HELP VERY URGENT DIGGER TRUCK STUCK

[zappastix]

Hi

My son who is an experienced digger truck driver (but many years ago) has got a problem.

He was digging footings for a small extension with a 600mm bucket, 1 meter deep x 6 meters long.

This is with a 3 ton digger.

The footings came out perfect - we were admiring how perfect it was, when the side wall collapsed.

To cut a long story short over many days the more we dug, the more the surrounding sub soil collapsed.

In the end we decided to use shuttering ply, and squared off this very wide hole to drop the shuttering down.

Because my son couldn't get the ground as flat as he wanted he decided to dig a slope and drive into the hole.

The big problem is that the property is on reclaimed beach - there is around one foot of top soil, one foot of
sand and the rest is very sticky blue clay.

The digger rubber tracks have sunk into the clay - while the underside of the body is resting on clay.

This was this morning - we have tried everything to move it, he has lifted the rubber tracks high enough
to get very heavy timbers plus loads of rubble underneath - that helped but then it just sunk again.

If it rains then we are in deep do-da.

MY QUESTION

Does anyone know of a recovery company that would be able to get this 3 ton digger out,
remembering it does not have wheels.

Any other suggestions would be most welcome.

What a nightmare.

By the way - the hole is getting on for 3 meters deep!

Thanks in advance, Stephen

 

[geraint]

My son who is an experienced digger truck driver

so why are you asking, if he is experienced......

Seems he is not...

 

[^woody^]

Whenever I've seen a stuck machine, the driver has always used the arm to pull the machine out

 

[Norcon]

A large machine maybe and lift it out if all else fails.

 

[Nige F]

Is there clear and clean beach around the site to work on ? - You could try a WW2 re enactment enthusiast Those guys have monster towing machines / winches etc that used to pull tanks outa the mire . They might like to have a play @ the weekend - cost of getting it to you might be steep @ 1 mpg

 

[RedHerring2]

Or look on the 4X4 sites for a monster truck owner.

Try this site, in Sussex, they might know of someone:
http://www.4x4driving.co.uk/index.html

 

[big-all]

block and tackle chain winch ??
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/search/filter/+winches/type/any/page/1

 

[RedHerring2]

block and tackle chain winch ??
http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/search/filter/+winches/type/any/page/1[/QUOTE]

Problem with that solution will be finding a decent anchor point.

You could try googling "Digger Hire Sussex".

 

[zappastix]

I did try to thank everyone last night but I kept getting this error from DIYnot;
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we have 9 "acros" - going to place these underneath on heavy duty timbers.

If that fails, try and find a farmer with a large tractor with a winch.

Thanks again.

 

[Nige F]

You`ll be lucky with a farmer you need a woodsman with a tractor mounted winch and ground anchor - or a Bray loader see those beasts on Youtube . "monster" trucks are glorified Tonka Toys

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Either a crane capable of lifting 3 tonnes at whatever radius it needs to be from some decent ground for the crane to sit on, or a bigger machine to give the stuck machine a helping hand to pull itself out.....

 

[geraint]

Whenever I've seen a stuck machine, the driver has always used the arm to pull the machine out

I did make a similar comment about a capable driver.... but it has been lost.... maybe with the drivers ticket...

 

[Norcon]

Did you get it out yet?
Getting anchor points might be a problem.
If you had a couple of long slings and connect them to the tracks and then anchor them in line with the tracks.
Then just drive the tracks and they might self winch the machine forward.
Well my Dad used to get his tractor out of the bog in a similar fashion.

 

[zappastix]

IT'S OUT

The digger had sunk even more, the top of the arm was in line with the top of the hole!

This morning a local farmer (who it seems has a lot of heavy duty plant) had a two man team
with a 7 ton digger and very strong chains eased it up and out very slowly.

The advise we were getting from most people was to leave it in the ground and bury it . . . .
I didn't tell them it possibly would have a tracker.

Phew - it was a worrying few days as we would have been liable. I don't know how much they
cost but it looked very new - this one is a Hitachi.

Thanks again.

 

[Norcon]

Good job. Wouldn't be the first time excavators are left buried in a mire of mud and used as backfill.
Even with the most experienced drivers on board.