When only a hilift will do

verdesardog

Explorer
The trailer tried to pull the truck over the edge on a sloped curve and got hung up on a large rock (in deep snail snot slippery clay):


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JD914

Observer
Ok, so you used the high lift to get the trailer in the air, then what? Did you push it over back onto the road? What came next and how did this wind up?
 

verdesardog

Explorer
This was on Fossil Creek Road, we were going down to Childs to retrieve the forest rangers that had floated down the Verde River for a week eradicating invasive trees. There was 1" of rain the previous night and it was still raining.

Yep we had a quad that was on the end of the strap shown in one of the photos that pulled it back onto the road once it was in the air....we had to do about three lifts to get it fully back on the road. Good thing I had my trusty home made base for the hilift that stuck in the mud very nicely!:

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XJINTX

Explorer
That looks like a great base... you selling them? This retired Marine (Viet Nam but missed the gulf) could certainly add this to his recovery gear.

Semper Fi!
 

verdesardog

Explorer
We couldn't get to them the the day the trailer went over the side, neither of the trucks we were driving even had a tow strap in them, we left the trailer connected to the truck and returned the next day. I got two 30' straps and the hi lift from my personal truck to use. We did have to get to them asap they didn't have enough food for another day. I used both 30' straps connected to the truck I was driving to get the stuck truck moving without slipping sideways. We had to leave the trailer there, even with out the trailer we were still going sideways around some of the corners in the mud and that was down hill! We wouldn't have made it back out that way, we went up through Strawberry.
 
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verdesardog

Explorer
I did sell several of them but don't have any more. After I made the first one I had a fabricator make more with better looking welds. I sold them for $50.00 which just barley covered my cost.
 
good on ya. interesting base idea. looks like they would be pretty easy to replicate. 1/4" steel? anything else on the bottom?

-SM-
 

verdesardog

Explorer
good on ya. interesting base idea. looks like they would be pretty easy to replicate. 1/4" steel? anything else on the bottom?

-SM-

The main part of the base is structural steel "C" channel with 1/4" steel arms and pipe on top. The bottom is clear so that the base can be used on 2X8 wood shoring if needed and provides for slip proof footing in soft dirt or mud or on uneven rocks. I got the idea from Hilift's first responder base but with improvements I think and for use with any hilift jack
 

Elwyn

New member
I don't think, from the photos, I would have used a Hi Lift there. From the last image; is that strop attached to another vehicle? If so you could have used that to assist the recovery onto the road. Otherwise with just the one vehicle I would pulled the 4x4 over to the other side of the road.

Not sure, as others have said, of the stability of using the jack there. But everything differs on the event at hand. I am sure that if I was in that situation I'd have other ideas too.

The trailer looks light enough, but then again, the trucks tyres are covered in that thick mud so you might have had traction issues anyway...
 

JIMBO

Expedition Leader
:sombrero: Kewl Chief, I've done that same HiLift maneouver with my trailer, a dozen times-

You have to be careful and make sure the top rope/strap is anchored securely so you can "topple" the trailer the correct way !

Kinda S.O.P. with the HiLift !

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO
 

Stumpalump

Expedition Leader
I don't think, from the photos, I would have used a Hi Lift there. From the last image; is that strop attached to another vehicle? If so you could have used that to assist the recovery onto the road. Otherwise with just the one vehicle I would pulled the 4x4 over to the other side of the road.

Not sure, as others have said, of the stability of using the jack there. But everything differs on the event at hand. I am sure that if I was in that situation I'd have other ideas too.

The trailer looks light enough, but then again, the trucks tyres are covered in that thick mud so you might have had traction issues anyway...
What are your other ideas to get out of this type of situation?
 

brushogger

Explorer
Hi Michael. I really like that base. Since you're not selling any more, I may borrow your idea and make one for myself. I've used my hilift I similar situations successfully.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

verdesardog

Explorer
I don't think, from the photos, I would have used a Hi Lift there. From the last image; is that strop attached to another vehicle? If so you could have used that to assist the recovery onto the road. Otherwise with just the one vehicle I would pulled the 4x4 over to the other side of the road.

Not sure, as others have said, of the stability of using the jack there. But everything differs on the event at hand. I am sure that if I was in that situation I'd have other ideas too.



The trailer looks light enough, but then again, the trucks tyres are covered in that thick mud so you might have had traction issues anyway...


The trailer couldn't have been moved with out being raised, there was a BIG rock in front of the off road tire! And there was definitly traction issues, that's why the tail wagged the dog in the first place. We did have another truck and a side by side. I had to tow the truck to get it moving without it sliding further off the road.
 

Elwyn

New member
The trailer couldn't have been moved with out being raised, there was a BIG rock in front of the off road tire! And there was definitly traction issues, that's why the tail wagged the dog in the first place. We did have another truck and a side by side. I had to tow the truck to get it moving without it sliding further off the road.

What are your other ideas to get out of this type of situation?

I would have probably gone for the maneuvering to pull it out first but considering more details were added after including problems of what else was where but not shown in the images....

You see, I have been in that situation with a various vehicles. The last one was a skelly that had slipped down the bank and that was towed out by the tractor unit (Volvo FH440 6x2 with chains on). Therefore, the option of 'just driving it out' seemed logical to me without needing a jack.

Mind you, the ability to carry a jack that can lift a 15t skeleton trailer would be helpful too ;)
 

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