AXLE either. When I was teenager, a neighboring farmer used his tractor to pull a car out of the ditch. He wrapped the tow strap around the axle of his tractor and the tractor flipped, killing him instantly! It's one of my worst teenager memories. If you're not certain where to pull from, then you shouldn't be pulling at all. My hunch is that your family values your life more than your stuck tractor. Also, avoid anyone standing in line or near to the tow strap when you're pulling. If the strap were to suddenly break and hit them, the force of the whipping strap could result in serious injury or death.

Finally, I work in the forest products/timber industry and have noticed several photographs on TbN of fellow tractor owners pushing standing trees over with a blade or FEL bucket. This is crazy! If the top were to break out of the tree while your pushing it over, or a branch, it could kill you when it comes crashing to the ground. Even small diameter trees can result in death from the top or branches falling of it. Unfortunately, I have a good friend whose father died from a top falling out of a tree while it was being pushed over. Use a chainsaw, wear safety gear (chaps, hardhat, eye and ear protection), and cut the tree down.

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT, TOO. It's there for a reason.

 

[richardbro]

Did you try the differential lock and front assist?

ron

Actually, I had forgotten about the differential lock. That might have helped.
I did, however, remember to put the thing in nutreal before towing.

I'll have to look up what "front assist" means...

 

[Robert_in_NY]

NO - NO - NO. NEVER pull or tow from the REAR AXLE either. When I was teenager, a neighboring farmer used his tractor to pull a car out of the ditch. He wrapped the tow strap around the axle of his tractor and the tractor flipped, killing him instantly! It's one of my worst teenager memories. If you're not certain where to pull from, then you shouldn't be pulling at all. My hunch is that your family values your life more than your stuck tractor. Also, avoid anyone standing in line or near to the tow strap when you're pulling. If the strap were to suddenly break and hit them, the force of the whipping strap could result in serious injury or death.

Finally, I work in the forest products/timber industry and have noticed several photographs on TbN of fellow tractor owners pushing standing trees over with a blade or FEL bucket. This is crazy! If the top were to break out of the tree while your pushing it over, or a branch, it could kill you when it comes crashing to the ground. Even small diameter trees can result in death from the top or branches falling of it. Unfortunately, I have a good friend whose father died from a top falling out of a tree while it was being pushed over. Use a chainsaw, wear safety gear (chaps, hardhat, eye and ear protection), and cut the tree down.

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT, TOO. It's there for a reason.

Mythbusters did a test about the strap breaking and possibly causing serious injury. If I recall they used steel cable and used a pig for a human stand in. Their results were that you would get hurt but nothing like you see in the movies. At the most extreme tension they could get the cable at by pulling with a telehandler it just broke the skin of the pig when they popped the cable. I don't know if it even broke a rib on the pig. A strap breaking and hitting you might sting but I think you would be more startled then anything else.

 

[IdahoTractor]

Mythbusters did a test about the strap breaking and possibly causing serious injury. If I recall they used steel cable and used a pig for a human stand in. Their results were that you would get hurt but nothing like you see in the movies.

I hate to disagree with you, but people in the forest industry and farmers have been killed when cables, chains, and straps that have failed or become unhooked...despite what you saw on Myth Busters.

Firefighter Safety

NIOSH FACE Program: Minnesota Case Report 05MN046 | CDC/NIOSH

NIOSH FACE Program: Oregon Case Report 03OR007 | CDC/NIOSH

 

[amitysanimal]

I agree, I have seen what a snapping chain can do. We go mudding quite a lot and used to use chains to pull out the stuck vehicles. I watched a chain break and fly over the hood of a Ford truck smashing the windshield and putting a DEEP chain shaped dent over the hood and cab. If you would have been there instead of all that metal, you would have been hurt quite bad or killed.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I hate to disagree with you, but people in the forest industry and farmers have been killed when cables, chains, and straps that have failed or become unhooked...despite what you saw on Myth Busters.

Firefighter Safety

NIOSH FACE Program: Minnesota Case Report 05MN046 | CDC/NIOSH

NIOSH FACE Program: Oregon Case Report 03OR007 | CDC/NIOSH

You said straps breaking in your original post. A hook on the end of a strap popping off what you are pulling from is a different thing then a strap breaking and resulting "in serious injury or death." A tow strap breaking is going to scare a person more then it is going to hurt them.

I am not saying I would want to be around a cable when it breaks as it will hurt you but it isn't going to cut a person in half like so many people believe and is seen in movies. Mythbusters isn't always right but they do test these theories and appear to do it in an honest manner to replicate the theory as best as they can. You might be able to watch the episode on MythBusters : Adam : Jamie : Kari : Grant : Tory : Discovery Channel

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I hate to disagree with you,

One more thing, if you want to disagree just do it as I know I am not right 100% of the time. You don't need to "hate" anything to disagree with me. I welcome the chance for discussion Have fun.

 

[hazmat]

...Mythbusters isn't always right but they do test these theories and appear to do it in an honest manner to replicate the theory as best as they can. You might be able to watch the episode on MythBusters : Adam : Jamie : Kari : Grant : Tory : Discovery Channel

I enjoy watching mythbusters, but as an engineer I often cringe at thier test methodology. Small sample size, only a couple of test conditions etc. Remember you are watching entertainment with a dash of science, not vice versa.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I enjoy watching mythbusters, but as an engineer I often cringe at thier test methodology. Small sample size, only a couple of test conditions etc. Remember you are watching entertainment with a dash of science, not vice versa.

I know it is for entertainment but some of their test do show if a myth has some merit or not and they do seem to try and be accurate with their testing even to the point of starting over from scratch when a test rig doesn't work as planned. It is fun to watch though and I will never forget when they blew up the cement truck