I drive a 2 wheel drive Ram with tires tailored more for gas milage than off roading. The other day I launched my boat down a muddy slope into a small lake, and upon trying to pull out - I got stuck. With these tires its now the 3rd time I have been stuck, although I've figured out how to get out on my own 2 of the times (probably would have, eventually, the 3rd time).

I'm not looking to go mudding or offroading in the traditional sense, the only times I do go offroad are when taking the boat somewhere and I always try and stay out of the mud, but I was wondering if there are any good tricks to getting out of the mud, or anything I can buy cheap, that will do the job as a backup.

 

mud grip tires.
load of firewood or some other weight in the back
snow chains.

 

Try setting your parking brake at about half or maybe a little more, it keeps the rearend from spinning out from underneath you. Worked with my two wheel drive ford ranger in silt a few times. Just make sure to take it off when your out!

 

Thanks for the replies. This is a daily driver and a boat tow truck, I can't or wont go with new tires or snowchains. I would have thought the weight of the tongue on the reciever would have helped, but apparently not enough. Thats a good tip though on bed weight, I could have looked around and thrown some big rocks in the bed. I'll try the parkin brake next time, would never had thought of that.

The last time, there were some fellows in the area who offered to help pull me out.

I'm looking to the next time though, cause I'm gonna keep fishing and keep launchin the boat in areas like that - I will probably be stuck again. Say you got stuck in the same situation, nobody around to help...how would you get out, or what would you need to carry around to make sure you could get out? I'm talking thinking like MacGuyver here.

 

Front end winch and a tree.
Look for a more road friendly tire that has as large of side channels as you can find.

Big balloon tires filled with helium.

 

Aim4squirrels,

I've been thinking about that, but truck winches are more expensive than I want to go. But I wonder, what if I got a trailer winch, and old one on the cheap, and rigged it with some cables that I could hook to the front truck chassis in the event of getting stuck, then strap to a tree and winch it out...I'm not like a guy out there mudding, I just need that little bit of help to get out. Wonder if that would be strong enough.

 

+1 on the tire chains. I used them on a hunting buggy w/ military treads and made a huge difference. That way, you maintain the high mileage street tread and for a few bucks, can convert to grippers for the boat launches.

A MacGuyver solution would be to carry a come-along, and large enough danforth anchor. Come-along to a tree, and if no tree, pound the anchor in the ground and hook to it. Danforths don't make the best come-along hookup, but has worked for me when no trees around.

WTL, is it tire slip or bottoming out that gets you stuck? Maybe get some military landing pads to lay over the ruts.

 

Get yourself a highlift and carry a 6"x4" bord with you before you go out. And a shovel. You can get a cheapfour foot highlift for like twenty bucks at one of those cummins truck sales. You know the ones where they sell everything out of the back of a semi for the weekend?

Think about a comealong, the poormans winch!

 

Ive heard of people offroading in the desert using what i think they called a sand rail. Its bascily a grate that digs into sand or in your case mud. There about 4' long and you stick them under your rear tires with a cable hooked to your bumper so that after you get out it drags the gates with the truck ill your out of the mud. Its probably something youd be able to make or just find something simmilar. thats my 2 cents.

 

That sand rail ideas kinda neat, never heard of that! Seams like you could get a ramp off of an auto trailer at a junkyard and use that.