Found a way to get my quad unstuck from thick mud without a winch

Was riding up near Thunder Bay last weekend and sunk my old Honda Foreman into this nasty boggy spot. No winch on it and I was about 15km from the truck with nobody around. Tried rocking it back and forth for 20 min till my legs were shot. Then I remembered seeing a video where a guy used his tire straps as a sort of rope to wrap around a nearby tree and hook to his racks. I had two of those ratchet straps in my side bag from hauling gear. Wrapped one around a birch tree about 20 feet back and hooked the other end to my front rack loop. Some careful gassing while pulling on the strap and she crawled right out. Took me like 10 min total. Anyone else ever use straps like that in a pinch or have a better trick for solo mud recovery?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia4781mo ago

Oh man, I've been there more times than I care to count. That strap trick is a solid one, I've done the same thing with a couple of tow straps and a big rock when there wasn't a tree close enough. Just make sure you wrap the strap around something solid so it doesn't snap back at you if it slips.

karenw231mo ago

Honestly, I gotta push back on that a little. Saying "wrap it around something solid" makes it sound foolproof, but I've seen too many people get hurt thinking a big rock is solid enough when it's actually just sitting on loose dirt or gravel. That thing can roll or shift the second you put real tension on it, and then you've got a strap whipping around like a snake. Ngl, I'd rather take my chances with a tree that's clearly rooted deep or just call a tow truck if I'm not 100% sure. Tbh, the "it worked for me" advice sometimes glosses over the real risk, and I'd rather be boring and safe than sorry.