Recovery puzzle

[paulj]

On a recent camping trip on Vancouver Island I came across a 2wd pickup stuck in the loose rocks of a river bed. This was at Fairy Lake Rec Site near Port Renfrew. Apparently he strayed off the pack gravel while trying to launch a row boat. A tow truck was on hand, but was having trouble moving the pickup.

While I was there the tow truck was trying to pull it at 45 deg angle. The hydraulic wheel lift was being used as a brake. The pickup did not budge.

When I left they were moving the tow truck so it take a long straight pull toward where I was standing in the first shot. They should have better luck at getting the pickup unstuck, but then would the problem of getting it up the rough bank.

paulj

[BigAl]

I know pictures never do a situation justice but that stuck doesn't look bad???

[ntsqd]

In soft sand the tow truck likely wouldn't have had any trouble with the original pull. Gravel like that is peculiar. It doesn't support weight very well (until well settled), but doesn't move sideways very well either.

[cruiseroutfit]

Looks like a good candidate situation for an exhaust jack... get it up on top, bury the holes and move it forward, repeat if necissary.

[paulj]

While I watched the tow truck pulled with all the capacity of its winch, and pickup did not budge at all. The pickup's rear wheels spun freely. The unpowered front wheels were turned in the direction of the pull, but that didn't seem to help.

The gravel in this area was up to grapefruit size, and quite loose, with little fine material.

paulj

[Lynn]

Looks like a good candidate situation for an exhaust jack... get it up on top, bury the holes and move it forward, repeat if necissary.

I've never used an exhaust jack, but I certainly would have tried to do the same thing with the vehicle's jack before I paid a tow truck...

I'll bet you could find a lot of dead branches in the surrounding woods to build a road under it.

But I'm a tight-wad, and would waste many hours trying to do it myself before paying a tow truck...

[HMR]

I've gotten stuck in that type of gravel on the beach in Mexico at low tide. Those medium-size smoothe rocks are like quicksand when they get disturbed by a vehicle tire. Very hard to impossible for the tow vehicle to help unless it's pulling in a straight line.

[gearbox]

Jack up a wheel, fill the hole, repeat 3 times, and pull it forward. A tree and a HiLift with the wheel gripper and the winching accessories would have done it all. A vehicle with a winch might have had to chock its wheels, which is easily done: just spin the wheels to dig into the ground. Rolling over the rocks should be easier than powering the wheels once you're above the rocks.

[Willman]

[mountainpete]

Easy recovery.

Step 1: Exit vehicle
Step 2: Wait until next spring when run-off makes river high again
Step 3: Truck floats out of stuck area by itself
Step 4: Call the insurance company