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The tractor retractor can be a built in or bolt on addition to rough
terrain vehicles. I imagine it easier to engineer for four wheel vehicles,
but i'll try to explain it for a single rail three wheeler (4 wheelers could
have double rails).
A 3 wheel tractor hits a soft patch of earth, pure
swamp you might say.
One tire sinks down deep into the quagmire. Up to the frame! Go ask
farmer Ron if his International can pull you out.
The tractor retractor is a steel beam sitting on the underbelly of the
tractor. It is attached to hydraulic pistons and has the power to lift the
tractor out of the sunken mess. Now, you as the driver will have to go
get some logs or such to throw across the tire digit, but no need to
plead to farmer Ron and his international again.
Note: this system probably works better for 4 wheel heavy lifters who
need to operate in soft soils as two beams could lift the vehicle.
High Lift Jack
http://www.hi-lift.com/
Widely used for the purpose described. [Twizz, Jul 01 2011]
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Annotation:
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I can't figure out how to edit on this phone right now. I wanted to
change the last line to indicate the stability advantage of dual
retractor rails. |
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Oooh, yeah! You can't take the country out of the boy, can you? |
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I envisage the steel beams also sinking into the mire. |
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beam will need a large plate at bottom. |
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The high lift jack requires no power other than the operator, can be transferred from one vehicle to another, requires no installation, can be used as a winch and as a jack at any angle (such as pushing the vehicle away from the rock it's jammed against). |
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I've done this a lot. With a high lift jack, you lift the vehicle's wheels out of their holes, then push it sideways to topple it off the jack and onto the ground beside the holes. |
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I too have felt your pain, [Twizz]. It is the price of love for
your 4x4. |
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The rails would not have to be more than 4" wide on a
large vehicle, provided they run most of the length
between the axles (I assume they were not intended to run
the full length of the vehicle, as this would interfere with
the suspension). It's a matter of surface area, guys, not
shape. |
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What I'm most concened about is safety. Improper use of
this on uneven ground or a slope could be disastrous, as
could accidental or malfunction deployment on solid
ground. Plus, the system will take a lot of wear and tear,
because you know the operator is just going to use it to lift
the machine when he needs to instead of going back to the
garage and finding a jack. |
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This would be enormously heavy and contribute to getting stuck more often, I'm afraid. |
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Yeah, but the sound it made when accidentally deployed at highway speeds would be memorable. |
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I thought about the weight, too, but it wouldn't actually
add much to the weight of a farm tractor, which is
tremendously heavy to begin with, what with the cast-iron
axles and all. Some hydraulic pistons, a couple of flanged
steel rails, and associated mechanical gubbinz: I figure
600-800 lbs, tops, and that's for a large-ish tractor. |
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