What method are you guys using to get a stuck skid out? I was stuck this weekend in a hard to get to spot. Ended up using a couple chains, a couple trees, and the bucket. It worked but was very slow.
Don't go in the mud in the 1st place . I've used a winch, another machine, and have even had to dig by hand, jack up and place boards etc....
If I know I'm taking my CTL swimming, I bring the mini excavator and some chains to recover it.
Last time I got stuck I had a dozer blade on and I just used it like a bucket and ooched my way out. A few years ago I was mowing around a pond when I got seriously stuck. Can't use a mower like a bucket. I went home and got a 1800lb warn winch (made for an atv). Tied the winch to the back of the skid, the cable to the front of the pick up. Was working pretty good when the skid slid sideways into a fence. I couldn't go back anymore without wrecking the fence so I called a wrecker. He came out with a one ton wrecker and a 12000lb winch and pulled me out slick as a button. Charged me $125.00. I have a 12000lb warn winch sitting on the shelf and have thought about putting a 2" receiver on the back of the skid just for these situations. Should get me out of most mud holes. Maddog has the right idea, "don't go in the mud in the first place!" JS300, tires or tracks? Tim
tmc_31...tire machine but looked at a set of ott tracks this weekend I really liked. I was trying out a new brush cutter when I got stuck the area didn't look very muddy. I could have used my tractor to pull the skid out but didn't have any help. Had to pull myself about 60 feet. Did use the tractor to pull the brush cutter out of the way and get bucket close enough to get it hooked up.
OTT tracks make a huge difference! I have eterra tracks, not the high flotation type but the bar type and they turn the machine into a mini dozer.
But you can't put them on after you're stuck.
there is someone on here with a big 300 class bobcat loader A series or S series i cant remember but he has a "tailgate protector" rear bumper bar that has a winch included and some other things its removable and its mainly on when the brush hog is attached to machine i believe
That's one of the reasons I put a 2" receiver & a receiver-mounted Warn winch on the back of my SSL...& I have OTT's. Here is a thread with pictures of solutions:
Ive had to use winch twice, and the bucket to push me backwards a bunch of times. but I bought a setoff tracks and they work great.
Actually just attended a presentation on this at a convention I was at. Granted it was geared towards pulling out large farm equipment and semi's, but the same concepts applied. The guy doing the talk was pretty down to earth, not like an OSHA presentation of an idealistic world, he talked about everything from a real world perspective. Skid steers are small and usually easy to get out providing you have something bigger to get them out with like an excavator or wheel loader. Both of these will easily just pick the skid up and play with it like a toy. For dragging them out, anything works as long as you are safe about it. I prefer cables or recovery ropes/straps but chains work providing they are in good shape, rated for the load and not cobbled together. Remember that a tow rope is not a recovery rope. Kinetic recovery ropes can come in handy but are pricey and store a lot of energy. Remember that energy has to go somewhere. Make sure you are hooking to good points on both machines and use screw pin shackles, not clevis' when needed. Drape something over the middle of the rope/chain/cable to attempt to deflect the energy downward if something breaks. Do not jerk the chain/rope. Yes kinetic ropes are designed for the jerking, but be gentle. Just put tension on the rope and let it do the work, don't get a running start at it. Keep everyone else away obviously. Try to shield windows if possible (open toolbox on truck, open upper grille on SSL, etc. You know how much your SSL knows, but you also have to factor in the amount of resistance the mud is adding. There are charts that help determine the percentage load increase based on this. Make sure to size everything accordingly. If you cannot get the machine to move, you need to break the suction of the mud. Unfortunately this sometimes means getting out the shovel and going to work. An excavator can make this job quicker but don't get it stuck in the process. Its actually pretty amazing how much easier you can make the recovery job with nothing more than a shovel and less than an hour of your time. If you can use a big enough winch, use it. Slow steady and controlled makes things so much easier and this is easiest to do with a winch. Take your time, the suction will slowly give and it will slowly come. The speaker talked about some of the recoveries they do in large mines that involves nothing more than patience. They use a kinetic rope and put tension on it, then let everything sit for awhile. In a few hours it will slowly start walking the other machine out. I always try to work myself out with the bucket and try to not dig myself into a deeper hole. If I can't get out, I'll almost always just grab the wheel loader and either scoop the SSL out with the pallet forks or chain to it and drag it out. I will say that while i've gotten used to our EH machines and the ISO pattern, it still seems easier to get yourself unstuck with good ol manual controls. Could be a mental thing looking for something to blame though too. On the flip side I may end up not digging the machine into such a deep hole because I give up trying sooner which makes it easier to get out of the hole.
As mentioned invest in a set of tracks for the machine . That will cure most of the trouble . I use grouser brand tracks on my 8875 and really like them . They last a long time and can be rebuilt . http://www.grouser.com/tracks_bar.php I like the winch ideas in this thread . HeavyEquipmentForums We built a dedicated front mount skid loader attachment for winching .
Sometimes the tracked machines get stuck too. But hear's a great way to get them out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDjQOyVULUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSBq4Fnpu5o Might be a little pricey though.
I almost forgot about that I had posted pics of this …. LOL …. Hence the name "CRAFT" ……. It has sure come in handy having the winch on there …. both ways …. for myself and have used it numerous times getting other guys/things out of trouble ….. I thought I would be removing it when in general use, but soon found out that it wasn't ever in the way …. As you seen in the pics that I also had suit-case weights … well those weight have come Off and only get installed when ive got heavy lifting to do …. the winch and Bumper set-up worked out better for me ….. Thanx for bringing it up again Stumpy !!! ….. Cheers … GK
Well the best method I found was when you in a bad place, make sure you have a tree in front of you while working and a enough chain or cable to reach it. When you get stuck, raise the boom as high as you can, Tie the chain to the tree as high as you can, then hook your chain to the bottom of the Skid Steer as tight as you can. then get in the seat and push down on the chain with the bottom of your bucket. You probably will have to repeat that till you get out.
That sounds like a good method Bubba. I hooked the chain to the base of the tree then ran it under the bucket and hooked it to the tie downs on top of the bucket. This way I could raise the booms and curl the bucket down to pull myself out. Took allot of in and out and hooking up but I got out.
Uhhh !!! …. Sorry Bubba !!! ….. WTH !!! ….WE DON'T Always arrange to get stuck with TREE's IN FRONT of Us ??? …… and as in my pic there was an 8' high barbed wire topped chainlink fence beside me ….. the only thing I HAD was bigger Fir Stumps behind me …. which BTW… IS the Best way to get out of a Stuck …. Back The Same Way You Went IN …… Every thing was up hill away from me ….. this was a hole !!! ….even tho I had those green stumps we were so stuck that everything within 150' of winch line, I pulled them out of the ground …. had to go for a lot more chain & cable including a snatch block to winch in a 45* corner to be in line …… And to put a chain, cable, tow strap up as high in a tree is crazy (Unless its a 2' diam tree 200' tall… LOL) alls you will be doing by going that high is creating leverage to pull the tree over on Yourself !!! …… "To Each His Own" ….I guess … What ever Works for You !!! …. cheers
Craft...that's not stuck...that's buried!!! You did REAL well getting out of that one...
You're not stuck unless you have to call a tow truck or low bed in a larger piece of equipment to get you out. If you can get out with what you have on site (including other equipment), it doesn't qualify as being stuck in my book, just a hinderance.
What we didn't know was ??? …. there was a buried underground stream …. it was real early spring before all the new growth started …. as you can see I had already made one pass until the second and I was gone this was only the beginning of stuck it was over the tracks by the time I got a good anchor to hook the winch main line to …… I was able to get the machine turned (as in the Pic) ……. 4 hrs later was a good feeling to be on solid ground again …. LOL ….. With out the winch I was Screwed ….
CM : It WAS REAL Close to have to Lowbed my Excavator to that site and get it out (to far away and the road restrictions were on too …. 70% axle loads only) …… Before I installed the #14,000 winch that's how we had to do it …… but up until I got anchored to an old 3' diam Fir Stump we had 2 Single axle Oshkosh Dump /Plow trucks hooked up and they almost got stuck in 4X4 ….. it was just one of those Days !!!
Craft 4 hours aint to bad, I had a small dozer stuck for 2 days. Ended up digging down by hand over 3 foot placing hand jacks, jacking it up little by little over and over and placing long slabs of wood. Still had to use a tractor to help pull it out. The clean up is always the most fun though