My truck is in the ditch!

[Cougsfan]

My '96 Dodge 4wd 1 ton has a snow plow mounted on the front that I use to plow the roads in our rural development. It has tire chains on the outside duallies. It snowed fairly heavily the night before I went on vacation and I did a quick plow of our roads. The last place I was plowing was the neighbors gravel driveway, which is long (maybe 1/2 mile), very narrow and very steep in one place. It has about a foot of snow on it covering solid ice. I made the mistake of trying to plow up hill on the steep, icy part. I had to get a good run at it in order to make it up the hill. The snow plow pushed the front end of the truck sideways on the ice at the end of the steepest part. The truck ended up in the ditch on the side of the hill. It is now setting high centered at about a 45 degree sideways angle (That's a guess, but it is pretty close to rolling over on its side). If it slides down hill anymore, the ditch gets much more pronounced and it will most likely roll the truck over.
I have a 50hp 4wd tractor that I tried to pull it out with but it only spins it's wheels. My neighbor borrowed a 100 hp tractor while I was gone and it won't pull it up the hill either, or pull it sideways back on the road. A tow truck won't even come out to where it is (It would get probably get stuck). There are no trees or rocks or anything to secure a come-a-long too. (it is an old wheat field). I could go up hill and sink my loader in the ground and use it as a pull point. Not sure my 2 ton come-along would budge a high centered 8,000 lb truck with a 1,000 lb or so snow plow mounted to it, anyway.
I will be back home in a couple of days. (My neighbor has been leaving his car on the main road at the bottom of the hill as he can't get drive it home) Any suggestions other than wait till spring? (might be harder then as everything turns to a clay based mud.)

 

[MossRoad]

Pictures are worth a thousand words.... and someone might be able to see something that will help you out. Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[MinnesotaEric]

 

[bcp]

Some kind of anchor on the other side of the road, then a cable and pulley arrangement to multiply your pull. (dig a trench for a RR tie, then freeze it in place?) (post hole digger, at least three posts with angled tie lines?)

Download the Army vehicle recovery manual for lots of ideas.

www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/Fm20-22(62).pdf

Bruce

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Block and tackle on a tree.

 

[4570Man]

Use both tractors.

 

[two_bit_score]

Keep us updated on any progress.

 

[k0ua]

Or call Jamie Davis...

 

[3930dave]

Safety first - worth stating the obvious - you have a situation there that could easily injure or kill.

Are there any 4wd clubs around that you can ask for help ? Seasoned off-roaders will have some extraction tools, but more importantly, the experience with this type of extraction.

As per Moss, post relevant pics when you can.

Based on my limited mental picture of your stuck..... secure the truck with a solid uphill anchor. Remove the plow if you can. If you can't get a powerful enough winch attached to that anchor, then the truck will have to be lifted. Depending on the geometry of the ditch, jacking it may difficult or impossible to do safely. If you can lift it, then filling the ditch with logs might be enough reduction in drag for the 100hp to pull it. One bad stuck years ago we had 2 tractors daisy-chained together, pulling the 3'rd (and largest) tractor that was sunk in mud - got 'er done, but broke a cable doing it. Read up on chain and cable safety if not familiar.

If you can beg/borrow/thieve a couple of large I beams, dropping those 90degrees across the ditch once the truck is lifted may give you a shot at dropping the ditch wheels down on the I beams. I beam has to be anchored on the far end - if you can pull all that off, you may be able to drag it sideways away from the ditch. The I beams have to be large enough to safely channel the tires.

Aside from 4wd clubs, know any volunteer fire guys ? Heavy lift air bags (+someone familiar with them) might be helpful.

A large enough dozer+winch is one of the few things I can think of that could pull your truck where you describe it sitting now. Big backhoe with drum reel winch on rear-wheel is another.

Ask for more help in your area, and if it seems too dangerous, it probably is. Be safe.

Rgds, D.

 

[Cougsfan]

Block and tackle on a tree.

Turn it sideways and put it on a steep hill, and that is my truck! Block and tackle on a tree would require about a 3 mile long cable. I am going to stop at a Harbor Freight on the way home and buy a bigger come-alongs, more chain and one of those pulleys (I forget what they call them) that you use when you yard out logs
I thought about the auger idea, but the ground is frozen.
Will keep you all posted.