| Author |
Message |
    
mike fanslau (Buckadanorth)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
This 6 x 6 discussion board has been very helpful as i've investigated and purchased an Argo I/C 8 x 8. I've noticed that just about everyone says "it's not IF you get stuck, it's WHEN you get stuck. So, I'd like to prepare my machine, and myself for the time(s) when I get stuck. What better source of knowledge could there be that all of you folks who've been there, done that, and found ways to A. Get out B. Avoid getting stuck in the first place through wiser driving, or improvements like tires, or tracks.
OR C. Equipment to carry (besides the winch) to help get out of your "stuck-spot". Thanks, Buck-ada-north |
Roger Smith
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
Oh, this will be a long and interesting thread, hehe.
I learned a little trick this weekend in my Response. Wandered out into a pond/mudhole and the ice stopped forward progress. I was also a little high centered and couldn't swim backwards. I had the luxury of being a hundred yards from my friends house whose land I was on; I waited for him to come out and look for me. I got tired of waiting, stepped to the rear compartment, feet at the back, leaned over the seat and operated the controls while rocking side to side. Came out pretty quick.
The Response was nose heavy, I unweighted the front off the mud bottom with the weight shift to the empty rear compartment, and added traction to the rear. Sure beats sitting on the bench churning the wheels.
a paddle or pole for deep water
tow straps, extra cable, snatch block, come a long for when the winch is on the wrong end
shovel
ground stake when nothing to hook winch to
thin vinyl waders
tools
flashlight
etc
cell phone
optionally, just ride with a buddy to save your ass :) |
John Martin
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
The buddy system by far is the best if you are going to do some extreme wheeling, start looking if you haven't got one! |
newmax
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
I got stuck a few times. The first time i got stuck was when I first got the machine. It was last winter, i was riding on the snowmobile trails. It was going fine until i came to a road crossing. i crossed the road and had to go over a large snow bank about 6'. i didn't know what was on the other side, once i got over the bank the trail was only 1 snowmobile wide. it was a large field so i only went a few feet and decided not to try to keep going. as soon as it tried to turn around my tires sunk right in and that was the end of it. I had no winch at the time so i had to walk home (4 miles) to get some wood to put under the tires. It took a while but i got out. |
Dave Johnston
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
Use a long rope...tie one end to the Argo, the other to a SOLID fixed object as far away as you can get...Go half way between the Argo and fixed object. Push sideways on the rope...most effective at first with deminishing returns up to a 45 degree angle. At that point...shorten and retie the rope...Something to do with vector forces...It is one of the oldest simple tools around but is never mentioned when they discuss the pully, wedge, and ramp. Good luck. |
liflod (Liflod)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
One thing that I do when I go riding is carry my cell phone and leave the keys to my truck somewhere on my truck. That way if I need help I can call someone to get in my truck and come rescue me or at least meet me half way!
I have also heard someone mention using a rope, tying it to a fixed object and wrapping the other end around the axle and or tire and using the rotating axle as a winch. I have not tried that yet , but its something to keep in mind.
Another idea I have in case of lack of traction, is to wrap a ratchet strap around the tire and use the ratchet part as a big traction lug. |
Kenny
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
From liflod (Liflod):
>I have also heard someone mention using a rope,
>tying it to a fixed object and wrapping the
>other end around the axle and or tire and using
>the rotating axle as a winch. I have not tried
>that yet , but its something to keep in mind.
This was standard equipment on Willys M38 used in the military... There was a spool attached to the center of the wheel hub with a rope threaded through it and voilą! A portable winch!
Be carefull though, the rope may get very tangled around the axle and may be impossible to remove or cut away if you put too much tension on the rope. You may end up having to take the axle appart to remove the rope...
Another idea is to use a come-a-long or a high lift jack as a winch. the only draw back is that the cable is very short on the come-a-longs (about 5 feet)!
But like John said, the buddy system is the way to go! Just be safe! |
newmax
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
I have another story about getting stuck. I was going down a river and followed it to a part where is was very shallow. most of the way it was fine and fun. I came to a section that was almost dried up. it was very muddy. very mushy. i came to a sudden stop, i sunk right in ti the belly and that was all she wrote. I had to winch myself out about 60 feet. One problem i ran into was that i bought a winch that does not have roller leads. and unless you are pulling straight on the cable digs into the side of the winch. Once i got myself out there was no way i could go back. so i had to climb a very steep embankment. I made but i was scared. make sure you carry extra cable or rope with you incase you are far away from any trees to hook onto. I have foung that there is no comparison between the tracks and the 26" tires. The tracks are far better. |
Dave Johnston
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
I have seen a rim, minus tire used on a jacked up car as a poor man rope pull in a rural area for skiing...however it had no tension to speak of.. Using your axle to pull may result in a bent axle. If you are going to try it...Go from one axle to the tree, around the tree and back to the axle on the other side...Two pulling axles should be better than one at distribution the pull. |
Dave Johnston
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
I have seen a rim, minus tire used on a jacked up car as a poor man rope pull in a rural area for skiing...however it had no tension to speak of.. Using your axle to pull may result in a bent axle. If you are going to try it...Go from one axle to the tree, around the tree and back to the axle on the other side...Two pulling axles should be better than one at distribution the pull. |
newmax
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
I had a new expirence today. I was out on the mountail top today and heard a loud noise. I stopped as soon as i heard it. I opened the floor boards and there was a pair of pliers jammed in the middle sprocket. The chain had come off. Luckily there was no damage that i could see. I loosened the chain tensioner and put the chain back on. and made it home. the chain is a little bent. not sure if i should replace it or not. if so does anyone know how much the front chain is. and what size chains are they? |
Acadia
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
I was cruising down an old woods road at a good clip when my bigfoot started slowing down to a crawl. I put it in low gear thinking I'm on very soft ground. I didn't move much faster. So I popped the hood looking for a bad belt slipping but that wasn't it. Then I noticed the Tarp on the back floor was gone. Gone right around the double center sprocket. It was a 4 by 8 foot tarp and I spent 2 hours with a small swiss army knife picking away eneough tarp to get myself home! |
swomp stuck
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 10:22 pm: | |
One time in swamp type bog I went over a 10inch log on a diagonal and then turned left, that made me straddle it. Well the log fell between two standing trees about 8 inches wide and I thought I could just squeak through, I was wrong. the max couldn't fit through by a couple inches. so what's a guy to do? i put it in reverse and backed up. the root ballhad come out of the ground when the tree fell over, but i failed to notice it, so when i tried to back up, the max just kept butting up against it. So back and forth i went, there was no turnning as i couldn't get one set of tires to grab the log from that shallow angle. I then wrecked my trans, I mean I lost the abilty to turn right, I broke a band, bummer! my buddy hooked the tow rope to the log with the other max on the scene and snapped the mostly rotten log, and i was free but i was still in a swamp and had a two hundered yard river to cross and could not turn right unless I did a 270 degree turn to the left. I made it home but on the way back the drain plug come out of the other max. Feet were wet and the belts had stared slipping and the slower they went the faster the water gushed in but it made it across . It was so loaded with water it couldn't make it up the bank of the river with out a hand. that's just one of my stories. |
Bill Straub (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 156.76.147.55
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2005 - 12:57 pm: | |
I can now testify it's possible to get stuck with a MAX. I went for a ride in the marsh behind my home the other day - I thought it would have firmed up by now. I was slowly making my way toward higher ground when I got stuck in water/muck with no bottom to grab onto. On top of that, there were humocks holding me up in front. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting this. I slogged the 1/4 mile back to the house in my jeans and tennis shoes. There, I grabbed my come-along, a tow strap, iron pipe and mechanics hammer. I was able to tie to a tree and hand winch out. I only needed to go about 2 feet before I could drive right out. Taking a different route back, I got hung up again, this time no trees around. I was able to hammer the pipe into the soft ground and ended up leaning back on it while I winched in order to keep it anchored. Thanks to this board, I was able to get home and cleaned up. I'll carry equipment with me next time when it's soft. A power winch may also be in order. |
LenCater (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 198.184.148.38
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2005 - 01:32 pm: | |
A hilift (aka farm jack, Jackall)jack and come-a-along is all you need in most cases. Hi-lifts are very useful in that their instability can be an asset. If you are stuck in ruts, jackup the rear, and with no one close by, push the argo sideways to clear the rut. The jack will fall, but that's the idea. A 2 ton come-a-long with additional 30' strap should get you out of most situations, unless there is nothing to anchor to. For that you can carry a Danford anchor as it will hold.I find that in most situations you can back out of the problem. |
Bill Straub (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 156.76.147.55
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 06, 2005 - 12:37 pm: | |
Good call on the Danford anchor - much more compact than a length of pipe and hammer. Thanks for the tip. |
david berger
Intermediate Member
Username: Davidrrrd
Post Number: 60
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 172.134.17.144
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 08, 2005 - 11:04 am: | |
in adition to that ancor you can look for info on something sold as"pull pal,"
it's something mudbug from our discussion board has purchused and used and he swairs by the thing,
and also tim okeefe has had resonably good luck with a grapple hook he purchused some place,
you may want too look his e-mail up as well. |
Kevin Watson
Junior Member
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 13
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 69.159.8.57
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 14, 2005 - 08:25 pm: | |
Get a push pole, works good in the swamp when the tires stop working.
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/66000_lg.gif |
Dave Keeso
Member
Username: Argomag
Post Number: 19
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 69.194.78.126
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 15, 2005 - 09:40 pm: | |
I myself had an interesting experiance a couple weeks ago up at the development near our cottage. Took a friend of mine up there and he is disabled so the argo was pretty much the only way to show him the area. I went past one lot that was used to dump stumps from clearing the road. However, they had also used this area to dump any dirt, soil, and anything else in the way of building the roadway. SO I decided that I was going to go up and have a look. Got half way around this massive mound (was a good 12 feet high from where the ground should have been, but the mud/dirt, etc was so built up. Anyways, I had no problem going up the incline they made to get the tractor up to dump stumps, but on the other side, I went to try to get the argo more to the left, started getting bogged down. SO using the tips i've read here, I stopped, backed up and tried another path. Got much furthur this time but as I went to make another turn, the argo decided it liked the mud better and started veering off to the right cause the mud was so thick. Stuck like i've never been stuck before. I was up to just above my knees in mud, nothing even remotely close to winch to, and with my friend not being able to help at all, I was in a bit of a bind. I shifted the weight around to get the front lighter, didn't help at all. Finally i started making some progress pushing with everything I had from the front end while my buddy tried to drive the argo out. I was giving him a crash course in how to drive the argo while stuck. SO with him semi helping but also making things harder, and me on the front end pushing till i thought my head would explode, it freed and took off in reverse and my friend not knowing how to drive it really, had no idea what to do, I was not stuck in mud and couldn't move. Imagine, someone stuck to their knees in mud, someone in an argo going about 1/4 throttle in reverse and not knowing how to stop or turn. And on top, the engine is so noisy, i couldn't yell over it loud enough to direct him. After the argo finally rammed into a rock and stopped, I eventually got out, got to the argo and got the hell out of there. What was supposed to be a hour trip to show the area turned into a 5 hour ordeal and then the car got hi centred on the gravel while pulling the trailer with argo on top. Another 2 hours later we finally got out of there. |
Bill Straub (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 156.76.147.55
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 01:00 pm: | |
Does anyone know what size Danforth anchor one might need? I'm interested in getting one for marsh trips where there's nothing to tie the winch end to. They come in various weights with 8 lb being the smallest. How large an anchor do you need? |
Jerry R. Nuss
Member
Username: Jerrynuss
Post Number: 41
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 66.20.226.15
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2005 - 05:56 pm: | |
You don't need a large one since you don't have that much mass to move and you are not dealing with wave action. How soft is the bottom and how deep is the mud? The anchor will dig in as you pull against it but if it is too deep of soft mud then it will just pull out the mud. When you do get one take some time and hit the shart edges with a grinder. The points could puncture the side of an atv if it is just left to bounce around. |
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