ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: twopeanuts on February 27, 2006, 08:07:25 AM
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Ok - so I "found" a sinkhole (easily large enough for me to cawl down inside of) yesterday and I can't figure out how to get my Zuki out. I was driving from a backyard over into a driveway and right about where the driveway started I came to a sudden stop - felt like my right front end just fell off. So I get out to find that the front end is still there - its just below ground in some sort of sinkhole - and the more I tried getting it out the wider the opening to the sinkhole became...
(http://twopeanuts.com/gallery2/d/84-1/A02-26-06_1727.jpg)
(http://twopeanuts.com/gallery2/d/91-1/A02-26-06_1814.jpg)
(http://twopeanuts.com/gallery2/d/95-1/A02-26-06_1837.jpg)
I've tried pulling from behind with another truck (2wd) and it just spins.
I can get better traction in the truck pulling it forward, but the wheel gets pulled at a 90 degree angle and feels like its going to snap the wheel off so I didn't yank/gun it.
Looking down into the hole it looks to be about 4-5 feet diameter and 6-7 foot deep.
I locked the hubs and put it 4L - but only the back wheels are spinning (all the weight is on the front driver's side wheel).
Any ideas?
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If you had something like a fence post you could drive into the ground a little ways behind you and winch or use a winch equivelent to try to pull you back some. I've used one of the green fence posts and my comealong to get me out of alot of places. Just hook whatever you are using to the very base of the post. Not sure if it would work for you but might just give you enough traction to pull yourself back. Worst case you might have to get a bigger 4wd truck to pull you out.
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Yikes. I think I would try to jack it up (ground permitting) and lay a couple 2x8s stacked like a bridge over the hole and under the tire. Then you should be able to carefully drive or pull it back. Good luck. Maybe you just found a new cave. "Zuki Caverns" ;)
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It looks like there are a couple hefty trees in behind the zuk, do you have any recovery gear, or know anyone with any, a good tree strap close to the ground, and a set of come alongs, or even a hilift jack. a 2wd vehicle isn't the answer, maybe a 4wd vehicle would be better.
Good Luck ;)
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you got a crane or fork lift?
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You could get it out with another 4x4 and a snatch strap (if you are brave enough to sit in it hovering above a 7' sink hole)(<--- Not reccomended). Or your best bet is to get someone with a winch to hook to it and drag her out. If the recovery truck gets drug around, just anchor the back of it to a tree.
Be carefull with that. Sinkholes like that around home FREQUENTLY are part of a MUCH LARGER cave/washout. I've seen large tractors, doziers and large 4x4's almost swalloeded by sinkholes.
Zig
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buy a high lift jack, and jack up the front and put some boards across the hole under your tire and drive out. this worked well when one of my tires fell through the ice on a small crick.
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:o Maybe it's an old septic tank hole...... ;D
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Buy/Borrow the Hi-lift. Since they can function as comealong you are getting more than one tool.
Whatever you do be extremely careful. I do have seen dozer's swallowed by a sinkhole. Think about trying to extract a D8 from a sinkhole. :o
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Turns out my grandmother remembers there being a hand dug 4 foot by 7 or 8 foot hole there used as a "root cellar" to keep eggs and milk and potatoes when she was young. It was supposedly filled in over 60 years ago.ÂÂ
I remembered I had AAA and called to see if they covered sinkholes. Yep. Big truck with a big wench was there and had me out in 30 minutes.  Drove it to town and back with no problems tonight.
(http://twopeanuts.com/gallery2/d/99-1/B02-27-06_1820.jpg)
I'm thinking two feet of gravel in the bottom, a ladder, and two solid beams on each side and I've to a shadetree mechanic's pit.
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We found an abandoned septic tank one time with our FD's pumper; you can't imagine the size of the truck they needed to pull 'er out because we couldn't dump the water (sandy soil). Weight of the water alone was about 12000 lbs, plus the weight of the truck and equipment. :o
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Create a fulcrum point on the last solid bit of ground before the hole with a couple of 2x8's, jam them under the sides until they are under your frame......tie off a strap to your bumper and one of the trees behind you so you dont lose it forward into the hole if something gives way......open the tailgate and load bags of concrete into the drivers rear corner until your rear tires are solid, should lift your front wheel out of hole using the wood under your frame as a fulcrum point and give you rear traction.
http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/Page1.htm
see this guys site for a better idea of fulcrums and moving large objects by hand.
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Create a fulcrum point on the last solid bit of ground before the hole with a couple of 2x8's, jam them under the sides until they are under your frame......tie off a strap to your bumper and one of the trees behind you so you dont lose it forward into the hole if something gives way......open the tailgate and load bags of concrete into the drivers rear corner until your rear tires are solid, should lift your front wheel out of hole using the wood under your frame as a fulcrum point and give you rear traction.
[url]http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/Page1.htm[/url]
see this guys site for a better idea of fulcrums and moving large objects by hand.
very interesting site
jason
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Now that you've gotten it out... next time it happens just get someone with a welder to crawl down into your "service pit" and install a Lincoln Locker in the front end. She'll crawl right out! ;D
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I hate to admit it - but I had to go google "Lincoln Locker" (http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jscarbro/Lockers.htm). Now I understand why I was stuck - and why it didn't just crawl out in reverse when I locked the hubs and changed to 4L.  The driver's side front wheel wasn't turning because the passenger side front wheel was free spinning. I mistakenly thought 4wd meant all 4 wheels would get drive (with or without all four wheels touching the ground).
So now I have new questions - Can I take my zuki across the street to my buddy that welds trailers and just have him weld the gears together in my front differential to make a "Lincoln locker" ?  And if so - as long as the hubs aren't locked and its in 2wd - will I still be able to drive it on the street (i.e. I'll still be able to make turns at high speed)?
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I dunno how much I would reccomend welding the front. I would leave the front open.
If you weld the rear, take it to someone that knows what theyre doing. Its not as easy as everyone thinks. But then again, if you understand how to do it then it isn't that difficult either.
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I woulda turned on the ARB compressor, waited a minute or two for the pressure in the tank to get up to 100 PSI, put her in 4WD, locked the hubs, hit the ARB Locker switches, and DRIVEN out of that hole.
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Create a fulcrum point on the last solid bit of ground before the hole with a couple of 2x8's, jam them under the sides until they are under your frame......tie off a strap to your bumper and one of the trees behind you so you dont lose it forward into the hole if something gives way......open the tailgate and load bags of concrete into the drivers rear corner until your rear tires are solid, should lift your front wheel out of hole using the wood under your frame as a fulcrum point and give you rear traction.
[url]http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/Page1.htm[/url]
see this guys site for a better idea of fulcrums and moving large objects by hand.
rkteckt-
Thanks for that link. It kept me busy for about an hour! It's amazing what a retired tradesman can do to show intellectuals how things work! Have a good one!
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I woulda turned on the ARB compressor, waited a minute or two for the pressure in the tank to get up to 100 PSI, put her in 4WD, locked the hubs, hit the ARB Locker switches, and DRIVEN out of that hole.
Show off. ;D
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That forgotten tech guy is a riot, im almost tempted to buy his dvd so he will keep making bigger rocks and moving them around his yard......
As far as the sink hole goes, i have a sammy so i would have just tied some balloons to the bull bar and lofted it to safety