We are back home from our first Gandvention (or rally of any kind) and we really enjoyed it. The fact that it was only 118 miles from home probably added to that pleasure.
What is the worst thing about returning home from a trip in your RV?
I don't know for sure, but I submit the following:
Finding out that there was a heavy rain while you were gone AFTER you park in the backyard.
Here are some pictures of my current predicament. the first one is innocent enough, but a closeup of the wheels reveals a little more. I got to this point and the rear wheels started spinning. You can tell from the mud on the rear wheel that it is in a serious rut.
Here is my plan to resolve my problem:
1. Let the ground dry out for 2-3 more days
2. Turn the engine on and raise the coach as high as HWH will let it.
3. Using a shovel, convert the front of the ruts to a ramp instead of a hole.
4. Drive slowly forward and out of my stuck position.
5. In the future, place 2" x 12" boards behind the wheels prior to stopping.
I have some questions for my forum buddies:
A. What is the chance of my plan of attack succeeding?
B. Is there anything else I can do to help the drive wheels get traction?
C. Is there a better way to resolve my current situation?
D. Anybody else BTDT?
Thanks,
Trent
That'll probably work but the easiest way is if you have coach net. They'll give you a short tow back to pavement.
I would put gravel in after you shovel a bit. Sorry you have to deal with this. It was great to meet you.
Put some serious cat litter on those rear tires and ruts to aid in traction. Try to "ramp" the rear tires in the direction you want to go and then let the ground dry for a few days if it is really soaked. Otherwise you will just keep rutting until hard pavement.
I would dig it while it is wet.
I think i would hire a couple teenagers to do it.
Trent, which end is toward the street? Usually you can pull vehicle backwards thru the original ruts. Maybe put sand in them or pea gravel, just a thought. I think your right about raising coach up some? How far is it to hard surface?
Regards,Irwin
I was in that same predicament at the Florida Fly wheelers last year, hooked chain onto trailer hitch and then big tractor to chain, he pulled me right out.
I think in your case, if no hurry, I would let it all dry out and then slowly back out and then do repairs.
Crazy J
2002 U320 40 ft.
2009 HHR
Been stuck in NASCAR parking lots 3 x. Tractor or 4wd pick up pulled me out easy cheesy every time from rear attached to Hitch. Not much to connect to up front. Hope your plan works. Tires don't have lugs so super easy to get stuck on grass
Did that twice in the late 80's and 1991 with old diesel pushers.
One was close enough to hard pack to have a small wrecker come out and pull on the hitch while I was in reverse.
Second one was down past the axle. 1987 Coach coach 38' had HWH hydraulic jacks so I excavated a hole and put three pieces of split eucalyptus firewood under the jack. Extended jacks. Pushed the wood into the hole. Hmmmm
Added another layer. Same results. Hmmmmm
Third layer got the left front tire out of the hole enough to put a 8'x12"X1 1/2" piece of Douglas fir into the ramped hole. Actually two as they were my loading ramps for dirt bike riding and I had a 3/4 ton ford 4x4 as my tow car.
Wife got in the truck in four wheel low with big tires with the 10k rated roadmaster tow hooked up to the coach.
Floored the 3208 and the Allisons torque converter let it not spin the tires or come out of the hole. 30 seconds I backed off. Felt the coach jumping around. She had the truck floored. Oh well. Floored the coach again and finally it popped out of its hole.
We still laugh about that one 23 years later. More rain coming in the dez. Had to leave.
Many years later riding in the same area won a large bet by digging up the nine pieces of firewood for a desert campfire.
Coach-Net helped me out that way last spring. I put the trailer hitch on, tow truck hooked to it, I idled in reverse while he slowly pulled me backwards. I've got the same sort of problem here in that the front tires are on the parking lot, but the rear tires are on the grass. I tried to pull out and left some deep ruts. Didn't get stuck, or even spin the wheels - quit before I got to that point. One of the other workers here has a 4x4 2500 GMC, and another has a stout chain. When we're near the end of the project they will hook to the front of the coach, put the truck in low low and see if we can't get out. I've got some 2x8 lumber at home, and if the place doesn't sell before I get back there I'll cut them into pieces that can be assembled into something to put the duals on should we ever be in a similar situation again.
John,
Thanks; enjoyed meeting and chatting with you and Linda. Definitely want to tackle your table and tile remodeling projects.
For those of you who have not yet met John, he no longer looks like his forum photo; he has shaved since then. :)
Trent
Geez, speaking of his picture, how about that nose on John, any improvement there ?
Irwin,
Unfortunately, I backed in. Haven't looked yet, but I had assumed I could find something to hook to, if I lifted the generator door.
I just happen to have a five gallon bucket full of pea gravel. Knew it would come in handy some time.
It is about 50' until the rear wheels will reach the front yard; it is much firmer. The 3-car driveway is about 25' further.
Trent
Don't know if you have a front spot for a chain like GVs do but I would just call a wrecker. Looks pretty easy.
A couple of months ago, a SOB had gone over an embankment with the rear wheels in the air. I nosed up to him and with a short chain, pulled him up and over the embankment at just over idle speed in reverse.
Pierce
I am always afraid that pulling from either end will damage bulkheads and pull coach apart because the front wheels are not really attached to the rear, except with the bay floors which are attached at either end with bulkhead bolts.
Especially pulling from front, because of the heavy rear with 4 tires down in a hole. Of course a very slow steady tow cable will ease the coach out. No yanking and no quick jerks.
This is a very serious position to get a Foretravel in, and one where parking on regular grass should be avoided. Other brands have frame members from front to rear and will not usually stress coach with towing out of mud.
My choice would be to let ground dry out and drive out, after ramping hole. And then park somewhere else or gravel fill the whole parking area. It will happen again on wet ground.
Been there done that, in my VW beetle, when I pulled onto the lawn to wash the thing. Stuck, in my front yard of the college rental house. Friends helped pick it up and push me back onto the driveway. Good luck with my solution.
been there twice - once used a tractor to pull me out from the rear hitch, while I idled in reverse. Second time used an air hydraulic jack to raise coach rear tires and filled in underneath. as coach got higher and jack pushed into the ground, had to add rocks and boards under both.
I agree with Barry. Let it dry out and ramp it out
Be careful when moving it with the bottom of the engine and trans so close to the ground.
On my M11 the drain valve on the oil Pan is on the bottom of the pan. The Trans temp. sending unit is also on the bottom of the trans. Maybe your setup differs and allows more clearance.
I agree, I would let things firm up then drive it out on ramps.
I am very heartened by all the "cards and letters" full of suggestions and empathy. That is one of the beauties of this forum. We find out that we are not the first ones to have this or that happen to us.
If the rear of the coach were accessible I would try my roadside assistance plan. Like many of you, I got my policy through Ron Jarvie. My insurer is Progressive which included roadside assistance as part of the policy. He recommended not buying Coach Net since my plan already provided roadside assistance. But I will send an email to James Triana to find out if there is an acceptable/recommended method to attach to the front.
Meanwhile, I will let the ground dry more, although I will dig out my ramps today. There is no rain forecast here for over a week. I will put kitty litter down around the rear wheels. Then we will try to move very slowly; I have high hopes!
Next will be to look into having a concrete pad and extended driveway poured to avoid this problem in the future.
Thanks,
Trent
A load of 3/4" minus w/fines crushed mine rock will fill the bill. About $250 for one truck load, $400 plus for a transfer load. The sharp edges lock together nicely and are concrete like after being driven over for a while. Never ever use the white round rock. Terrible to walk on and bad for roads. A good driver will be able to tailgate the mine rock out pretty evenly. Nice to have a front end loader to back blade it nice and even or kids with rakes.
Pierce
Not a lot there
Ramp the ruts into a nice easy ramp. Put some rough stone on them and raise coach. Rock coach back and hold on brake. Put in forward. Drive forward slowly and don't spin wheels. If the ramps are easy enough you should get out OK. Make sure that the front wheels have not sunk. Don't spin the wheels, but I said that before!
Keith
Keith
Just had a thought. Maybe not practical, but here goes: What about sliding tow straps or chains under the coach until they can be wrapped around the rear axle? No load on bulkheads or frame other than where force is directed where the coach is designed for. Then straightforward pull from front.
+1 on that, might put some force on the belly of the coach, but raising to max height should take care of that
Pulling from front: Open generator door find the two oblong frame members, push a chain through them with hook on rear edge of frame member. Remove anything that can be damaged by chain. Extend chain way out in front of coach and attach winch cable and pull very slowly.
Also as before let dry and ramp hole.
Pierce,
Thanks for the great advice!
I spoke with a contractor yesterday. He suggested digging it down about 6" and filling with 3" rock. He said that the larger rock would be more stable and would still have enough fines to fill in. What do you think about the larger size?
He quoted me $500 to dig the dirt and fill with the crushed rock for 12' x 40'. Another $125 to remove the dirt. I got to thinking of how much dirt that is and decided to let him haul it off. He did point out that if I wanted to lay concrete later, it would probably only need 4" and rebar over the crushed rock.
Is 40' enough for a 40' RV? There IS substantial overhang in the front and back from the wheels. Or would it be better to make it longer?
Thank you for the idea. I would appreciate any additional thoughts you might have about his proposal.
Trent
If it was mine I would make it 14 X 50 that give you plenty of room to walk around on a solid surface, and get into your bays and engine. Also then you use a radder to have a hard surface to support it. Base on what you were quoted the additional shouldn't be but about $300.
Trent,
That's a great price. He's right about the larger rock though if doing it by the book it would be capped with the mtl. Pierce was refering to. That combo makes a road bed with a high rating.
I concur with using crushed limestone for the base, and with making it larger. If it were mine I would make it 15 x 50.
I would go with "304 limestone" (1-1/2" down to fines) and then top that with "411 limestone" (3/4" down to fines). I suggest at least 4" thickness on each layer. The 304 will make a great base and the 411 will be easy to walk on.
I put in a 14' by 45' asphalt pad for our 36'er summer before last.
Temporary Parking for RV (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=22131.msg167423#msg167423)
My initial feeling is that 40' is a little short.
YMMV
Tulsa,
Love the prices! They would charge that much just to look at it here in California. Jimmy is right. I would extend the "pad" so you can work at either end without standing in mud in winter. Nice to have some on the sides so when you get in and out and open comparment doors, you don't track mud/dirt in and can set tools down on the gravel.
Yes, the larger rocks are excellent. The Romans went down 12 feet on their roads graduating the size as they went from bottom to top. This will last forever and if built just above the surrounding ground, will drain nicely too.
Ribar with the tiny square concrete squares to hold it up an inch or so is all you would need to pour a slab (plus 2x6s). I waited almost a month to drive our on the pad with the U300. 6" of 5 sack will be plenty strong.
I laid our 817 feet of concrete driveway in 2001 with just the help of some guys standing around in the Safeway parking lot. Only 3-1/2 inches thick but has worked really well. Did use a few miles of ribar though. My hands will never be the same from tying it all together. Has endured several large transit mixers for the slab/pit at the top without cracking. 8 yards each trip.
Pierce
Did not cheap out, did the 6" thick min. with a 40' X 60' nice concrete pad, then had a commercial bldg fitted to it. Now a great hobby shop / garage. It only hurt once $$$$$$, not everyday like a gravel pad.
Chuck,
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried digging out in front of the wheels, but they were too deep. There was not enough room under the coach to get the shovel in. After a couple of hours trying to use a garden scoop, I gave up.
I do not have Coach Net, but I do have the roadside assistance that came with my Progressive RV policy. Called them up and within an hour, I had a humongous wrecker in front of the house. He had a hard time hooking up because of the limited access by the buried wheels. I think he hooked up around the axle and under the steps out the front. he moved his pulling point low to the ground and pulled until we got out of the holes. He repositioned the chains and his truck to make a straight path to my driveway.
Probably took him less than 30 minutes. Something about watching an expert making a job look so easy; a thing of beauty!
I did not even have to sign anything.
(I did notice that the text message came from the same number I used a couple of years ago, with USAA roadside assistance, to tow my automobile when the oil pump quit.)
The contractor will be here in the morning to dig a 12'x50' hole, 6"-8" deep. He will fill the bottom half with up to 3" crushed rock, and the top half with 3/4" minus with fines. According to him the combination should make a nice RV pad.
When it is all said and done:
Tow RV out of deep ruts in the back yard = free.
Build a 12'x50' crushed rock RV pad = $725.
Never getting stuck in the yard again = priceless!
Thank y'all for the encouragement and advice,
Trent
glad you got out without damage.
I figure you got pulled out and a pad put in for about the cost of a tank of fuel. Good going! Sounds like your rock contractor has it together with his plan. I love affordable solutions!
I watched an older couple get talked into having a company do all their paths and driveway with round rock about 1 to 1-1/2". None of it stayed put while driving on it and it's tiring just to walk on. All because it looked pretty.
Good advice above about not spinning your wheels. If the wheels get traction and the rear end starts hopping, there are only so many hops before an axle snaps. I have heard the distinctive "ping" when it breaks twice. I was not the driver.
Pierce
Please rethink the 12' width. I believe over time you will wish you had at least one more foot of solid material on each side of the coach. I don't think you will be sorry if you make it 15' wide. It's really nice to have extra solid width when using a ladder or accessing the basement storage bays.
Okay, okay! The final dimensions are 15.5'x46', which abuts my existing concrete patio and sidewalk.
It wound up taking a whole transfer truck load of crushed rock to replace four truck loads of dirt.
Trent
Glad your high and dry. Thankfully no damage other than the wallet.
Raymond
Any problem fixable by money only is not that bad
Trent,
A transfer load is $500 alone here in our twin cities (very small twin cities). No tractor work, no removing dirt, etc. You got a real deal. Post photos if you get a chance.
Too bad we can't electronically transfer all your old dirt here. Sure could use it. ;D
Pierce
Caflash Bob, that's just what my dad always told me. I think he was right.