BIG Ooops!!!

[PILOON]

I watched a Case backhoe operator last summer install a hydro pole in a marsh!

Amazing operator.

The Case had an 'extendable boom' and he used it to advance (drag) a pole as well as about a 2 yard steel tub filled with gravel as he went along.

He flipped the bucket in a pulling motion while he used the extendable hoe to push at the same time.

He even walked the machine over hidded in the muck boulders using the outrigger legs to balance himself as he pushed.

He'd jack the front with his loader and skid along while pushing with the hoe.
Every now and then he'd advance the pole and tub with the hoe and then slide push another few feet foreward.

All the while he had muddy water awash in the cab as that was how deep the bog was.

Sure wish I had a video to capture that amazing feat.

I'd estimate that he covered (walked) about 300 yards in the muck.

 

[EddieWalker]

Piloon,

I'be heard the same stories from some of the old timers. Before excavators were so common, they used backhoes for everything, and they took them everywhere. I've had a few close calls, but so far, I've never found myself so stuck with my backhoe that I couldn't get out.

As far as trying to find a dozer to pull out the dozer from the mud, that dozer is small enough that it will be easy work for a backhoe. A D6 is overkill and depending on the traction available, it might not even get the job done. Think hydraulic power.

One thing that I've been told, and taken seriously, is to only risk an area once. You can usually drive over a questionable area once, but the second time through it and your tracks will break through. While digging my pond, I found areas that felt like jello. I could see the dirt move just like a water bed. I backed out and avoided those areas. A week or month later, it would dry out and I could go back and dig some more.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[PILOON]

Once drove my snow plow (4 x 4 GMC 3/4 ton / 8ft fisher) over a stone wall!
Well, just enough to sit the front frame on the edge as I could not locate it due to snow accumulation.
Tied chain to a nearby tree, attached the come-along (5-ton 'tirfor') and cranked away to get it taunt before calling the wife to 'slip the clutch' and help.
To my amazment the front wheels simply rolled up and over the edge of the wall!

Now a 3/4 4x4 fueler set up as a plow is some heavy up front!

 

[fordman6442]

Try laying a log across the back of the tracks and chain it to the tracks on each side. Back up slow and the chains will pull the log under your tracks and you can walk right out.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here's a video showing an excavator pulling out a pretty good sized dozer with a chain. This is what I do with my backhoe and what I would try to do for your dozer.

YouTube - John deere dozer getting pulled out of a wet hole

Here is the link to the guy I mentioned earlier. He's in his 20's, but has a huge amount of experience and skill.

YouTube - Digging more creek channel and busting more beaver dams

If you ever get in the mood to watch some great youtube videos, take a look at what he's posted.

Anyway, the mats that he's using are basically what you will need to get under your tracks to get out on your own. If you find that all the other shortcuts are not working and you realize that it's time to just get it done, regardless of how painful and exhausting it is, then this will work. You don't need an excavator, you can just build them up one log at a time under your tracks.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[Willl]

If you ever get in the mood to watch some great youtube videos, take a look at what he's posted.

I did a utube search for this guy when you first posted about him.
I think I have now watched all his vids. The boy has some talent. Don't miss the styro cup vid.

 

[firemen122]

Cut logs to get under front blade. Put enough under till you can lift front of machine and break suction. TRy to force some under front of tracks to support weight. chain log to rear of tracks. after suction broke try reversing as log pulled under shove next log with it. rear of machine should start to lift keep feeding logs under rear tiil on mat. Dont forget to unchain fist log.........Have had to chan logs together so first log will pull next ones under when working alone. Good luck Breaking suction in that grey mud is important.......

 

[BrentD]

Well, She's out!!! And she managed largely under her own power with only a minor assist from our Montana 4340C. Chaining the log to the tracks made all the difference. Now, as promised: Pics!!!!

Here's a general overview of the situation as it was around 9:00 this morning, after sitting all night.

Here's a closer shot of the dozer before we worked any today:

And a side-view so you can see how deep the front end was buried:

A view from the front. My dad is standing behind the dozer (looking rather confused) trying to disconnect the chain that survived our aborted attempt last night:

(Not sure how many links I can have in a single thread so I'm going to break this up)

 

[BrentD]

We chained the log to the back of the dozer again, only this time we wrapped the chain around the pyramid grouser twice before hooking it so that the chain would be taking the force rather than the hook. Started the dozer up and it took the log under, moved back about a foot and then stalled. At that point my dad went back up to the barn and brought our Montana tractor down and hooked on to the back of the dozer.

In this pic, you can see the montana hooked up to the dozer just after our first pull. By this point the log is already up to the front of the dozer and we've stopped to disconnect it.

Here are a couple of pics showing how far we got on the first pull:

This next one was taken before we disconnected the log before we pulled the second time.

 

[BrentD]

Before we could get the log loose from teh right track I had to spin that track forward some more and raise the front of the dozer up with the blade. As I was raising the dozer up the downpressure from the blade snapped the post. The irony here is that the post we're using is the last remnant of a post I broke out from under our pole barn parking the dozer about a month or so ago. We didn't bother chaining up another log to the tracks for the final pull. Using the Montana to keep tension on the chain and keeping the dozer at full throttle she climbed right out of the hole.

Here's a few pics of the aftermath:

Looking from the back:

From the front:

From up the hill looking down:

Big thanks to everyone for the suggestions and moral support.