Anyone ever get their CTD Stuck in mud?

[rjohnson916]

Anybody ever get there truck stuck in mud? I was at a clients house earlier in the week for business. Anyhow this guy lives on a ranch, long gravel driveway that turns into a grass field as it approaches the home. Anyhow it had been raining like crazy all week and weekend and that day, after I settled business, as it was dark. I told the guy to spot for me as I backed down his driveway as I could not see, no lighting in the yard. Anyhow the guy hollers back “Hey just make a U-turn in my yard, I always do anyway” guy drives a Nissan Sentra. Keep in mind at this point I assumed the gravel circled around like a driveway and wasn’t grass. I proceeded to crank the wheel and proceed forward to make a U-turn in the flat as a board yard. I get about ½ way and I feel the rear wheels slip a bit? I then though what? This should be no big deal... . then the truck would not go forward anymore, so I grab for 4-High range and proceed to give her some fuel, no movement forward. I stopped and slipped’er into 4-Low Range and the front end just sank about a foot into the grass like quicksand. I tried reverse and then the truck sat helpless in this poor guys yard up to the frame in water-soaked wet grass. Long and short, it took my dad’s 2006 Toyota 4Runner V8 and an Isuzu Rodeo pulling in tandem, with a hole lot of digging for about 2 hours to free my stuck truck. I was really embarrassed and felt like my truck let me down. I wish I had a picture of the yard just to Give you all an idea. To add insult to injury, my dad drove around me, as this was the only access to the front of my truck, and he had no problem, or no spinning in the 4Runner. But my 4x4 Dodge was an instant stuck duck. Also I’m really disappointed with our 4x4 setup. I know the front differential is only an “Open” type differential, and the rear is supposed to be “Limited-Slip” but even applying a little parking brake action, I could only get one wheel up front to spin and one wheel out back, really lame but true.





the main think that ticked me off was that I have been four-wheeling for years, and can understand when your out purposely screwing around or muddin... But 4wd should help you when you get in a situation by accident, especially in a flat grass yard. I know I should have probably been in 4-High range from the get-go, but I did not know I was in grass and my trucks oem insurance policy failed me in a very embarrassing way.







-Ryan

 

[ASchwartz]

Been there done that!

I was on a jobsite after the heavy rains in January and February 2005. The front end sank down to the axle and the rear was no help. The little dozer in the background got me out with little to no effort.



#ad




Avi

 

[daytripper63]

Its amazing how fast that heavy Cummins will sink on soft ground :-laf

I did the same thing as I pulled out of my driveway a few winters ago after bad rain and as fast as I crossed the mow strip with the front tires I sunk

 

[wcjp]

I was able to get stuck immediately after arriving for a bomb party. The combination of heavy truck and street tires will get stuck right away. It has to do with contact patch. Your CTD is lots of weight per square inch versus the Toyota. This can be good or bad depending on surface. In the case of mud it's bad. The horse pasture that stuck my 06' in 4wd would have no effect in my modified Jeep in 2wd. The Jeep is lightweight with wide tires when compared to my CTD. Pounds per square inch are way different.

 

[JonathanBurk]

Street tires in mud may as well be like on ice... you just get no traction. Get some mud tires to help offset the CTD weight disadvantage.

 

[rjohnson916]

ASchwartz My truck looked exactly like yours did on that job site. Well guys, you keep saying get some better tires. Last Summer a couple of friends and I took my buddy's 24ft Centurion out to the lake. Well the paved launch was full and the Park Ranger said they opened the dirt launch if we wanted to use it. I get over to the dirt launch and here is a 2003-ish Lexus LX470 I think it was?? It had a 22ft Mastercraft behind it, dropped the boat and pulled out of the muddy launch without spinning a tire. I luanched from the same spot, as soon as I dumped the boat into the lake, I pulled forward with just the empty trailer and started to spin tires, If I didn't put my foot to the floor I would have been fetching my truck from the lake. I learned that lesson and ditched my factory BFG Rugged-Trail 265 series tires for the highly reviewed BFG All-Terrain T/A Ko and a few weeks later Launched from about the same spot, no problem and a lot better traction. These are the same tires I have today, they have about 80% tread left and should be more than adequate. What better tire can I get in a 285 series than won't ride like a dump truck?



-Ryan

 

[MCrossley]

not hard to figure out that a 4 runner and a rodeo are a bit lighter than oh lets say the front axle of the Dodge??? Almost been stuck in both my diesels hit 4 hi and floor it gotten out ever time so far but I am sure one of these days it will come. I pulled a 29' trailer out of mud with my front wheels to the center axle 4 low and the truck going sideways grabs and yanked out of it made a huge mess but got out of that too.

 

[JLovas]

Yea, the stock 265's are worthless. I got stuck with my pickup in a grass lot picking up some drain tile two summers ago... the factory tires only had 26,000 miles on them but I ended up getting stuck. The next day I had some 315 BFG AT's installed, these tires are much better in the mud with their larger size and more aggressive tread. Now if they just had these in an E load range with a 4200 lb load rating Id be happy. I wonder if a guy can get something in the 19. 5 that would be just as good in the mud as 315 BFG AT's?

 

[keimmmo]

I have never been stuck in the 01. 5 with the open rear end... but I have had the '92 with the limited-slip stuck a couple of times. I set it on the frame on both ends in soft mud once. We got it out with a long chain and a tractor setting on a gravel road. I have also been stuck in soft sand. I was pulled out that time by about 20 guys pulling on a long rope... strange sounding, but true.



Steve Keim

 

[BarryG]

Last march I went down to our property and was doing some cleanup. Had hauled a chipper down to deal with the slash. When I drove in in the morning the ground was frozen and no problem at all. And didnt have any problem all day getting to various parts of the property with the chipper in tow. When I went to leave about 40 feet from the road there is a pine tree right on a turn. It was now muddy in that area. I was already in 4wd and was heading out when I got to the tree. The truck started to slide a bit so I thought ut oh better slow down a bit so the trailer doesnt fishtail and smack the tree. Well about 5 feet later I was up to the frame in mud. Had to walk a while to get to a phone and called a wrecker. He got there it was a bigger Isuzu NPR type wrecker. He got situated and tried winching me out and all it did was raise his front wheels up in the air. He resituated then it pulled his truck up on two wheels on one side. Again another resituation, lowered some type of drag bar across the back and again this time it just pulled his vehicle backwards. I kept telling the guy raise the boom some so it would lift the front end of my truck some as it pulled forward and he wouldnt listen. Finally after about 5 more tries and him moving the vehicle and tearing up the road in front of my property he finally raised the boom and wallah my truck came right out. He only charged me 10 bucks said he should have listened to me. I spent the next hour and a half with a shovel and rake fixing the road he tore up. Nothing worse than getting stuck 20-30 feet from the road.

 

[Scrappy]

My stuck was in my '01, I was out at a 4wheeling spot in AK. There were several vehicles there They stopped on the trail so I pulled off the trail beside them. AS I came to a stop I know I was in trouble, I put it in 4wd and went straight DOWN! the front tires went down almost completely covering my front tires and the rears were down to the axles. We tried for a while to pull it backwards using a '79 Bronco on 33" Baja Claws AND a '01 1/2T Offroad pkg. Dodge to get it out and no luck. I ended up hooking thru the front bumper (I had NO tow hooks at that time) using the same trucks and they pulled me right out. But the ALMOST ripped my front bumper off. This was still on the stock tires, I had ordered a set of 315/75R16 BFG MT's the day before.

I never got stuck after I got tires installed. The stock tires are way too small to support a #4500lb axle on ANYTHING softer than asphalt.

 

[Nate]

CTD trucks are heavy SOBs. Put street tires and open diffs on those trucks and your just asking to be stuck. That's why I run M/Ts and a Detroit locker in the back... for those times.

 

[Coolslice]

As I've said before in other threads, I've been stuck once in 2 inches of mud and ALMOST got stuck on some soggy flat ground. My previous truck was a Tacoma 4x4 and I'm not used to having to worry about getting stuck. It has taken me a while to accept that this truck due to it's size and weight (and crap tires) is pretty much worthless off road. With stock tires, this truck is about as capable off road as a front wheel drive car.



I'm glad to see some of you guys are feeling like me and are having similar experiences. This very topic came up at DTR and I was told that I was a moron and I needed to learn how to drive my truck and I wouldn't get stuck... Needless to say, I didn't take that too well and mayhem ensued. . :-laf

 

[troll3193]

I am glad it's not just me. . Mud is not my problem, but I have been stuck in deep snow 3-4 times since I have had it. My cousins half ton chevy and brother in laws 1/2 ton dodge just go right by me. .



I am certain weight is an issue, but the tires are a huge problem. Would love BFG All Terrain TAs, but as someone mentioned no load range E... Does anyone make a load range E with some bite?



I have considered backing down to load range D's but when I tow I am almost at my GVWR. .



BFG Commercial TAs look good, but they only come in a 16" rim...



Bryan

 

[CJPerry]

The front ends on our trucks are very heavy. Last time I got stuck it took a 4wd New Holland with dual rear tires to pull me out. Bigger more aggressive tires will get you through a lot more, but they also make the inevitable stuck much worse.



You can't really see them, but my truck has 37 inch BFG ATs.

 

[DieselTorque]

bogged twice, once in the driveway and once in the yard. moms' suburban

pulled it out easily bothe times (2wd).

front end just

dropped, rear was helpless w/ all the weight in front, mud brutes gave

absolutely no traction, interco thornbirds or boggers next.



dt

 

[Smokin Joes 2500]

gettin stuck

If headlights were on you should have been able to tell you werent on gravel??? Anyway I think the cummins engine weighs about 1100-1200 lbs. Thats twice as heavy as any of the biggest big blocks!!! You can tell by looking at and driving these trucks that they are not "off-roaders" Too heavy and clumbsy!! Take comfort in knowing that itd take 4-4runners to pull the trailer your truck can pull!!!

 

[JasonCzerak]

my truck will never see mud... if I'm off road, it's relitivly level and dry.



4x4 is needed for wet and snowy roads and 3gear gear hole shots.



It's obvious when you have 4700# on the front tires alone that this truck isn't ment to get dirty like that.

 

[10.5 Dave]

I haven't buried the Dodge yet. I got stuck in my previous diesel powered truck's and learned these truck are made for pulling heavy trailers on pavement,not 4 wheeling.

They're way to heavy up front and sink right away.

With a set of 40" Swampers and lockers front and rear I bet it would blast through some mud.

 

[Cattletrkr]

I get stuck a lot. You'd be amazed at some of the places farmers think I can get backed into. "Oh don't worry, we'll just hook onto your trailer and pull you backwards. "



To which I respond, "Like hell you're gonna hook onto the back of my ALUMINUM trailer. If I can get backed in, you can pull me out once I'm loaded. If I can't get in, I'll come back some other day. "



They really don't like to hear that.



I know everybody has a chain for emergencies, but loose that piece of junk. Get a strap/rope or a cable. A strap/rope gives your tow vehicle a chance to build momentum. I've never used a cable, but if they break, they just drop. No pieces go flying like chain links do.