Ice Fishing....

[EdsTowing]

This was a job that a buddy of mine called me to help on a few weeks ago. Customer was clearing snow off of a section of the lake when their Kubota loader broke through the ice. Fortunately the operator got off unharmed.

 

 

They responded with 2 LD Wreckers and some rigging supplies. Fortunate for us, the bucket remained up on the top which allowed for an easier approach. The lake was 8-10' deep where it was sitting.

 

 

The machine was running when it went under so I don't have too much hope on the salvage... It weighed aprox. 2300-2500lbs with the attachments we figured but the real forces are the ice.

 

 

We cut some areas away to allow it to spin around and kind of come out of the hole sideways...

 

 

I knew from previous experiences...Ice can be "fickel"... It was 4" thick where it went in. Areas 6" from the hole were 10-12"... In one are about 15' from the machine was soft enough that one of the guys broke his boot through walking on it! There are current running under the ice that effect it's thickness & integrity... 

 

We had to hook my truck to the front of their wrecker which isn't an "ideal" situation but it only needed a little more resistance. Every time it started to flip on out, it would drop back in. His Chevron doesn't have legs which would of made the difference. Once my truck was connected...it "scared" that machine right out of the water...LoL

 

 

Slid it across the ice and flipped it back on it's wheels on shore. Not a "Picture Perfect" job but we got it out with the tools available...

 

[SUPERIOR35]

Nice Job ! The hardest part when they are far out, is getting the elevation to climb over the edge of the hole and not try to go under the ice. I have seen some pretty creative rigs ( A frames etc.) for doing this. We just had a Jeep in a lake in the middle of a snow covered golf course.

[Stubborn66]

That is one hell of an expensive ice skating rink he was trying to make. 

 

Lucky to be safe