And/or rip the ball off and create a perfect projectile to kill someone.
Excellent point.
I’m sorry if this reads as “(Un)Stuck 101,” because I'm sure I'm not the only one to figure this stuff out, but following are a few lessons I’ve learned the hard way, and I haven’t read else ware in this thread.
Regarding becoming unstuck:
Important #1: If you start spinning wheels and you aren’t going anywhere, STOP. You’ll only make the situation worse by digging holes with the spinning wheel(s).
Important #2: If you are on a hill, however slight, try unsticking yourself by going downhill.
I don’t know how many people I have pulled out because they got stuck a little, and then exacerbated their situation by spinning wheels, and/or by spinning their wheels while trying to go uphill.
Sometimes rocking the vehicle back and forth will help. Give it just enough gas to move it forward without spinning, then come back a little and try again. Hopefully with each attempt you’ll move forward a little more.
Air down your tires. If you don’t have a way to air them up again after getting unstuck, then you should travel at a slow, conservative speed until you can return them to the proper PSI.
On a 4X4 vehicle with open differentials, if you are spinning one wheel, then you are also spinning the wheel on the opposite corner. That is, if the left front wheel is spinning, then the right rear is also spinning. There are a few methods which may help.
1) Put some traction aids under one or both of the spinning wheels – sand ladders, mattraxx, rocks, logs, timber, etc. You may have to dig some of the muck out from under the wheel(s) in order to get things like rocks and logs under the wheel(s). Sand ladders and mattraxx require more digging to properly place them, but it’s often well worth it in the long run.
2) Set your parking brake slightly (or completely). This will direct some (or all) of the torque that was going to the wheel that was slipping on the rear axle, to the wheel that was not slipping on the front axle. Obviously, this is a bit of a balancing act because you are trying to stop some wheels from turning, while at the same time, turning all wheels.
If you have to winch or get a pull from another vehicle you may find that the wheels of your vehicle don’t roll up and over whatever material you’re stuck in, and may act like a bulldozer by pilling up debris in front of your tires, thus making the winch or pull more difficult. Watch all of your wheels, and if necessary, stop and remove any bulldozed debris.
One final note on parking brakes: If I have to back down a steep road, I set my parking brake a few notches. I do this because the normal brake biasing applies more braking force to the front brakes, which when backing downhill, may cause the front brakes to lockup while the rear brakes are providing little braking force. This in turn may cause my front wheels skid, slip and slide, while my back wheels are just coasting along, and not helping me to stop. By applying the parking brake a few notches, I find that I get better control while backing down a steep hill.
