Tractors and Mud

[Charlieyca]

I have a small creek to cross to reach the back 1/3rd of my property. The creek itself is only 4 or 5ft wide at most places. The creek bottom is fairly firm as most mud gets washed away. However, the 15 ft on each side of that is flat muddy slop. Just walking through it my boots sink 4-5". All my current crossings are old skidder trails from when it was logged. They are more mud than cutting a new trail through some of the woods to reach the back 1/3rd.
2 questions-
1. what would you put down to make crossing easier? Any rock or dirt would have to be hauled in by tractor as its only thing that crosses first creek.
2. How would you prepare for getting a john deere 420 tractor unstuck? I have tow straps and chain, but tractor is alot heavier than the atv I have used to get unstuck. There are a good many large trees around the creek bottom.

Thanks for any and all advice

 

[OkieKubota]

Does your tractor have a loader? Is it 4WD? What type of tires and how good a shape are they in?

 

[Charlieyca]

FEL, will have a bush hog on the back, 4wd, radial tire like new

 

[Charlieyca]

Tires look like the middle turf tire

 

[OkieKubota]

The "lawn" tire you have is your biggest disadvantage. Not enough "lug" to assist in mud...

The loader itself can help you get out of a bunch of "Stuck" instances and of course 4WD always helps... to try to put something down to drive on to keep from getting stuck and be low cost I would use some of the low value trees on the place. I would stack them across there like planking and drive over them pushing them into the mud. You will eventually get enough Material in there that you shouldn't have much issue. Carpet remnants over this will also not hurt and then any gravel/rock you can come up with...

 

[Charlieyca]

We tried planking with low value trees but didnt go back far enough and when front tires hit first tree it bogged down. We are going to do some more trees and fill in further from creek. Im going to get some brick scraps to fill in and will look for some carpet remnants too. Tractor is my FILs so no changing tires on it. Just want to be prepared with someone elses equipment.

 

[j-bird]

Keep in mind.....there is a BIG difference between seeing if you tractor can cross "mud" and seeing if it will "float"! I have pushed that definition and lost a few times in my time! I have access to much bigger tractors.....thankfully. IF your thinking your going to have to pull it out. I would suggest a tractor at least twice the size of what you got stuck or as large an excavator or bulldozer (something with tracks) that you can get access to. Typically a pick-up truck isn't enough. They have the power, they simply struggle to put that power to the ground without spinning the tires. Obviously cables, chains and straps all have their place. Maybe even a winch (not the female kind), a "come-a-long" and or pulleys (for mechanical advantage - which you will certainly need if doing it without equipment) would be other options as well.

It's all about weight distribution and having tries that can "grab" something solid to do what they need to do. If you get stuck - take pics.....you will laugh later! I had mine stuck tot he point (4 wheel drive with FEL and R4 tires) and my help asked me, "Where the #$%@ is the front wheels?" The "mud" was so soft the front wheels where that far down that you could see any portion of them! Turns out with aggressive tires - if they stop moving forward they do a great job of just digging a hole straight down!

 

[Charlieyca]

My truck got stuck after a heavy rain about 50 yards from the creek. No chain or rope. Called brother in law to come help, he gets stuck 100 yds from me. Called my dad with straps and chain hoists, he parked on road and walked in. Experience speaks loudly.

Tractor worked its way out last time with bucket and rocking back and forth, just hitting the logs we used as runners started us off on the wrong foot.

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[Charlieyca]

Tried to get a pipe to the creek to help increase drainage flow. Not too good.

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[dogdoc]

been there done that buddy

 

[Ed K]

Do you know anyone who has a skid steer with tracks? Either a tracked unit, or over the tire? If so, maybe they could help you out and get enough material in there to make a somewhat stable base down.

 

[Sampson]

A friend of mine has the same issue with his deer lease. He fabricated a metal framed low water bridge to get across the creek. The metal frame is laid across concrete slabs, which run parallel to the creek. It floods down his way every couple of years and so far he has managed to keep the low water bridge. The bridge is actually in three separate pieces two pieces handles the slopes sides with a longer piece in the middle for the actual creek crossing. That's the only crossing I've seen that works. It's something to consider.


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[buckdeer1]

How tall are the mud banks?I would probably take the time to slope some and put what they call 4x6 rock here.It's about as big as your fist and will pack in the ground,Another option is to dig out some and lay sackcrete bags and let harden

 

[KDdid]

Tried to get a pipe to the creek to help increase drainage flow. Not too good.

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At least you had a chair in back, so you had something to sit on while you planned your next move!

 

[Charlieyca]

Kids chair. Daughter has to have her own everything for the farm. Gloves, snippers, overalls, hat, you name it she wants one her size like daddys

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[buckdeer1]

Nothing wrong with that except they outgrow them

 

[dogghr]

Charlie I"m surprised you can make it across your muddy field with those tires. Gotta get the ag, I wouldn't have anything else unless I was just mowing my yard. Remember when you are in snot, that you have a foot lever that locks the rear diff which gives you some advantage , and of course have in 4wd. Muck is muck, and don't care what you have it isn't going thru that slop you have without tracks. I've seen dozers buried to the seat. I think you started out right by laying log tracks on banks, but might need slope them better at the start.
Your truck pic cracked me up, been buried worse than that in the jeep. If thats the crap you are dealing with, you are going to have to wait well into early summer before you can access that stuff with typical equipment. Cool deal on the kids chair. Hopefully noone told you " I told you not to cross that". Good luck.

 

[Chainsaw]

I and most others have gotten stuck at one time or another. I have been stuck pretty good twice. From that I learned that not getting stuck was the new plan--not how to get out. Many of tractor roads are plain dirt and will rut up quickly if used when it is wet. Getting stuck not only wastes time, is physically exhausting, wrecks your roads but it is downright dangerous. A lot of bad things can happen when a tractor gets stuck.

What projects get done when on this property is highly determined by the weather and the road conditions. If it is super dry I drive past all of the easy places and do the needed tasks in the otherwise hard to reach places. When it is super wet, the tasks with good access even during wet periods are tackled. More gets done that way.

 

[alldaysit]

If that was my spot, I would buy a sizeable roll of geotextile matting off amazon. I would scrape off what I could for muck, lay down the matting, stake it in, then cover it with pit run and/or rocks from my old farm rock piles.


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[Charlieyca]

Charlie I"m surprised you can make it across your muddy field with those tires. Gotta get the ag, I wouldn't have anything else unless I was just mowing my yard. Remember when you are in snot, that you have a foot lever that locks the rear diff which gives you some advantage , and of course have in 4wd. Muck is muck, and don't care what you have it isn't going thru that slop you have without tracks. I've seen dozers buried to the seat. I think you started out right by laying log tracks on banks, but might need slope them better at the start.
Your truck pic cracked me up, been buried worse than that in the jeep. If thats the crap you are dealing with, you are going to have to wait well into early summer before you can access that stuff with typical equipment. Cool deal on the kids chair. Hopefully noone told you " I told you not to cross that". Good luck.

Last words of my old man, dont get stuck! I had about a 5 ft area to turn around and I missed my mark and dropped both tires into holes. Its my father in laws tractor, or i would change the tires guaranteed!