Tractor stuck in mud, Please Help!!!!!

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I need help from all fellow tractor owners, desperately!!!!!! Problem is; 2 wheel drive tractor is stuck in muddy ruts 12 to 18 inches up on back tires. We tried pulling it out with a 1 ton dually pu. The tractor is equiped with a front end loader. I am considering using a come-a-long to pull it out. Will this work?? I hate to have to hire a wrecker with a wench. I tried to push and pull tractor using the front end loader but it is stuck in the ruts, but I can't get it out of the ruts.

-- Paul (padsr@centurytel.net), April 02, 2002

Answers

can you "push" it out with the bucket,, kinda pull the bucket towards the tractor,, then push/roll it back,, wont be much,, but if you can get a little, while turning the wheels, might help. How about some hay/straw for traction? ANother way,, , ,use an "A" frame, attached to the tractor,, and use the truck to pull the top of the "A" frame, wich will lift and pull the tractor

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 02, 2002.

Thanks Stan, I tried the push pull thing with the front end loader but it only got me so far and back into the fence, which I might go ahead and take the fence down and try it again. Going the other direction I run into the barn. I had not thought about throwing some hay down for traction though, I'll go try that first. What do you mean A frame?? How would I use it?? Could I make one?? Thanks Man for your input, I need all the help I can get!!!!!

-- paul (padsr@centurytel.net), April 02, 2002.

You gotta hate that! I did that once in a "seemingly" dry pond with a Bobcat. That one took a wrecker...

I guess it would depend on the towing capacity of the come-a-long. You sure hate to have too much on it and have it break and hurt somebody. It sounds too muddy for this, but have you tried throwing a few shovel fulls of gravel under the rear wheels? Anyting to get some traction in that muck. Maybe you could try cedar posts or boards. You could wedge them down in the ruts under the tires and "drive" on them for a couple of feet (to firmer ground). Just a couple of things I've tried before. Hope it helped!

-- Campfool (campfool@yahoo.com), April 02, 2002.


I have seen my husband 'walk' a tractor out. He wraps the chain around the largest tree he can reach and then around the wheels--as the wheel rotates it pulls the tractor towads the tree. Wish he was here --he could tell you how to make it walk!

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), April 02, 2002.

If the ground around the tires is some what dry,( no water in the holes) will sometimes dry out over nite and then you can drive right out . this has worked for me evan with 4x4 tractors. If not you will be time and mony ahead hireing it pulled if you do not have a neighbor to help.

-- kent (hiddentreasuresfarm@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.


I want to "THANK YOU ALL" for responding so quickly to my dilemma here. I am running in and out to check on responses here. The holes are full of water and they are calling for rain again this afternoon!! I put hay and gravel in the ruts and am about to go back out and try that. As far as walking it out, that idea sounds like it has great merit. It reminds me of an article I read probably 20 years ago. An outdoors man had taken a tire rim and cut it in half vertically. So that he could remove the lug nuts from his rear tire of his pickup and attach the half of tire rim to it. Then he used it like a wench by tying a rope to a tree and wraping the other end around the half of tire rim which was on his rear wheel. I suppose someone had to hold one end of the rope while someone else drove the truck out of the mud. Anyway thanks for that idea I may try to apply that technology to this situation. I'll keep you all posted and THANKS AGAIN!!!

-- paul (padsr@centurytel.net), April 02, 2002.

Handyman jack and a comealong are necessary tools on any farm. Use the jack to raise the tractor and put planks under the tires. If the tractor slips on the planks, use the comealong to move it. With the Handyman and a little practice, you can even move it sideways.

-- Mac in AK (nospam@aol.com), April 02, 2002.

How about using pieces of chain link fence, works for the military and heavy equipment.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 02, 2002.

I agree with Mac...you have to jack the tires out of the rut and put something under the tires: rocks, scrap wood, chainlink, drier soil, etc. Northern Tool sells those giant bumper jacks (4 ton capacity with a 4 foot lift) for about 50 bucks. These jacks can be used to lift or pull and is something every homesteader should have. If you cannot find a big jack, cut a tall, thin tree out of the woodlot. Use the stump as a fulcrum and the trunk as a lever. If the tree is long enough, 2 or 3 people should be able to "lift" the rear end of a small-mid tractor. With the rear-end lifted throw something in the ruts. One thing you might want to throw in the ruts is either barn lime, cement or ready mix. These will chemically bind water and "dry" the wet soil and provide some traction after they set up. Good luck, wish I was there to help. I got my 4x4 stuck twice a couple of weeks ago in the snow (high centered it) Happy trails

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_MN@yahoo.com), April 02, 2002.

Did the same thing with my tractor 2 weeks ago (same set up as you too - 2WD and a front loader) when we had 7+ inches of rain. Sunk right up to the axle on both front and rear when I was busy diverting some serious runoff from the hill behind me (pine beetles killed most of the pine trees so run off was abnormally aggrevated!).

1st, shoveled out from in front of all tires, then went out to the scrap pile and got some plywood scraps (maybe 2 foot x 3 foot)and laid it in front of the front tires. Then got some 2x6 scraps about 4 feet long and laid them in front of the rear tires (2 of em side by side), and was to drive out with a little help pulling myself with the loader.

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), April 02, 2002.



Hay and gravel have been suggested for putting under the tires, might work although I think you would need a truck load of gravel to make much difference. My preference would be to stuff plenty of plant material, tree boughs, small bushes etc in front of the wheels, an especially good idea if there is an ares close by that is overdue for cleaning up!

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), April 02, 2002.

Hook to the front axle and pull at a right angle to the left or right. That will twist the back wheels out of the ruts. Be sure to steer in the proper direction with the front wheels so you don't break a spindle. Keep us posted.

-- d (d@d.net), April 02, 2002.

do you have any sheep fence, like a good 10 ft for each tire?, and a bale or two of hay?, shovel out around the tires so youre not trying to drago ut all that weight too... line the trench really good...get something solid under the bucket , use the bucket to push and the motor , to push backwards....... yes take out the fence, you havent much choice......

-- Beth Van Stiphout (willosnake@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.

'Down on the farm' we get the wife or a neighbor, hook on a bigger tractor, sometimes takes a long cable to get out to a dry spot.

The straw & gravel should do a lot.

Never knew what a wrecker could do, when I get stuck it's in the middle of a dirt field, no trees for 1/2 mile or more, all mud.... This is with a 10,000 lb tractor, or the time I buried the combine - oh my.... Wrecker would be a joke for that.

Mostly I wanted to say, be real careful with some of this advise - pulling the front end sideways can break things, I wouldn't - also with a bucket, a lot of weight up high, you can tip it over. Wrapping chains, or going with an A-frame can be very dangerous. That involves pulling higher than the drawbar. You sound kinda excited about getting it out of the mud - that's when a person doesn't quite think things through, and bad things, really bad things, can happen. I wouldn't fool with those ideas.

Cover the muffler, & let it set. If it rains, you can't do anything anyhow; if it doesn't rain, things will be better tomorrow, & it will all look clearer to you.

The worse you can do is keep going until the tractor settles down on the tranny, and the wheels spin helplessly, no movement. Don't get to that point! Then when you get towed out to the side, you can bust an axle off or something.

Just take it easy, and things will work out.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.


I agree with Paul. You don't HAVE to keep doing things - particularly if each move makes things worse. Do you really need to get it out today? Would next week be OK? Provided you don't let dried mud set around the wheels like concrete, then doing nothing is unlikely to make things worse, and waiting for things to dry out would make things better. Of course, bucketing (or icecream-containering or coffee-canning) water out of the ruts would speed that up.

OK, that's one end of the scale. the other is that fixing a fence might take half-an-hour or an hour, and cost nothing. If you REALLY know you can get out that way, then do it - it's cheaper and quicker and less risky than anything else. And yes - a winch or come-along of some sort is a basic tool you should have. Doesn't have to be fast, but it should be capable of moving tons, and with good safety interlocks so it can't let go suddenly.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 02, 2002.



Neighbor got a 135 hp Case IH tractor stuck across the creek, called a long boy truck with winch, got that stuck, second twice as large got them all out.

-- susan norfolk/wy (susan_norfolk@yahoo.com), April 02, 2002.

Sometimes "Down on the farm" we go get the husband or a neighbor. Best wishes!

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.

Glad I'm not the only one who does this, I feel for you Paul. Last year I got my 620 John Deere stuck in the middle of the back field, the only real fix is to DIG. I used a 20 ton bottle jack, one side at a time and built it up with block, bricks and scrap lumber. Took two days, one night it poured rain, just made it a little bit more sloppy like Red Green says I'm pulling fer ya Rgds Bill

-- Bill in SE Mich. (Billshsfrm@aol.com), April 02, 2002.

If you go the come a long route invest in a good one. The best I have found is one from "Forestry Suppliers", also sold by "Ben Meadows" company and "Baileys" (a woodsmans supplier) This particular come along is cast Iron comes in 1 1/2, 2 and 3 ton models with 20 or 30' of cable and weighs 29 pounds. They cost about 129.00 but will come in handy in ways you have not thought of yet. The "handy mans Jack" brand jack refered to earlier is a mechanical jack with 4' lift. Most models now sold are chinese copies

-- Marc (toymeister@hotmail.com), April 02, 2002.

I'm a big fan of using a winch with as many pulley attachement points and loops around as possible. If you don't have a big enough winch or come-along I'd suggest using a large A-frame. You literally build a large frame of wood or whatever you have and tie onto the top of it with one end of your rope/chain/cable and attach the other end to your stuck vehicle. Have it angled ever so slightly AWAY from the stuck vehicle. Next attach another rope/chain/cable to the top of the A-Frame going the other direction and hook the other end of it to your tow vehicle. As you pull two things happen; First you are pulling your stuck vehicle both upward and forward. Second, you are gaining the weight of the A-Frame in your pulling efforts. Just make sure your rope/chain/cable from the A-Frame to your tow vehicle is long enough so you're clear of the fall angle of the A-Frame. Otherwise, you can be on Funniest Home Videos as you pull the A-Frame down on your tow vehicle. ;o) Good luck. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), April 02, 2002.

I kinda with Paul but I've been there and needed the loader tractor too bad to leave it. We tried digging and lifting to throw scrub under the wheels. Might work in some soils doesn't do anything here. We just got the neighbor over with more HP and MFWD, hooked it on low and pulled it out slow. Clay can have a fierce grip on expensive parts. This is a good time to remember why you should go out of your way for your neighbors, when you can.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), April 02, 2002.

Handyman jack and comealong if you have big rock or tree to use as an anchor. One trick Dad used on farm with nothing to tie to was to use an old 3 bottom trailer type plow and set it dig as deep and quick as possible then use the pulley hoist(didnt have comealong back then) or hydraulic ram with chain to pull against the tractor. Another trick that is dangerous and mentioned as point of info that Dad used was to lay a wood fence post in front of one rear tractor wheel so wheel is at right angle to post and in middle of post. Put log chain around post and through tractor wheel spokes. Put tractor in lowest gear and brake unchained wheel so it wont spin. Ever so slowly, let the the chained wheel pull itself up on the post and just over the post. Be careful not to spin tire or post will cause lot of damage when it comes up to fender/seat area. Remove post and chain and repeat until tractor lifts and moves itself out of and away from mudhole. This is truly pulling oneself up by ones own bootstraps. Again not recommended unless you have lot patience and extreme amount of common sense.

-- Hemit John (hermit@hilltop_homestead.zzn.com), April 02, 2002.

I've tried the technique Hermit John just described w/ much success. John, you are right tho you must proceed slowly and cautiously but I consider it to be a very effective method even w/ trees around.

-- Streak (streeter@northnet.org), April 03, 2002.

Thanks to all of you for your great ideas and helpful advice. After removing as much water as was possible and using gravel,hay,used lumber and everything else we could scare up, I was not able to get it out. I could not even get it to budge using the front end loader, I guess it has settled too much. I am going to follow the advice of getting a handy man jack and a real good come-a-long. Northern does not seem to carry these jacks any longer. They only have ones that go up to about 20 inches. I have a come-a-long, but it is a very cheap one and just old and worn out. I will search the net for sources for these 2 tools ya'll recommend and in the meantime hope it will dry out some more. This is a great bunch of folks here on this forum and the wife and I appreciate every one of you!! paul

-- paul (padsr@centurytel.net), April 03, 2002.

cowgirlone, I best explain a bit. :) In a very local area where I live, folks refer to their husband or wife or children as 'the wife'; 'the husband'; the boy, the girl. And of course, the dog. Proper names just aren't used. Now I notice it with other people that live here, within about 5 miles or so. A very local thing.

I just grew up with that, never noticed that. My wife did, and others have pointed it out too. So, it has become a joke now - she is 'The Wife' and I am, at times, a whole host of different names.... But anyhow, I guess I slipped in a little local humor without letting anyone know!

Hope the tractor got out safely & in one piece. It can be very frustrating.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), April 03, 2002.


I think both JCWhitney catalog and Harbor Freight sell the handyman jacks. Locally TSC (Tractor Supply Company) sells them. I own three of the American made jacks (one new and two so cheap I couldnt pass them up at auction) and have used the Chinese version of these jacks. Surprisingly they were about equivalent. Wont lose anything by buying cheaper one although I dont know if repair kits are available for the Chinese ones, kits are available for the American ones. Big secret to either American or Chinese versions is to keep the mechanism well oiled. They stick and bind if they get dry/rusty. As to comealongs, you definitely want at least a 4 ton one. Cheap 4 ton ones around $25-$30. Quality ones go over $100. The quality American made ones are significantly better made. I doubt they are truly worth four or five times as much money though. In my area TSC does sell the quality ones. I make do with cheap one although it seems I have to repair/rebuild it with welder every so often to keep it functional. Most people just throw them out. I also have 2 of the smaller 2 ton comealongs. One american, one foreign. Had to weld rebar on both sides of handle on both to prevent handle from bending. Maybe because I was trying to get more out of them than they were designed for.

-- Hermit John (hermit@hilltop_homestead.zzn.com), April 03, 2002.

Ouch! We had that problem with the truck not too long ago. I got it out by jacking it up until the wheels were above the top of the hole, and laying boards across the holes. We then hitched up and towed it out. (safety note - two jacks, and a set of jack stands keeps things more stable, it gets kinda wobbly otherwise)

Good Luck

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), April 03, 2002.


Well, it finally dried out enough between rains to get the tractor out. I bought a Handy Man Jack at TSC and a 2 ton come along. Turns out I didn't need the come along, this time. The right rear tire was buried to within 6 inches of the axel and the left almost as deep. I just kept jacking the tractor up and putting lumber scraps under the tires. Of course I had to keep building up the base under the jack. I also had to dig around the tires to get enough room to place the lumber underneath. To top it all off the battery was dead. After charging the battery and raising the rear wheels the front end loader raised the front tires enough to place lumber scraps under them. With the tractor lifted up out of the ruts I was able to drive it out. And just in time, it is supposed to rain again tonight! Thanks to you all for the good sound advice. I had never heard of the handy man jack. It was just the thing needed to get the tractor out.

-- Paul (padsr@centurytel.net), April 06, 2002.

getting a tractor stuck is a real pain. And there is a motto to follow: always take the smallest tractor you have in the wet spots so you have the bigger one to pull with. Thats what I do when I mow along the stream.

-- chris Vadas, PA (vadas@nfdc.net), April 09, 2002.

The last time I got my 12 ton tractor stuck up to the axel I used the three-point-hitch to jack up the back tires to get wood scraps under them for traction. I put a middle buster on the hitch and just lowered it onto a slab of wood until the rear wheels rose. Then I put wood scraps into the ruts and repeated the manouever until I had the rear tires up to ground level. You really don't need a jack to raise the rear of the tractor.

-- thomas richey (issacschlemm@webtv.net), May 10, 2002.

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