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Post by blackrubi on Jan 7, 2009 7:54:51 GMT -5
Prez, VP, Waterman and Vince
While it is fresh in your minds, were there any items that would have made yesterday's work easier? Were there tips or techniques to share with the rest of the group?
From my warm office in Philadelphia I noticed a few things:
1. Do we all need some type of damper/rag to tie on winch lines for safety? Is this something the club should carry?
2. Was the "log bridge" constructed from dead wood? Should we carry blocks in our jeeps? should some one carry perforated ramp stock?
3. Given the distance from solid ground, should we have one or two 100' chokers available?
Obviously since the recovery was completed you were well equiped. I just was trying to think of ways to improve.
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Post by waterman on Jan 7, 2009 8:11:11 GMT -5
Well brad iam glad you where warm ;D Anyway the damper is something im going to buy here in the near further,,but befour we started winching i brought this up no one had anything of use. The log bridge was constructed of fallen trees and such,,that hole was above prez. knees ,,,, with out doing that we wouldnt have been able to get to him,,,I about got stuck droping off the end of the bridge on the way out we had to make it longer. I think we should all carry a block or two. As for the ramps it would be nice to have a set but there not cheep. As for longer straps/cables its a good idea to try and find one or two even 50'fters would have helped. So yea yesterday we where well equiped between allrigs involed,,but i did notice a few fraied straps  This will get touched on at are next meeting Good stuff Brad keep em comming!! |
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Post by fwlslyr on Jan 7, 2009 8:26:23 GMT -5
One of the guys in my group carries two 4 foot 2x12 boards wrapped in chain. Comes in handy. Besides my snatch strap I carry a 50 foot tow strap. Sounds like a set of aluminum sand rails would have come in handy. TSC may have aluminum loading ramps that would work.
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Post by mucksavage on Jan 7, 2009 8:32:29 GMT -5
Floormats, coats, etc work okay as cable dampners.
Years ago, I saw a guy at the Mohawk Jeep Jamboree who carried 2-10' long pieces of "Silent Floor" (engineered floor joist) with chicken wire stapled to them. I didn't see him use them, but he said it was a great low-buck trick that saved his but a few times.
Concerning the log bridge.....should it be dismantled afterwards to avoid someone coming along & saying "Oh, look at that corduroy rd (log rd). That would be cool to drive on" Then you'd wind up with someone in the same situation as Dennis. Unless of curse the logs became unrecognizeable/unnoticable, driven into the soft ground after being driven on. Today, I'd imagine they're underwater. (Pouring Rain today)
Again, good job at rallying together to get him out.
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Post by waterman on Jan 7, 2009 8:39:33 GMT -5
Concerning the log bridge.....should it be dismantled afterwards to avoid someone coming along & saying "Oh, look at that corduroy rd (log rd). That would be cool to drive on" Then you'd wind up with someone in the same situation as Dennis. Unless of curse the logs became unrecognizeable/unnoticable, driven into the soft ground after being driven on. Today, I'd imagine they're underwater. (Pouring Rain today) Again, good job at rallying together to get him out. The log bridge. Well if we where any place else than yea lets break it down so one tries this!! But being where this was(NO ONE Should have been) off the betten path you get what you ask for so to speak. First time is free(Helping a fellow wheeler) Next time its going to cost ya!!!! |
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Post by HamiltonLJ on Jan 7, 2009 9:05:14 GMT -5
Just my 2 cents. When I had very large trucks I had a piece of chainlink fence that I made about 18" wide and 10' long this was owesome to gain traction. The links worked well to grab lugs on tires and roots or stumps on the ground then you just roll it up in a small package and off you go. Granted its not going to get you crossed a giant mudhole but it will give that little bit of traction to get out the other side.
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Post by mudboy on Jan 7, 2009 9:20:25 GMT -5
Floormats, coats, etc work okay as cable dampners. Years ago, I saw a guy at the Mohawk Jeep Jamboree who carried 2-10' long pieces of "Silent Floor" (engineered floor joist) with chicken wire stapled to them. I didn't see him use them, but he said it was a great low-buck trick that saved his but a few times. Concerning the log bridge.....should it be dismantled afterwards to avoid someone coming along & saying "Oh, look at that corduroy rd (log rd). That would be cool to drive on" Then you'd wind up with someone in the same situation as Dennis. Unless of curse the logs became unrecognizeable/unnoticable, driven into the soft ground after being driven on. Today, I'd imagine they're underwater. (Pouring Rain today) Again, good job at rallying together to get him out. lol since that area is about 2 miles from my house I'll be keeping an eye on it. I'm willing to bet $1000s that within the next month someone will be stuck in there again. |
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Post by waterman on Jan 7, 2009 9:22:58 GMT -5
Floormats, coats, etc work okay as cable dampners. Years ago, I saw a guy at the Mohawk Jeep Jamboree who carried 2-10' long pieces of "Silent Floor" (engineered floor joist) with chicken wire stapled to them. I didn't see him use them, but he said it was a great low-buck trick that saved his but a few times. Concerning the log bridge.....should it be dismantled afterwards to avoid someone coming along & saying "Oh, look at that corduroy rd (log rd). That would be cool to drive on" Then you'd wind up with someone in the same situation as Dennis. Unless of curse the logs became unrecognizeable/unnoticable, driven into the soft ground after being driven on. Today, I'd imagine they're underwater. (Pouring Rain today) Again, good job at rallying together to get him out. lol since that area is about 2 miles from my house I'll be keeping an eye on it. I'm willing to bet $1000s that within the next month someone will be stuck in there again. Im with you mud!!!but i'll bet this weekend ;D and they get what they ask for ;D |
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Post by mudboy on Jan 7, 2009 10:15:39 GMT -5
friday sat and sunday evenings I'll be adding the trail to my checklist starting this weekend lol ;D
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Post by GrassRootsPR on Jan 7, 2009 13:10:58 GMT -5
Snatch blocks & winches are key. You couldn't get any big machinery out to where he was stuck under any conditions. It was a pure swamp and would have sunk anything much heavier than a Jeep. Just ask that poor guy with the front loader that's now underwater.
Fortunately we had all the right equipment. We had winches, snatch blocks, plenty of strap, tree savers, shackles and most importantly Jeeps & a lot of experience.
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Post by mudboy on Jan 7, 2009 14:34:37 GMT -5
I agree to an extent, granted this whole situation could have been avoided if proper recovery equipment was on hand. However its not all the time that you go out with a club where one person could have this and another would have that. To carry everything that could ever be needed you'll have youre vehicle overloaded beyond safley. Sometimes its just you and a buddy or two that go out and you have to rely on someone else, and under panick mode you may not be bringing in the best solution. That is why we have been blessed with Hydroaxes on flotation tires buiilt specifically to log swamps. unforunately there is no winch that is going to pull that loader out backwards without gettinginto an unsafe situation of that tree coming down due to the main root being directly behind the motor of the loader. That thing needs to be hydraulically lifted up then winched backwards. The tires on my freinds are wider, measuring in at 66" by 43"  |
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Post by waterman on Jan 7, 2009 14:52:46 GMT -5
Swamp tires or not its bad out there,,,,I've ran /run heavy equipment and have for the past 20 plus years,,built road through swamps and i wish i had pictures of stuff that gotten buried that wasn't supposed to.
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Post by mudboy on Jan 7, 2009 14:57:52 GMT -5
just saying it is less likely to get stuck than that loader was with the narrow tires. and at least the ax has 50'000 lb winch to recover itself from behind.
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