Stuck & the tools to get out

[becida]

I have an '87 E250 & went to help a guy who went to far on the Lake Mead mud. The lake level is going down and it's not ready for vehicles (no matter how it looks) for some time.

I went to help, the ground looked ok, when I pulled he didn't move and my read wheels sank. The ground looked ok, it wasn't. 

It took a couple in a jeep with a highlift jack to help us out.

We had to lift the rear of the van high enough to get the van's rear end off the ground, put large flat rocks under the tires to keep the rear end off the ground and the jeep to help pull.
Heck of a lesson!

I had a shovel, 20' of recovery strap & 30' of chain. I NEEDED the high lift jack & come-a-long I sold 2 years ago, I'm going to buy those tools again.
I now have a new found knowledge about driving anywhere off the road.

 

[GotSmart]

I have an '87 E250 & went to help a guy who went to far on the Lake Mead mud. The lake level is going down and it's not ready for vehicles (no matter how it looks) for some time.

I went to help, the ground looked ok, when I pulled he didn't move and my read wheels sank. The ground looked ok, it wasn't. 

It took a couple in a jeep with a highlift jack to help us out.

We had to lift the rear of the van high enough to get the van's rear end off the ground, put large flat rocks under the tires to keep the rear end off the ground and the jeep to help pull.
Heck of a lesson!

I had a shovel, 20' of recovery strap & 30' of chain. I NEEDED the high lift jack & come-a-long I sold 2 years ago, I'm going to buy those tools again.
I now have a new found knowledge about driving anywhere off the road.

Yep.  Stay out of the mud.

 

[LeeRevell]

Yep.  Stay out of the mud.

We Floridians learn that lesson early on!   Same with sugar sand!
A few years back, I was visiting a sand pit area.  A buddy and I rode our motorcycles into a certain spot, and had a devil of a time getting out.  Our knobby tires just kept digging into the soft sand!
A couple weeks later, I was there alone.  It had rained quite a bit.  I considered riding that patch again.....
Good thing I walked it first.  I went hip deep into "Grey Clay" mud!!  Holy Moly!  If I had ridden into it, my bike woulda sunk to China.......   :blush:

More recently, a hunting buddy got his 4X4 Chevy truck stuck in a sandy wash on the hunting lease.  To this day, we call it "Jim's Pit".   Another buddy pulled him out with his 4X4 Honda Foreman ATV 4-wheeler!  Jim will never live that down...... 

 

[akrvbob]

Traction mats are good to thing to carry. I carry these all the time:
http://www.amazon.com/OTW-Enterprise-LLC-Portable-orange/dp/B0046CZKIA/

I haven't used them yet but I review them and give you ideas of getting unstuck here:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/getting-stuck-avoid-happens/

Did you air your tires down? That is the single most important thing to do to get unstuck!
Bob

 

[rvpopeye]

I used to go Jeeping with some friends just looking for places that might stop us....no fun unless we got stuck !
Those Hi Lift jacks and a come a long with straps and a spare to bury if needed were standard operating gear..
Walking out ahead is only good to a point. It was good to know a logger with a skidder for the REALLY BAD spots , and some of those same spots were created by a skidder !!!! Ahhhh those are good memories.

These days I just say no to dicey looking areas , too old and sore to play those games anymore ...plenty of places left to go.
Now if we're talking 4 wheelers ,,,,
Oh My Goshk !

 

[highdesertranger]

yep once your axle or anything else is hung up you got to lift it up or you will never get it out. when we are in new areas we always prerun with our quads to check it out. highdesertranger

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i bought a cool looking thing...forget the name,but its basically a rubber block you strap to you wheels. simple but i saw it get out of some heinous stuff on youtube.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

trac grabber its called.

 

[cortttt]

Is there a place for a hi-lift jack to fit onto the body of the van without damaging it?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Is there a place for a hi-lift jack to fit onto the body of the van without damaging it?

Probably not.  But you can lift by the wheels.

[video=youtube]

 

[cortttt]

Probably not.  But you can lift by the wheels.

[video=youtube]

Isn't that something....Thanks

 

[LoupGarou]

Keep in mind the jack is being used on a level hard concrete surface and the truck is level.

 

[Raven+Squid]

Keep in mind the jack is being used on a level hard concrete surface and the truck is level.

Yea, its definitely good to carry a couple square pieces of plywood to distribute the load of the jack base when you are in muddy stuff.

 

[Wanderer]

I have an '87 E250 & went to help a guy who went to far on the Lake Mead mud. The lake level is going down and it's not ready for vehicles (no matter how it looks) for some time.

I went to help, the ground looked ok, when I pulled he didn't move and my read wheels sank. The ground looked ok, it wasn't. 

It took a couple in a jeep with a highlift jack to help us out.

We had to lift the rear of the van high enough to get the van's rear end off the ground, put large flat rocks under the tires to keep the rear end off the ground and the jeep to help pull.
Heck of a lesson!

I had a shovel, 20' of recovery strap & 30' of chain. I NEEDED the high lift jack & come-a-long I sold 2 years ago, I'm going to buy those tools again.
I now have a new found knowledge about driving anywhere off the road.

Goes to show, there are STILL wonderful people willing to help you out of a situation....

 

[highdesertranger]

if you don't know how to use a Hi-lift jack I suggest you don't use one. they are very dangerous to the inexperienced user. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

any jack for that matter,the stock screw jacks are very dangerous

for getting un stuck,i prefer to partner up when going deep in the woods if solo a comealong,chains,rope,shovel,land anchor in a no tree area

 

[highdesertranger]

good point Gary. any tool weather a gun or a jack or any other tool is not a toy, know how to properly use it or leave it alone. highdesertranger

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

if you don't know how to use a Hi-lift jack I suggest you don't use one.  they are very dangerous to the inexperienced user.  highdesertranger

Hmm.  This is one of those "You're right, but" situations.

Yes, people have been badly injured, crippled, and even killed by these things.

At the same time, they've been around for over a hundred years now, and tens of thousands of people have used them successfully hundreds of thousands of times.

You do need to understand how to use them safely, but it doesn't require a multi-hour safety training class to get certified.

It can be summed up by saying keep both hands on the jack at all times, and don't let your head or any part of your body get between the jack handle and the jack column.

Go out to Youtube and search on "Hi Lift Jack"  and you will find several videos showing you the correct way to use them and also showing you exactly what can go wrong if you don't use them right.  In fact, here's one good one:

[video=youtube]

There are other videos that will show you how to use the jack as a winch, as well as videos showing you the many useful accessories for it.

And keep in mind that any time you are trying to recover a stuck vehicle, whatever you are using, whether a Hi Lift, a winch, a yanker strap, or whatever, it can be potentially crippling or deadly if you don't do it right.

Regards
John

 

[highdesertranger]

I didn't say don't use it. I said if you don't know how to use it, don't. just like any other tool. get educated on the proper use and you are good to go. I have one and I use it on occasion, but I wouldn't lend it to someone who never used one. I however would gladly show them how to use one. highdesertranger