Frustration,,,Updated 4/20

[contender]

I swear,,, sometimes I could break a cast anvil with a rubber hammer.

Today,, I needed to move a little dirt. It was loose & easy to get. I borrowed a bucket skid steer loader. Wheeled, not tracked. Where I needed to put the dirt was level,, with previous fill dirt. There was a small dead tree, (about 4"-5" diameter,) laying across the place I needed to go.
So, I needed to move the tree first.
It went ok, but as I was backing out, off the fill, left side edge being the softest,, and with me trying to avoid it,, I still managed to get the wheels in the softer area.

Long story short; I have a skid steer stuck.
It has slipped sideways & settled down, with a 6" tree keeping it from rolling over to my left. And another 6" tree keeping me from being able to pull it out with my tractor.

Gonna get the owner of it to come over & see what ideas he has to get it out of it's hole.

Sheesh,, I feel stupid.

 

[Big Old Boy]

Don’t feel stupid crap happens all the time. Been there done that. Running a Cat pan many years ago I rolled it off the fill to the bottom about twenty feet down, it happens.

 

[Fox Mike]

Don't get too down on yourself. I would imagine most of us here have met Murphy at some point in our lives.

 

[tinman]

Been there done that......more than once. :roll:

 

[jimd441]

I agree - don't beat your self up over this. I know it is likely embarrassing but I suspect the owner will know that could have just as easily happened to him.

Jim

 

[Pat-inCO]

Look on the positive side. :wink:

One of the guys I went to High School with went to work at the Coal Mine near
where I lived. He managed to back a front loader off the road. Front loader was
totalled, he was buried a few days later.

I'll take being embarrassed any time. :wink: . :D . 8)

 

[Mobuck]

Well, I'm just guessing you don't want to cut the tree that's preventing you from pulling on the stuck loader with a tractor??? Is there a way you can use a "tree strap", a shackle, and a tow strap to use that tree to re-direct your pull?
We get "Wallie the skidloader" into some pretty precarious spots and I've often asked myself why they don't install more accessible hook points.

 

[blume357]

Sounds like chainsaw time to me. I did it once with my van trying to back a trailer in pretty much an impossible spot and it too me and a friend over an hour with a tractor to get is all straightened out.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

We need pictures! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[contender]

To answer a few questions.
Yes, the trees can be cut. But my (3) chainsaws are down right now. My Stihl is in the shop, and my (2) Husky's are looking for a GOOD mechanic.

I can take the embarrassment, no problem. it's frustrating when you do something and can't fix it, and it SHOULD be easy.

And I just got off the phone with the owner. He went over there a little while ago, and he got in it & maneuvered it some, and thinks we can get it out with a little more work. And cutting one tree. He said he turned it "downhill," a direction I would have NEVER tried, and got it wiggled over a bit. We are gonna get it out later today after we both get out work done for the day.

I'll get some pics later,, as I know it's fun to see such screw-ups!

 

[Bob Wright]

A better synonym for "stupid" is adventurous.


Bob Wright

 

[jgt]

If you sat on the couch and played video games things like this would never happen. Living life, you encounter these situations. I am sorry for your frustration, but like others have said, we've all been there. Take your time and be careful when you attempt to recover the equipment. Good Luck!

 

[bobski]

and you wonder why an old farmers life span was 50 years? the land killed them. ask mobuck. land is not kind to humans.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Don't get too down on yourself. I would imagine most of us here have met Murphy at some point in our lives.

Hi,

Definitely! That Irishman's a very busy lad! ;)

Rick C

 

[caryc]

About your chainsaws...three of them and not one capable of being used when you need it. There's a wonderful new invention called an electric chain saw. The only time they let you down is if you let the battery run down. Then a quick charger puts you back in action. I have a nice Echo Timberwolf that gets very little use since my first "go to" are the electric saws.

I hope you get your problem solved. I was using my Ford 8N with a five foot mower on the back of it. I was mowing an area that I hadn't done in quite a while. I headed into the quite bushy area and I came to a sudden stop. The Ford was sitting on an angle with it's oil pan resting on a boulder. So the front wheels were off the ground and one of the rear wheels was also off the ground.

My solution? I went and got the Massey Ferguson 202 and pulled it down off the rock quite easily. I was really worried about the Ford's oil pan and front end. I drove it back to the house and was quite happy to find absolutely no damage. Of course both of the tractors oil pans are cast iron which I found out was a very good idea.

 

[Selena]

My late uncle claimed it was best to avoid anyone that didn't have at least one story of a monumental mess up. He claimed it was a sign they were never successful at anything either.

 

[contender]

As noted,, I accept the facts of life & the occasional screw-up.

To answer about my chainsaws,, One was a gift, & I never got around to trying to get it running. It's a match for one I already had, so I accepted it with grace, just in case I needed parts. The one Husky I already had,, hasn't ever been a real problem. But,, it is about 24 yrs old,, so I guess it's time to overhaul it. I just need to get a GOOD mechanic on it. But I haven't found one yet.
And my Stihl,, it's currently in a shop,, but they haven't fixed it yet.
I won't get an electric one,, because I USE my saws for serious work, and I have enough battery tools to trust a chainsaw to work AND last for me if it were electric. I currently have about a dozen trees on my place I want to remove, and it will be work. That's why the Stihl is in the shop.

Well, back to the skidsteer. I went over there after speaking with the owner. Boy,, he maneuvered it in a fashion I'd NEVER tried. He got it stuck even harder. In the picture I'm going to post,, I had it pointed straight away,, with just the left side tires dug in. He turned it where the front end is facing downhill, and got it into even softer dirt.
We tried this afternoon to move it out, (after cutting a tree,) and no dice. My JD tractor & his expertise just wasn't enough. Tomorrow,, he's bringing a bigger machine to assist in removing it.

Here's the pic of how it NOW looks.

 

[Kevin]

Wow! Looks like it could be a pretty decent backstop for a high powered rifle? :D

I have an electric chain saw, they are light duty at best. I wouldn’t want to use it to take down a tree of any size. I use mine to make small pieces of fire wood for my smoker.

Good luck!

 

[314Chevy]

Anyone who has never done something like this has never done anything! I managed to get a fork lift stuck in sand twice in the same spot.

 

[contender]

That pile of dirt is soft,, as it is fill off one section of my range. And yes,, it's actually going to be a berm for a bay to the left of everything. I have a berm & bay already there,, I'm just adding to this one until I can remove the first one & enlarge the bay.

I've stuck a skid steer before,, but not to the point of not being able to use the bucket & all to pull it out. After this pic was taken, we did cut down the dead tree that's near the front of it. Tried to use part of that to "push" with the bucket & assist in moving it backwards. No dice.
The 2 cherry trees, at the rear,, they can go if needed.

Headed over there as soon as the owner calls me that he's ready.

 

[Mobuck]

Well yeah, that's quite a "pre-dickie-ment" you're in. It's not that you're stuck, it's just that you can't go the direction you need/want to go. Just looking at it from a distance(3000 miles) I'd like to suggest something but I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for the failure that might ensue. Hopefully, the owner shows up with enough umph to get it out w/o further frustration.

 

[nekvermont]

Looks like a job for Jamie Davis Towing.

 

[wwb]

Many years ago, I had an "unstoppable" FJ40 Land Cruiser..... I proved beyond a doubt that it was "stoppable". A pair of come-alongs, a hi-lift jack, a shovel, an axe, and some tree branches later, it was free after about an hour.

Looking at the picture, it looks like digging out behind it so you're no trying to go uphill would help. The advice is free, and you get what you pay for.

 

[Kevin]

I used to work for a canoe rental company in the Ozarks. I remember getting a van with trailer stuck. The old guy owner showed up, looked over the situation and with some effort, just drove the van out.

 

[powder smoke]

Trouble is skid steers do not have much clearance short tires do not allow you any much leeway.
Get another machine and pull it out. Been there done that! ps

 

[contender]

Well, it's out.
The owner came over this morning, with one of his employees, and they took a tracked skid steer, hooked a chain to it, and nada.
So, he re-positioned things, moved a small pile of dirt, to allow a straight pull, shortened the chain a lot, and pulled it out!
Success!!!!!!!



After all that,, the owner looked at me & said; "There it is,, go back to work!" And, I did. I spent 3-1/2 hours moving dirt I'd planned to move Sunday. Then, the owner showed up, politely asking if he could get the machine. Seems the other skid steer he has,, has a mechanical problem. He said he'll have it back to me Friday to let me finish what I was doing.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Ta-DAA!

All's well that comes out good! :wink:
(and you both are happy) :D

 

[Colonialgirl]

Glad things turned out well for you Ty.

 

[Mobuck]

Good.
Our first skidloader was a Bobcat 763G and it was a learning experience. Son had used a skidloader some in a "more controlled environment" (meaning less likelihood of a total catastrophe) and I'd run one in the 70's quite a bit doing snow removal and worksite cleanup. Neither of these was much help when the machine was used for brush clearing on rough ground or using the grapple to collect and pile cut trees on spongy CRP land.
One memorable event involved tying the skidloader to a sizeable tree with a couple of tow straps to prevent it sliding sidewise downhill into a ravine as we attempted to extricate it from a spot Son had wiggled it into before it lost all directional control on the slick hillside.

 

[contender]

Yeah, all is good now. I prefer to use a tracked skid steer in general. But in this case,,, where I was working,, I knew a track one would damage the grass a lot more, & heck, it just got growing decently.

So, it was frustrating,, but nothing life altering or anything like that. Just another day in life! :D