I have a little 20hp Yanmar tractor with a flail mower on the 3 point hitch. I decided to cat 2 tracks through a field I have that's just left to grow wild as it's great for holding pheasants. The only problem is, it's a bit wet. Anyway, half way back along the lower part of the field I got stuck in a boggy hole. It's funny ground there, all sort of peaty. I thought that after a week of glorious weather it would be ok. But I was wrong.
So I now have it stuck up to it's belly in stinky ground and it won't go forwards or backwards. In fact, it's so deep down now that the mower is in the mud as well even with the 3 point at it's highest.
So what can I do? I won't be able to get another (bigger heavier) tractor in there to tow, as that will just get stuck somewhere along the 200 metres of wet ground before I even get close. For the same reason I don't want to chance taking the Landcruiser there as I will probably just get that stuck as well. I don't have a winch and ground anchor, nor a 200 metre tow rope to enable a pull from firm ground. But I do have 2 8ft Ifor Williams steel trailer ramps that I may try tomorrow. And I may do a reccy of the slightly higher ground to see if I can attack it from a different angle.
Any other ideas, apart from a helicopter?
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You could try to beg, borrow, or rent, some HGV nylon load securing straps, joined together they would make a long tow rope for the Landcruiser. All you need then is a volunteer to pilot the Yanmar.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 18 Jun 10 at 16:58
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Uhitch the mower and try again ?
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Having grown up on a farm (and done exactly the same thing) your only option is to get a bigger tractor and a long tow rope. The bigger tractor will have much fatter tyres allowing it to ride over the soft ground*.
I would actually recommend releasing the three point hitch to get the small tractor out and rescuing your mower with the larger tractor.
* It worked for me. However, if I see a thread appear tomorrow with "Tractors stuck (part 2)" as the title, I deny all liability!
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Problem with a long tow rope is that it will be too elastic to do much good.
1. Unhitch flail mower.
2. Dig out enough space to insert railway sleeper (PU's got a couple of those going spare) under belly.
3. Place Jack on sleeper.
4. Jack up tractor on sleeper.
5. Stick another sleeper under where the wheel comes out.
6. Keep on going, corner by corner.
7. Tractor falls on you.
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A good length of 6x2 and a lot of blocks to lever it up with.
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Thanks guys - lots of good suggestions. I've just been down there with a spade to see if I can clear a bit of space. Unfortunately it's like a swamp - dead hard to dig as it's full of roots and stuff and it sort of self fills, a bit like trying to dig sand. All I successfully achieved was to fill my wellies. I threw a load of big rocks under the tyres, but they just got sucked in with the wheel rotation and sunk, never to be seen again. I might be able to use the ramps as sand boards, if I can clear a little room in front of the tyres, enough to get them started.
Failing that, find as many bits of rope/chain/straps etc and see if they'll reach to slightly firmer ground. It needs a straigh pull though, which may be tricky.
I'm not sure I can lever it out, as even though it's only a mini tractor, it still weighs in at 800kg. I'll certainly leave the mower behind to save a little weight.
Ha, the trouble with big tractors with big tyres, is they also weigh big. Not sure if anyone locally has a tracked vehicle.
The other option is to leave it for a month or two until the ground dries out a bit more.
I'll take another look tomorrow if there's not too many midges around, and re-asses the situation and see if there's a drier way in. Ha, by tomorrow it might have sunk from view with just the exhaust showing. If so, I'll cut the exhaust off and leave it.
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>> I don't have a winch and ground anchor,
Know anyone with a winch and ground anchor?
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The ground anchor bit is easy.
Dig a "T" shaped trench with the top at right angles to the pull, drop a log in the trench across the top, attach rope to log.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 18 Jun 10 at 18:45
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there's a thought - find the local Land Rover or 4X4 club and present them with a 'challenge'
They'd much rather be rescuing each other off the pan American highway, and this would be useful practice
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Old inner tubes, biggest ones you can beg steal or borrow. Tractor sized are ideal. Shove them uninflated under the tractor. Inflate the tubes and it may unstick itself. I've seen this done on a stuck Defender and it worked.
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call the local army cadet troop, tell them you have a challenge for them
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Do you know of anyone that owns or has access to a Hovercraft?
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Horse and some rope. Tie one end of the rope to the tractor and the other to the horse.
Scare horse.
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How do you make a hospice?
Give it lots of water.
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You can lift something pretty heavy with a lever - as long as the end you've got is much longer than the bit on the other side of the "pivot".
Tractor
====================================== effort
. ^
I've put a loaded truck back on the rails like that - however, it takes a few "lifts" of a few inches a time, then propping, then putting another board over the original "pivot", then repeating - 800Kg should be no problem, but you will need a longish baulk of timber as a "pivot" to spread the load else the flippin' thing will be pushed into the ground.
However, you shouldn't need a massive pull to help the thing out, so these posts about "someone with a lard rover will be delighted to help" are possibly a good way to go!
Last edited by: FotheringtonTomas on Fri 18 Jun 10 at 21:05
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Sounds like a three part operation to me.
Dig down in front of the tractor in the direction it is to be pulled. Sloping trench towards it. Some sort of timbers, wide if possible, under the wheels, or just in front of them wedged in if possible. Pull it, from whatever distance, with a winch perhaps, up the timbers.
Sounds like hard work.
Oh, and take the mower off as soon as possible before it bogs down again.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Fri 18 Jun 10 at 23:45
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Whatever happens, please, please, keep us posted!
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Just a thought. Are the local rugby club doing scrummage training any time soon?
30 or 40 blokes tailing on a rope will shift a lot of things.
Where are you Dave?
Last edited by: Duncan on Sat 19 Jun 10 at 07:50
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Dig a trench in front of the tractor, fill it with the corpses that masqueraded as the england football team last night, then drive it out over them.
Its the only use I can thing for them.
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It's the most useful thing you can do with a haggis. ;>)
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Umgonna report you lot to the RSPCH. My pedigree breeding pair have had a fine litter this Spring. Dam was a right stumper and the sire a lefty but the progeny are all right biased. Must be the dominant gene. When mature I shall release them on the northern approaches to Peckforton Castle in an effort to populate heathen lands.
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you started on the wee drams of a single malt already Humph?
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>> you started on the wee drams of a single malt already Humph?<<
More like red Lebanese IMO.
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It doesn't matter if a long rope is stretchy, as long as you can exert a strong steady pull on it. I have extricated a real (small) tractor single-handed with a long rope and its own power.
The rope should be as long and springy as possible, secured to a tree or something solid, perhaps another vehicle on solid ground. Then pull the rope sideways from roughly its mid point, and walk as far as you can, and secure it, eg with another rope.
You can exert an enormous force by pulling a long rope to one side. Set it up to exert the maximum force you can, then restart the tractor and drive as far as you can in the direction of the rope.
Then repeat.
Another possibility is to remove one of the driving wheels, take the tyre off, refit the bare rim, and use the rim as a winch.
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If you know anybody with a Manitou or a Jcb with forks, sling it up or pick it up get it clear, The Manitou is a all terrain fork lift.
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It's out!!
As luck would have it, a nosey farmer from down the road came past the house claiming to be checking his forest (like it's going to go anywhere) but really to check out the roofing work I've had done. He was on his ATV, and when told of my predicament and he'd stopped laughing, offered to help.
So we went down there, he let out the cable from his rear winch and tried to pull, but all it did was rear up. We then got my truck to use as an anchor and let out the cable on his front and rear winches as far as they would go. The idea was to use the winches, but they just stalled. In the end we drove my truck forward using the winch cables with ATV in the middle as a long tow rope. I though the ATV would split in the middle or something, but it survived the ordeal.
I think I may leave it a good few weeks before I try mowing that track again.
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I'm sure there's a joke to be had here somewhere - extractor fan springs to mind.
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Hes just an old stick in the mud.
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Good ole Farmer! reminds me of when we lived up on the moor down an old farm track and a 7 ton lorry delivering a conservatory to us got well and truly stuck.
Along came Farmer Giles and pulls him out.
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I wonder what they'll be chuckling about down the pub tonight?
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>> 7 ton lorry... got well and truly stuck... Along came Farmer Giles and pulled him out
Been there, done that! I once got a 2/3rds loaded 7.5t box lorry sunk into wet grass up to the diff and sump - I was doing a favour for a friend and shifting a wardrobe on the sly one evening (I'd taken the lorry home as I was supposed to be 250 miles away in it at 8am the following morning).
Ended up with a 30-strong audience all offering "guidance", until a 10 year old kid rode off on his bike after announcing that he knew someone who'd sort it out for us - only to reappear 10 minutes later followed by the biggest tractor I'd ever seen! Turned out the kid went to school with the farmer's son. A few chains around the lorry chassis and I was back on the tarmac in no time.
Glad you solved your conundrum OP, I know how frustrating it can be.
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Tractor stuck - Old Navy
