Some insight into towing/stuck in mud

[shootist]

I just spoke with my friend that owns a large towing outfit. He just liberated a newer Newmar buried to the axles and arms in mud. About 8000$ No damage at all. The man said no to 1500 an hour (more than 1 truck and iirc 4 men) and tried to get it pulled out by his insurance companies. They all called my friends company which he declined to work for them because for him it’s a losing proposition. I’m not going to give out any private information or photos. I’m just trying to give a front door view of what goes on behind the scene. I’m quite sure the man’s insurance company will cover him. But more importantly he drove back to wherever with needing nothing more than an undercarriage wash. My friend has some very specialized equipment , track steers with big winches, there was a combined 85 years of experience there. The cost will quickly be forgotten, damage to a million dollar coach would not have been.
Don’t drive off the roads until august in southern ca. the ground can pump up water for that many months after the rains they’ve had. He also pulled out a fire truck today that broke through the asphalt into muck.

[Isaac-1]

The flip side of this is that many tow truck operators see dollar signs when the recovery involves an expensive vehicle such as an upper end diesel pusher.

[twogypsies]

That person should have never driven off pavement with all the rain they've been having! Even when it's dry one has to be very careful with a heavy rig. Well-used boondocking spots on public lands is one thing but going into unknown territory is a huge mistake.

[DR60]

I have sunk several pieces of heavy equipment in places that I have watched others in lighter rigs drive right over. Even when the top crust is dry.
And from personal experience the more you fool with it the worse it gets.
When the worst happens, get someone that knows their job, and equipment that is big enough to pull the rig the first time. Because the more they fool around the deeper it goes. DR

[rarebear.nm]

Many years ago I had a F150 4 x 4 on a overgrown dirt track in northern NM mountains when a rear wheel dropped in to a 3ft deep hole cover by grass. My high lift jack was of no use. Should have gone a little wider on that turn. We had two other pickups with long cables and chains and could not move it. Called a tow operator from a near by town, Chama, NM. The tow operator got me out fine. But the tow truck proceeded to get himself stuck in the mud. The three pickups teamed up and got him out. No charge that day.


That was only of many times getting a truck stuck, but only time needed a tow truck. So far I've never stuck an RV. But with the experience I have I'm very careful where I try to take an RV and know what to look out for.

[shootist]

Originally Posted by Isaac-1

The flip side of this is that many tow truck operators see dollar signs when the recovery involves an expensive vehicle such as an upper end diesel pusher.

It’s all billed on time, there is no seeing anything. Rotators are a million dollars now, you go make the payments on one, and then keep from killing your self while using it.

[Cat320]

Only been stuck once...when exiting the CG exactly as instructed when we checked in. Called road service, the driver said to remove the towing equipment off the hitch. He then put a tow bar into the receiver and had me put the MH in reverse and not accelerating, just idling...pulled me out backwards.

[shootist]

Originally Posted by Cat320

Only been stuck once...when exiting the CG exactly as instructed when we checked in. Called road service, the driver said to remove the towing equipment off the hitch. He then put a tow bar into the receiver and had me put the MH in reverse and not accelerating, just idling...pulled me out backwards.

You weren’t stuck, just delayed 😂😂😂

[Cat320]

That's about right! We were in real slick, wet, soft grass. When in "D" or "R" it would sit there at an idle....with the dual wheels slowly turning and us not moving.

[shootist]

Originally Posted by Cat320

That's about right! We were in real slick, wet, soft grass. When in "D" or "R" it would sit there at an idle....with the dual wheels slowly turning and us not moving.

This newmar had to be lifted by the rear axle to get the axles out of the mud before a big track skid stear with a huge winch could start pulling it. The rotator on the rear axle had to boom out as it proceeded. The guys called the owner out on the job because they figured it would roll on it’s side if pulled. Lots of nasty digging to get that axle slung.

[Triangle Drifter]

There is a marine saying "You have not been around until you have been aground". In the RV world it must be similar. "You have not been around until you have been stuck in the ground".

I have had my turn a few times in 25 years. Twice at the Oskosh EAA. A few times in soggy CGs. Got myself out most times.

I carry self help tools for such occasions which include a tow rope, plenty of boards normally used for leveling, chunks of wood to get under tires & a couple of bottle jacks.

For minor 'stucks' there is always somebody with his big bad 4WD looking for an excuse to put it in 4WD not far away.

[jimcumminsw]

I was stock in a campground in Bath NY, after a sever raining fall in 2018. The campsites were on grass with full hook-ups. I had to pull in on an angle and I was only in 2-wheel drive at the time. But once the trailer started to sink, I stop (big mistake) and switch to 4-wheel high to continue to pull thru.

This is what it took to get me out, no cost and the campground did the work to get me out. I did see several class A diesel pushers also get stuck that day and the campground got them out to with no damage at all.

[Ray,IN]

If I did any boondocking or attend rally's in open fields I would purchase and carry a set of Truck Claws.
Truck Claws are also made for light trucks and autos.


The most stuck I ever saw a vehicle was a farmers new combine stuck in a cornfield. (about 50-60 yrs ago) The frame was down to the mud.

He had tried everything he knew but succeeded in making a mudhole around the combine.
He called in a huge 10x10 wrecker to pull out the combine. The wrecker driver hooked up his big winch cable and began pulling out the combine. The problem arose when it pulled the rear axle/steer axle off of the frame and destroyed the new combine.
This resulted in the farmer killing himself with a shotgun. The combine was uninsured and the wrecker driver had the farmer sign a release when he arrived.
Even 50 years ago a new combine was $80K.


The moral of this is; spend the money to hire experience, knowledge and proper equipment.

[jimcumminsw]

This was not boondock it was a full-service campground but just on grass in Bath NY.