Skid steer in trouble @ 10 below

well , I knew it could happen Last weekend I went and packed a swamp down with 2 machines first in the heavy cover went with a Bombardier Muskeg and packed the area with small Tag alders and tamerack up to 3 inches just dorove them over. then in the real soft and open area went back into the floating bog area with the wide track (45") LMC 1200C and packed that area on the fourth pass through even that was sinking in about 2 feet in the back .for a local farmer that wanted to get out on this swamp in the area.with his skidsteer with tracks and brush cut it. well he called yesterday night and said. it had happened he had wandered over to far from the packed area and now he broke through in the bog area. so this morning at -10 with a wind chill into the -25-30 range off we go . to cut with chain saws and winch him free. maybe, to make the matter worse he called about 10:30 last night and said he was taking the machine fuel to keep it running last night and said when he got out there with the wheeler and the fuel it was not running anymore. can this get worse? and the battery was now dead....... I will try to get some photos of the recovery and if you are near heat and shelter soak up a little heat for us.

Sounds like you're going to need waders and water-wings on top of your Super(Snow)man suit
That or a long cable.
Good luck. Stay warm.

Watch out if you get wet in those temps. Hope you have some brush you could cut to walk it out on. A tracked skid stuck is a mess to drag out. Hope it has a good hitch hole in the back you can get the winch on.

no waders needed or brush by late night it was frozen right up to and including the skidsteer @ -10 it makes ice fast the ice where it was packed is over a foot thick already. it will be chain saws and cut the cube out time

Getting out stuck equipment is such a nightmare!!!! In normal mud you need at least 3 times the pulling power of whats stuck!!! Frozen in???? How are you unfreezing it or breaking it up around it?? A jackhammer??? Using that nice primed Muskeg I hope???? The winch should help alot as it pull up high.
Good Luck!!!!!

That farmer is pretty lucky to have someone around with the right equipment. Get pictures, heck if you got good video I bet you could even make some gas money on YouTube.

This is the fun you have when you go through the ice

Here are some pictures from the adventure . needless to say the owner in orange was pretty happy to get it out.

Great pictures !
Looks like you had to break it out sideways before you could drag the iceball out .

It took two 'cats ?

They must have had to just drag it to a barn? ... it doesn't look like the tracks are going around on the ice side.

pixie said:

Great pictures !
Looks like you had to break it out sideways before you could drag the iceball out .

It took two 'cats ?

They must have had to just drag it to a barn? ... it doesn't look like the tracks are going around on the ice side.

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It took two cats to get enough traction on the ice. The 1200C has ice caulks
the muskeg had the winch. the 1200 also acted like as a anchor with no trees to tie off on. we turned it and skided it out about a 1/3 of a mile where
it was winched onto a trailer and hauled about 15 miles to a nice warm shop on the farm when they tilted the trailer and released the winch it slid so fast into the shop it almost did not stop before it hit a parked van inside glad it is done then I came home and went a groomered about 4 miles of cross country ski trail should be set up tomorrow.

I hope they change the oil in the chaincases on the side that got submerged. That should be the only thing that really needs done. The rest should thaw out OK.

boggie said:

It took two cats to get enough traction on the ice. The 1200C has ice caulks
the muskeg had the winch. the 1200 also acted like as a anchor with no trees to tie off on. we turned it and skided it out about a 1/3 of a mile where
it was winched onto a trailer and hauled about 15 miles to a nice warm shop . . .

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Seems to me you earned a nice warm cup of hot cocoa. Or maybe something just a little bit stronger.

boggie what are you doing getting practiced up for when Big Al gets his krusty running and wan'ts to go for a ride

Sure looks like tundra or muskeg(don't know the difference) you are on with all the water below. How deep does the water get under there!!!! If the ice thawed would that skidsteer have sunk out of site like quicksand!!!!! Great recovery, The owner looks thrilled!!!

dds said:

boggie what are you doing getting practiced up for when Big Al gets his krusty running and wan'ts to go for a ride

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IF and When Big AL gets his running and he would manage to fall through a swamp no worries he is already in a tub. just bring him soap. and rum and coke. and a rubber duck

Boggie that farmer owes you big time! Nice job. I was going to take off the winch on mine to cut down on weight, but maybe not after seeing this. Has the farmer realized that he needs a snow cat? Even with tracks those skid steers are so pathetic in snow and ice.