Saved a Ford Explorer today

Last thing I needed to see on the way to the explorer.

And the recovery.

 

My mom owns an Explorer identical to that one. The traction control 4x4 system in them are a PITA!!! Was it even 4x4?

 

Yup it was 4wheel drive, Alaska mud is just a bitch.

 

Good pics.

Couple of weeks ago, I pulled an Excursion out of the snow (high centered with all 4 wheels spinning). And that's not the first time I came across an Excursion in this situation. Seems Ford SUV driver's tend to overestimate their abilities and not realize they only have about 4 inches of clearance underneath! The guy told me after pulling him out...and I quote, "I know it's a bad day when a Toyota pulls my Ford out of the snow."

 

He may of had it in auto instead of lock. If so its hard to get out once your stuck. I got my moms stuck in sugar sand. Every time I floored it to get out the traction control would kick in and drop rpms down. It sucks!!!
But other then that their good vehicles

 

Exploder*

 

pulled a Ram out of a ditch in March, was a little worried about break in cuz my yota was two or three weeks old at the time but i hardly felt him and boy was it worth his silent/bleak face i gotta mumbled "thanks man" haha

 

Good work, where ya at in Wyoming?

 

Shame his truck didn't sink back in. Don't get a tow from someone and then disrespect their rig.

 

Well i need too change my profile, im in Alaska now. Was in Pine Bluffs wyoming up till December.

 

To top it off, the snow was only about 16 inches deep. Was kind of funny coming around the corner and seeing 3 guys and 1 shovel trying to dig it out of the patch of snow. They only made it in like 30 feet before getting stuck!

 

Nice save ! awesome pics BTW

 

Awesom pics and story, i bet that bear made it a little difficult to decide to get out of the truck


i pulled a jeep out of a ditch a few months ago, had to hook the winch up to the axle
had him telling me the entire time not to take pics so that i could get a "jeep rescue vehicle" sticker

oh, it wasnt a wrangler though, it was a grand cherokee, so not as bad

(how he was stuck i would have had to pull him out either way)

 

Alot of bears in the area so I always carry. 357 for the black bears and S&W 500 for the grizz. If it comes down to shooting the bear or getting the truck unstuck, the truck can sit awhile.

 

Okay. I'm from the other side of the state but live in Reno, although I'm back here for work this summer.


Cool pictures though. There are a few grizzlies where I like to explore as well. Hoping I won't see any this summer. I do keep the AR with me when I camp.

 

Cool pics. I'd love to make a trip up there some time. We've got black bears here in NC but I've never seen one that size. By the way if that AR isn't a .308 or .450 Bushmaster you might want to invest in something with a little more stopping power. Either a 12 ga. with slugs or a Marlin guide gun. Make sure you have a large caliber because it's going to take a lot to stop a charging Grizzly or Black bear. They've got pretty hard heads and chest shots aren't a guaranteed stopper. Always bring more gun than you need. Just my .02.

 

It looks like the problem with the Explorer was not the traction control, it was the tires in had on. If you don't have a tire with big cleats that effectively clear mud you are going to get stuck in any vehicle when the tires fill up and start slipping. The size of the tires also are a factor because a bigger tire has much more flotation.

While that is Alaskan mud in the pictures we have the same problem in the swamps of Florida. When I was farming I routinely ran 31.50s Wild Countrys with a mud cleat. They were very noisy on the road but it took me anywhere I tried to go including muddy ditches and creeks.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CrUARlmqso

 

Forgot about that one. It should be able to do the job.