on the way to the gym this morning there was a semi blocking the on-ramp to the freeway. I drove around and asked the driver if he needed help. his front tires sank in mud because of the recent rains. with it being 5am and no-one in sight, he was happy to have any help I was willing to give... so we hooked up the tow rope (3x looped) and tried to get him out. I was able to get him moved about 1 foot and that was it. (had it in 4x4 low too) during our attempts to get him out, another trucker drove up and then the CHP showed to provide the flashing lights and spot light.

we ended up backing up the other semi and hooking up to him. took a little coaxing but he pulled the stuck truck right out.

I guess this means I need a diesel...

 

Ya, one of those new Cummins 610's might have done the trick. I probably would have tried it with my truck too just to have the story incase I succeeded in pulling him out.

Did he have a trailer and was it loaded? Did he mention to you what his total weight was?

 

I think it was a cattle truck and it was empty. I was suprised to get him going 1 ft. we lost momentum for some reason, then the tires just spun. I also think the front was not engaged yet cause it seemed like it was in 2x4 lo... I'll have to take a look at it tonight.

 

What is the deal with the hyperlinks that have popped up all of a sudden in the text of peoples posts? They are links to things like Autotrader and the tirerack. Is that something my browser is doing, or is that new to the forum?

 

I saw that today as well, go to the top of the forum and read the top announcement. it tells you what it is and if you want to disable it, you can. at the bottom of the page you get re-directed to, there is a link that will disable this feature. my preference.

 

Reason for the underlined txt...

http://www.vibrantmedia.com/whatisIn...intellitxt.com

I pulled an unloaded semi & trailer out of an icy loading dock once with my Ramcharger (in 4lo loc). That was quite a few years ago. Ended up having to pull him half-way down mainstreet as well since he couldn't seem to get any traction on the street. [&:]

 

yeah desiels have more power and torque... but i think it all comes down to weight and traction.. you can have 1,000 horsepower in a car and i'd still drag you all the way across town in my truck.. there was a semi that got stuck up at the truck stop.. a full size f550 work truck couldnt pull him out.. so a semi had to unhook and hook up to him.. interesting site

 

You don't need a desiel, you just need to spend more money on this truck!

 

i dont think it has anything to do with power. more just your weight vs. his. i had the same problem with a stuck fork lift and my truck couldnt get it out but this old junky *** flatbed we had pulled it right out.

 

Well, I've seen a Chevy 4x4 pull a tour bus out of a ditch, up hill with just a stock 350, so I know it could be done, especially with the Ram's 360. They have a lot more torque than a 350. I think most of the trick is in pulling it correctly. You want as much of your vehichle on solid ground as you can get, and, despite how bad you might think it is, spinning your tires is a good thing. Rubber is more adhesive than asphalt or concrete, so laying down a little will allow you get moving, let them spinn at first. Also, once you are moving, even if you are still spinning, do not let off! If you do, you risk losing your forward momentum, and then you have to start all over. Just keep the throttle where it is and let the forces at work do the trick. Also, try to start as straight as possible, more force is required to pull something through a turn or at an angle than straight ahead...