A Stuck Truck

You can get anything stuck if you are careless. You can also keep from getting stuck, or rescue your own stuck vehicle; if you use your head.

Years ago I had little Suzuki Samurai, one of the smallest 4wd trucks sold in this country.

We went hunting after a snowstorm. The snow was about six inches deep, but some places were drifted in much deeper.

We carefully drove on and off road with little problem.

We drove the long way around to avoid the road which runs in front of the farm. It is about a mile long and was completely drifted in. Few, if any, specialized vehicles could have made it down that road without having a stuck truck.

But! Two young men in a big, 2wd, dual-wheel, pickup thought they could drive down that road.

About this vehicle: Sammy, we called it. A fun little vehicle. My brother and I actually drove it to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota; over a thousand miles one way. A seam in the road felt like you had hit the curb. We were younger then, and we quit vibrating a few days after the trip :-)

Back to the young men who quickly had a stuck truck in snow only about three inches deep. Lucky they didn't even make it into the deep snow. When we got there they had spun until their drive wheels polished the snow smooth and super slick.

If they had immediately stopped when stuck, found anything to stick under the drive wheels for traction, they probably could have just backed out. But! With their stuck truck weighing three times what mine did, and no traction; I broke my tow strap jerking them out.

When driving through a low traction area plan your route by looking well ahead. Try to be as smooth as possible, and spin as little as possible. Try to keep moving, keep your momentum up, by driving as fast as is reasonable without sliding into the ditch...

Speed up a little when you have better traction, or in down hill sections. You probably can't accelerate in the more difficult areas, and that's where you need some momentum to carry you through.

I have rescued myself many times. The key thing; the instant you realize your stuck; STOP! Don't "gun it", don't spin! Don't panic!

When the vehicle begins to get stuck, and stop moving; it's a mistake to panic and push on the accelerator pedal. In those critical seconds you can bury it beyond easy rescue. I've learned, "the hard way."

Don't try anything until you get out and look your situation over. Without knowing, and having a plan; you will quickly end up "stucker".
(I know that's not a word, but you may be saying worse; if it happens).

Now that you have a stuck truck, study the situation. First which is easier, going forward or backward. Sometimes you can simply back out by putting something under the drive wheels; using your own tracks or ruts.

After backing up you may be able to plan a better route forward and make it through.

If you are going to try to go forward check how much mud, or snow you're pushing or trying to climb up. How far until you get to better traction. Can you turn more downhill, that may help. Will you slide into a hole, or a ditch; that will make things worse in a hurry.

I carry a small folding, GI, shovel, and couple of 2"x6"x2' boards, or plastic traction pads. I've had both 2wds and 4wds stuck only a few feet from good traction a number of times.

Sometimes you can simply remove a little mud or snow from in front of the wheels so they don't have to climb or push, and put something under the drive wheels to get moving again.

Before I was smart enough to carry the shovel and traction pads. I used sticks, tree limbs, paper, cardboard, weeds, rocks, anything I could find... If you've stopped before you're too stuck, especially in ice or snow, it doesn't take much to get you out.

It seldom happens, but an ordinary vehicle can become stuck with three of its wheels on dry ground. That's because of the differential action necessary for turning corners on normal traction surfaces.

For example if your parked on a hill with one drive wheel on a patch of ice, you may not be able to go uphill. When one wheel has poor traction it will spin because the ordinary differential sends power to the wheel which turns the easiest.

A typical 2wd is actually only a one wheel drive at times, and your 4wd is only 2wd unless you have a locking differential, limited-slip, traction-control, or some other special feature. For this reason, when stuck, you may need traction materials under all the drive wheels to get unstuck.

It's good if someone can watch to see which wheel is spinning, they may be able to move or add something, and then you can try again. Don't keep trying, stop before you dig in more. Find something better or call for help. Even if you do it right, you can still end up with a stuck truck.

<- The shovel in my truck. Click it to shop!

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