To all of those who have been stuck... How did

[Captinjack]

A WV farmer taught me one trick that really worked well when I had my IH scout sunk up to the axles.

Nothing seemed to work as the front tires were flat and sunk completely down in the mud. The come along didn't have enough strength to pull her out.

My WV buddy came by to help days later and said Shucks.....It's not stuck so bad. He cut a piece of log about 2 1/2 ft. long and placed it upright under the chain close to the front bumper on an angle to the scout.

When we pulled with the come along, the first thing that happened was the front of the scout was lifted up out of the mud somewhat and it was then easier to pull the rest of the way out.

I pass this along as this little trick saved the day, didn't cost anything and was easy to do.

 

[N80]

I've been stuck in almost every assortment of 4wd vehicles and have helped unstuck most every type as well, even a tractor or two. In my experience, which has been greatly increased by doing it wrong and learning from my mistakes (hopefully) I have found the single best tool for getting unstuck (aside from a tow truck) is a big, hefty, oversized snatch strap. I carry a heavy duty come-along and probably 30 feet of chains in my pick-up but I also have a long, 5" wide snatch strap.

Of course, you have to have another vehicle to pull you out, but if you do it right, the snatch strap is _very_ effective. In my experience, YMMV, the pulling vehicle gets going with the strap _slack_ on the ground (not coiled). When the strap goes tight the pulling vehicle will slow or may even come to a stop but then the strap (seems to) recoil a little and in what looks like slow motion the stuck vehicle usually moves forward.

All the chains, cables, pulleys and come-alongs are great to have, and each works best in the right application, but I think everyone who might get stuck in a vehicle should have a good snatch strap, preferrably significantly over-spec'd for the weight of your vehicle.

 

[RFB]

Here is an old off-roader technique used prior to nylon tow straps, and it works very well. It relies upon the inertial momentum of the towing mass just like a "snatch" strap, as opposed to raw traction or horsepower, and it applies zero shock load to either vehicle.

You will need 2 chains, with a total combined length capable of reaching from the towing to the towed vehicle, and 1 old used tire(no rim). Attach #1 chain to the stuck vehicle and to the tire. Attach #2 chain to the towing vehicle and the tire. The finished setup goes chain-tire-chain.

The chains and tire will look like this:

Towed []----------O-----------[] Towing

Once all is attached, with a driver in both vehicles, the towing vehicle simply drives away accelerating to about 5 -10 mph.
The elasticity of the tire smoothly transfers inertial force to the towed vehicle and out you come. The tire absorbs all of the shock load. Disclaimer: Non-essential people stand clear.

 

[Opti-Mist]

The first time I got stuck as a kid, working alone, I chained a fence post to the rear wheels and very slowly drove up onto it, unchained and drove off. The last time was when my neighbor stuck his Kubota in a sinkhole along the shore. I sank a front wheel of my NH 1920 FWD trying to help him, and that did me in. Of course by then both tractors were brown. I left to go out to dinner. When I got back my tractor was sitting in front of the pole barn, nice and clean. He'd gotten a dozer to pull both tractors out, then washed both. Needless to say, he gets a hand whenever he can use one.

 

[Billy_S]

I was mowing along the edge of my pond with my old, tired and ugly Allis 190. Not a huge tractor but pretty big. Of course, trying to mow as close to the water as possible. Naturally, I got too close and the right front of the tractor slipped over into the water. I tried to back out, but the tires just spun. When I tried to head out, the front of the tractor kept slipping more over into the water. The only good thing I can say is I had the good sense to stop before things got hopeless.

I must not have been stuck too bad because the wife was able to pull me out with my Jeep. She did say that she had the thing floored, doing all it would do, to pull me out. I am sure that wasn't too good on the Jeep tranny, but she is still getting me to work and back every day.

 

[Tig]

I saw my FIL get stuck in a very wet field one spring. He still had the tire chains on. He wedged pieces of firewood into the chains to create a paddle wheel and then he just drove out of the muck.

 

[czechsonofagun]

How did you get yourself out? I have been following the stupid things we have done posts, Eddie buried that cat to the hood.. I am very interested in how you got a 4K to 20K lb machine unstuck... Post pictures if you got them.

This is my fear / problem on my property. I will become stuck, seems inevitable with the amount of water / clay / debris we have to deal with.

Carl

Got stuck in mud on the side of the pond. Tried everything, than brought over my jeep cj7 and pulled it out in 4WD low. If necessary I would brake out hi lift jack etc - but the jeep was enough.

That reminds me what we practised in - czechoslovakia - army. I was with tanks (T54 and T55M if it rings a bell) and to unstuck it you were supposed to atach a log across catterpillars in front and use it as a "paddle wheel". When the log got to the back of the tank, you took it off and brought it back and so on and so forth - till the tank was up to the tower in mud

Than you called the pulling tank - T54 with a winch instead of the turret - and that think would move just about anything.

 

[czechsonofagun]

found some pictures:


VT-55A ARV Czechoslovak Vyprostovaci Tank

 

[Jstpssng]

How did you get yourself out? I have been following the stupid things we have done posts, Eddie buried that cat to the hood.. I am very interested in how you got a 4K to 20K lb machine unstuck... Post pictures if you got them.

This is my fear / problem on my property. I will become stuck, seems inevitable with the amount of water / clay / debris we have to deal with.

Carl

Yeah, the easiest solution is to not get stuck... yet things don't always go as planned. The only way to learn your limitations is to test them.

In addition to the suggestions above, I have hooked a chain onto me loader bucket and curled it to pull me out; without an FEL I've hooked a tow chain through the rear wheel and put the tractor in gear to slowly pull myself out.

 

[sandman2234]

My tractor came with turf tires, and the black muck out back fills them with one turn of the tire. Then your stuck! Ag's soon replaced the turf's and I don't stuck as often, but my wife swears I get stuck every time I go out. I usually give her or my daughter a call, to assist me. I have a 6 ton comalong and it takes a lot of chains to reach the nearest tree large enough to pull a 7K tractor out of the mud. Smaller trees can be grouped together to act as an anchor. I have even used two cars as an anchor, but trees work better.
The link to another post by me explains what my daughter thinks of me getting stuck.


http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/jd-owning-operating/90591-poet-my-family.html


David from jax