How to recover a grader

[Ruben]

Ok, so it all started about two weeks ago when a quick drive around the farm ended up in an exciting recovery. We first attempted to recover the stucked Patrol with the 4x4 Landini tractor, but the tractor also got trapped. The day ended with me admiring the great benefit of a winch as this was the only means of recovering the Patrol. The Landini was recovered by two other tractors in tandem.

Here is the stucked Patrol

1 Patrol stuck.jpg (328.18 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

This exciting event initiated a call to get a grader to repair the farm roads on the eastern side of the farm as the exit roads on the western side were becoming too wet and muddy for daily travel. So this Saturday the grader arrived to come and cut our farm roads. The problem was that the driver decided to work on the farm roads on the western side of the farm, and this is where the trouble started. I was in town when I received a call that the grader was stuck. When I arrived at the spot I attempted to recover the grader with my winch. I admit that this was a farfetched idea, but I had to try. The next option was the Landini, but the tractor could not even move the grader.

Stucked grader

2 Grader stuck.jpg (496 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

Check the winch cable

3 Grader stuck.jpg (561.28 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

It was here that we realised it was time for the big guns. We had to get the excavator of the nearby mine. The heavy excavator had difficulties reaching the grader and had to at times recovery itself. The grader also had to dig a road towards the grader. The excavator started south from the grader and crawled/digged north towards the grader for about 60 to 80m. This resulted in the transformation of a small “twee spoor” farm road into a muddy road pit looking like a dam.

The photos below describe the event the best.

Look at the size of the excavator tracks

4 Excavator tracks.JPG (241.24 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

The main recovery "tool"

5 Excavator to the rescue.JPG (236.45 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

The recovery

6 Grader recovery.JPG (234.12 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

7 Grader recovery.JPG (64.42 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

8 Grader recovery.JPG (62.88 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

9 Grader recovery.JPG (61.74 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

Looking down the mud road in a southern direction

10 Road south (2).JPG (61.53 KiB) Viewed 8426 times

[Ruben]

Here is two more pics of what the road looks like now. It will be years before we can use it again.

Looking north.JPG (232.12 KiB) Viewed 8425 times

Looking south.JPG (246.7 KiB) Viewed 8425 times

[Russ Kellermann]

Cool story! and pics!

Cold you not land fill that "dam" now and once it settles and packs, then grade it flat with a light duty grader or dozer with a grading front end? just throwing around ideas, i have no idea what could....

[Kagiso II]

fill up with old used tyres [should be packed but time & labour will dictate if you pack 'm or toss'm ]
fill with sand as you go - and the last section - if you can find some rocks, throw these in. Then cover with sand on top.
Never get stuck again and prevents erosion forever.

But that is BIG work. Just a thought - nt even

[Peter Connan]

Hi Ruben

My experience says you must stabilize and fill that hole ASAP otherwise that patch will be a problem every time it rains.

Old tires are good, but building rubble or whatever will work just as well. We also used to use old anthills. They set rock hard.

Cheers
Peter

[Tinus lotz]

Hi ruben
krisis meneer julle maak groot gate as julle dit doen !!!!!
ek weet niks van padbou nie so ek kan nie help nie maar gelukkig het jou patrol low range en n winch!!!!!
dit lyk of jy dit gaan nodig he

[Mammoth]

Ek wonner maar net....

Hoekom di gat toemaak as jy nou so lekker speelplek het.... Ek sit wraggies eerder in daai gat vas om in die kantoor agter n' tafel te sit met n' das wat jou wurg.......

[Ruben]

Dankie vir die raad manne.

Ek gaan wragtig honderde ou bande nodig he om daai gat toe te maak. EK besluit nog wat om te maak.
Mammoth jou plan werk ook vir my. Miskien moet ek dan eerder die gat in n orderntlik 4x4 baan omskep

[Kagiso II]

het jy nou jou gat gesien? sal jou leer om met uclids te ry waar Patrol huiwer ...

Ek dink meeste van di ebande plekke sal maar te dankbaar wees om 'n gat te he waar hulle bande kan dompel [Ex swaer Koos inni Vrystaat het erosie slote so herwin - [het hom weliswaar 'n klompie jare geneem]

Maar AS jy hom nou wel 'n 4x4 speelplekkie wil maak - Wat gaan jy die "trail" noem?

[Tinus lotz]

ja!!!!maak dit n speelplek ons gaan vir jou kom kuier
hou net daai excavator naby want as my patrol gaan le in die modder het jy n erinstige masjien nodig om hom daar uit te kry!!!