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Bud
Advanced Member
Username: Budtx
Post Number: 128
Registered: 11-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 12:21 pm: | 
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My son and his buddy (both 18) were playing on the pond in the Max II. The ice was about 3-4" thick, but the day was warm (about 50 degrees).
Despite my warnings that they stay around the perimeter of the pond in case they broke through, they decided to venture out into the middle. I was watching them out of the kitchen window when they broke through the ice. The pond is a little over 1/2 acre in size, and you could see the ice flex downward before they broke through. The right side broke through first, almost causing them to capsize. They hurriedly counterbalanced to the left and then that side broke through.
They were now stuck in a neat little hole that was exactly the size of the Max. With both of them in it, and because of their inexperience, they could not get the wheels up to try and climb out frontwards or backwards.
I got the tractor over to the edge of the pond, and had to combine two chains, two tow straps and the length of the winch cable on the Max before I could just barely hook up to try and pull them out.
Because the ground was wet, all that my little 8n would do is spin the tires on the wet mud at the edge of the pond. If I held it in place, the boys couldn't manage to get the winch to make any headway, as the edge of the ice prevented the front of the Max from moving with the two of them in it.
I ended up getting them both out, and climbed in the Max myself. By rocking my weight and utilizing the throttle I could get the tires up on to the edge of the ice, but the warm temperature was causing the use to slough off rather then let me get a bite.
An hour and a half later I was finally able to wallow a large enough hole and throw enough water up on the ice to weaken it. I had the boys move the tractor to a drier spot, and using the winch I was able to break the ice using the hull of the Max (raised with the front wheels on the ice) and finally get out.
It sucked. |
Rogersmith
Advanced Member
Username: Rogersmith
Post Number: 356
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - 01:01 pm: |
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Good that all were ok. From similar stories around here, I've learned the danger of one side falling in and sinking. On most of my rides I'm surrounded by a handful of others/winches, so me taking chances is usually just an inconvenience for them! A friend swamped his Bigfoot on the edge of a pond. Was backing out, got sideways, and water poured in through the exhaust grille. Was too slick to drive out, so it filled with water, right there on the shoreline. Water in the cylinders, carb, etc. Weird things can happen! |
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