stuck and troubled - no more

Couple of weeks ago I was clearing the area for my new pole barn. Very heavy brush, lots of downed (and live) trees; gonna be a big job. I was mowing the field next to it, edging my way in a little bit each pass. Ground was still pretty wet so I was trying to be careful to avoid trouble spots. Well, the right front wheel hopped over a downed tree and kicked the direction of travel along the tree. Couldn't steer over it fast enough or get it stopped before I was angled into the woods instead of parallel to it. I tried to back my way out but that just got me turned so I was heading into the woods AND caused the right rear wheel to sink each movement.

Over the next week or so, I tried different things to get it out. I hooked my NH TC45 to it, wouldn't even budge it. And it all it did was get the TC45 stuck. Got my F150 to pull out the TC45 and IT got stuck. So at one point I had 3 stuck vehicles in a row. Noting that the area around the tractor was just too wet for vehicles, I tried manual methods. Put 2 chains to the top of the ROPS, hooked to (2) 2.5 ton winches attached to trees to try and get it more upright and get a timber under the wheel. No movement. Tried winching it forward into the woods. (Figured I'd just cut trees to clear a path as I went). Nothing. It was almost like the tractor was a stubborn kid sitting there with his arms crossed. ("You can't MAKE me come out of here" :evil: )

Now, I have to mention, I own a Ford 755 backhoe that hasn't been run in a year. Battery was dead and couldn't get it started even by using another battery. It's a big strong machine but has seen better days and is pretty worn and tired. So, I told my wife that the priority was to get the backhoe running. I checked the engine and could turn it over by hand, so it wasn't seized. Well, I got a new battery and not even a click. That meant cables or starter solenoid in my mind, so Sunday I bit the bullet and cleaned all the terminals and cables. Nothing. I had issues with a bad ground at the starter before, so I removed the ground stud nut and cleaned up the starter case, washers, nuts with a die grinder. All bright and shiny. Well, that did the trick. It sounded like it was coming apart when it turned over, clanging and spewing bird feathers out of the exhaust. But it ran. I changed the oil, checked tire pressure, exercised all the hydraulics, and drove it down to where the tractor was stuck (a short distance from the house we're in now). Only problem was the steering was pretty non-responsive. I suspect it's low on fluid which I'm going to look at today.

Anyway, I got the backhoe within 60 feet (3 lengths of 3/8" chain) and dared not go closer due to the wet ground. Put the pads and loader bucket down, hooked the chains to the backhoe bucket and voila, it popped out so easy wife and I couldn't believe it. No strain on the backhoe at all. It was almost like the tractor was saying "oh, ok, you got the big boy. I guess I'll climb out of this hole now".

I took it home, cleaned it off and you'd never know it had been sitting in 2 ft of mud for almost 2 weeks. Here's a few pic:


Trying various methods with the TC45


Here's what the area looks like that I have to clear. :shock:

Stuck but before I removed the mower.



Pretty mucky, suction was probably a big issue as well.

Oh, forgot to mention. A week ago Friday during our first attempts to get it out, wife was on the TC45 as I was hooking up a chain and the wind was gusting pretty good. All of a sudden a tree (about 12" dia) came down within 5 feet of her sitting on the tractor. I yelled to get off and we stood there and watched the wind gusts. Saw 2 more trees come down within about 15' of us so we decided to call it a day. Came home and power was out. Turns out 300,000+ people lost power between 3:30 and 4:30 that afternoon. Hooked up the generator and waited. Next morning (Saturday), utility said it would be until Monday. Wasn't worried as we had plenty of gas. Lo and behold, power came back on Saturday evening. Anyone who complains about the US electric grid doesn't have a clue as to how good we have it.

I've been there before. Sometimes it is better to let it sit and come back later with another angle on the situation.

yeah, I've got the backhoe stuck a number of times over the years. It DOESN"T like mud. This is the 2nd time with the 3600. Last time it wasn't buried, just halfway down the bank of a creek. Seems like the wife just shrugs when I say something is stuck and puts on her boots. :roll:

One thing I've learned is to take it slow, consider the consequences of EVERY thing you try (i.e. be safe) and try the easiest methods first. On the bright side, I've got the backhoe running so I'll probably be using it to help build the pole barn.

A few years ago a neighbor got his loaded tandem straight truck stuck is soft ground. Not muddy, just soft. He called me so I came over to help. We hooked a 160 horse, dualled heavily weighted tractor to it and the tractor didn't make the truck move an inch. The tractor was sitting on good traction too. A trackhoe was working nearby so he came over, extended the bucket out to the truck, I hooked the chain to the bucket and he pulled the truck right out without even straining.

id find a drier place for the building

Had a similar situation over the winter, had to leave the F250 in place for about two weeks while the ground dried up. Finally drove it out on its own. Could've used the tractor but it's an area I didn't want to carve deep tire tracks into.

A few years ago a neighbor was buying corn silage out of a silo, and was using a former employers truck with a forage box on it to haul with. He wanted to sip home for lunch or something so when he pulled onto the asphalt driveway, he put the drivers side in the lawn that was really soft.

I happened to be driving by and stopped to see if they needed help, as they already had 2 tractors hooked up to it (a mfwd 150hp Deere, and a smaller Ford or Massey,I can't remember) and were getting nowhere. I came with my Oliver 1855 and we had 3 tractors all chained together pulling on the asphalt and it still was a struggle. By the time the truck was out, it probably cut into the grass a good 8-10" if not more.

Donovan from Wisconsin

X2

A few years ago a neighbor was buying corn silage out of a silo, and was using a former employers truck with a forage box on it to haul with. He wanted to sip home for lunch or something so when he pulled onto the asphalt driveway, he put the drivers side in the lawn that was really soft.

I happened to be driving by and stopped to see if they needed help, as they already had 2 tractors hooked up to it (a mfwd 150hp Deere, and a smaller Ford or Massey,I can't remember) and were getting nowhere. I came with my Oliver 1855 and we had 3 tractors all chained together pulling on the asphalt and it still was a struggle. By the time the truck was out, it probably cut into the grass a good 8-10" if not more.

Donovan from Wisconsin

(quoted from post at 12:44:34 05/15/18) id find a drier place for the building

Click to expand...

LOL, no such thing this time of here in Michigan. The area is pretty dry in the summer and I'm planning to put 2-3 ft of fill dirt to raise the barn up. Also going to reroute some drainage around the barn and out to daylight. I've owned this property for about 14 years and I've been watching how the water flows, where it sits, etc. I've "cleaned out" a few ditches that go into the county drain. Luckily, we're within a half mile of the start of the drain and it's all farmland. If they ever develop it upstream with apartments/subdivision, etc. there could be an issue. But all new developments need a detention basin on their property to slow the water release into the natural watercourse. Should be ok (in my lifetime :lol: )

Don't want to have happen what happened to my BIL. He was building a pole barn next to a creek (county drain) some years back. Contractor raised it up about 18". He asked the guy about it and the contractor said "oh, that's plenty". Lo and behold we got a "once in a century" rain that year when the barn was up but no concrete floor yet. The creek rose, flooded the area about 100' each side of it, ran through the barn and washed about 75 yds of sand out into his pasture. All he could do was build berms around it to keep the water from flowing right through it next time.

Unless you live in Puerto Rico!

Did a similar thing with an 850 ford tractor with 6' rotary cutter on the back.It has a front end loader too, but it was stuck deep enough to be hung up in the middle. Loader was not enough to get it out, tried the logs chained to the wheels, don't like that idea much, did not work either. It happened when the front tires sliced open a cut in soft ground that the back tires followed and got stuck in. I tried a few different things, nothing doing. So, pondering some more, time passed and the weather dried things out quite a bit in the interim. The solution was rigging up a $90 harbor freight chain hoist to the base of a 4" black cherry tree behind the tractor. It gradually pulled it right out,tree never budged !

As my bulldozer/D8/Track Hoe man would say....
?You need the Big Iron? here.... not that little Ford.

Back a few years nobody had a second tractor and often no neighbor nearby. They had to be self reliant, and chain log behind the sunk tire and back out over it. Then they got right back on with the job.