One of the things we've learned working at 4-Wheel & Off-Road is that you can break in the rocks, but to get truly stuck you need mud and water. It's really an amazing thing to watch. A capable rockcrawler who wheels his way into a tricky section can often just throw in the towel, put it in Reverse, and back out of danger. Put an equally capable vehicle in mud and its momentum can carry it past the point of no return and into a stuck that no matter how skilled the driver may be, he ain't driving out of it. Add to that the fact that a vehicle stuck in mud, snow, or water will sink and become harder to recover with each passing moment and you've got the makings of a Whoops!-worthy photo. Not wanting to leave you high and dry (or stuck and soaked in this case), we've got some tips to share with you based on the worst jams we've seen over the last year.
If nothing else, they'll help you feel better about the headaches you go through getting out of your favorite wheeling spot.
Recovery PrinciplesWheeling is about going places other people can't. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it and it wouldn't be any fun. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you're officially stuck.
*Know when you're stuck. You can make things worse if you keep trying to drive out. In other words, don't make it harder for someone else to save your butt.
*Have a positive attitude. With the right resources you can get your 4x4 out of anything.
*Always travel in packs. Half the time the hardest part of getting unstuck is convincing people to come help you.
*Be humble. Telling people how great you are or how close you were to making it will not get volunteers lining up.
*It is almost always easier to pull someone out the way they went in. This way you won't have to pull them through whatever stopped them in the first place.
*A guy with a beater truck will always be more eager to help, and more creative with solutions, than the guy who's making payments on his baby.
*The guy who got stuck has to hook up the rope, strap, or hook, no matter how much mud or water he has to wade through.
*Always pay in cash. Not needing a receipt can get you deep discounts in these situations.
*If you see someone else who is stuck, offer to lend a hand. The good deed will always bring good karma.