It was a SWB truck with a 4.9L / 300ci with the NP 435 4-speed Compound Low transmission,
I had installed a 500 cfm 2V Holley carburetor on the 4.9L engine.
The straight-6 idled smooth and was not cold natured as the 1V carburetor was.
It had new 12.00 x 33 Ridge Runner tires on 8” wide white Wagon Wheels.
It had Ford’s Traction-Loc “Limited Slip” rear differential with 3.50:1 gears
front & back.
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It was on a Friday at 1:30PM, and I had to be at work at 2:30PM.
I had just finished washing my truck when a friend of one of my older Brothers
walked up to my yard and said Walt’s 4x4 truck was stuck off a nearby back road
and he had to walk out and I was the only one he could find that could pull him out.

I knew I only had one hour to go and pull Walt’s truck out, get back home,
shower, pack a lunch and be at work as a Boiler Operator at an Chemical Company.
We drove about 3 miles to where he left Walt and his truck stuck off the side of the
road where other 4x4’s had been mud bogging in the black swamp mud recently.

Walt guided me around his truck with his frame sitting on the ground.
I didn’t realize until later that the cool one in his hand was not his first one.
Walt said to drive around his truck and pull him out forward;
he put me in the deepest, muddiest ruts that were there and my truck started spinning.
I had to back up spinning and was trying to go forward spinning all four tires,
I continued to go forward and backward for twenty feet or so and that was it!
I was thinking, now I am stuck and will be late for work or not get there at all.

Walt opened another cool one and was happy to finally see my truck stuck.
At that point; I figured it was all or nothing, if I broke something;
well I’m stuck anyway.

I put my transfer case in Low Range and used 2nd gear and Reverse only!

I rolled up my windows and closed my back window and told Walt
and his buddy to get out of the way, I had to be at work in less than an hour!

I started spinning forward as far as the truck would go and threw it in reverse and spun backward
as far as it would go, threw it back in 2nd gear without letting off the gas and was getting a little further each time.

I continued to speed-shift the manual transmission without letting off the gas,
the straight-6 was turning 4,000 RPM wide open, I had never treated my truck this way before.
I kept thinking; I had to get to work!

I continued to hold the gas pedal to the floor without letting up,
I kept shifting from reverse to 2nd and back to reverse and I had hope of getting out!

I knew my truck had new Spicer U-joints and a new clutch;
it was in great condition with 125K original miles on it.
I finally got out on solid hard ground and was so happy!
It took approximately 5 to 7 minutes to get out and did not break anything.

I backed up to Walt’s front bumper, got my strap out and told him
to get in his truck if he wanted me to pull him out because I had to go to work!
I had to use my wipers to clean the windshield so I could see.
I easily pulled him out and headed back out of the woods with my red truck completely
covered with black mud still dripping off it.

I managed to get my shower and grab something for supper, drove my dirty truck to work,
the windows were covered, and there were globs of mud on the roof and hood.
My coworkers had never seen it dirty before and several asked; what happened?

The next time I saw Walt; he was still laughing about how I was speed-shifting
the transmission, he said the truck was still going backward when I would shift into another gear
and it would still be going forward when I shifted into reverse.
He said mud was slinging twenty-five feet high in the air above my truck!

I told him that was the first time I had ever used 2nd and reverse in low range like that.
The 4.9L / 300ci had all the power I needed in low range in the mud.

Note: Granny 1st in 4-High was too low ratio,
but 2nd gear in 4-Low was perfect in that muddy situation.

Moral of my Story:
In a deep muddy off-road situation, use Low Range and 2nd Gear.
That is; if you have the Compound Low Manual Transmission.
i.e. New Process 435 / Warner T-18A or T19 (Granny 1st gear & Reverse)

Anyway, I hope some of you enjoyed my true story that actually happened in 1985.

My black 1987 F-150 4x4 4.9L C6 Automatic has never been in the mud before!

 

5-7 minutes? Thats not being close to stuck. Thats just getting the tires the right temp! But I would of tried to pull him out backwards, he drove in and something stopped his forward movement. Nice story.

 

Good read... pics of the trucks you have/had?

 

any pictures?

 

Thanks!

The engine was wide open @ 4,000 RPM for 5-7 minutes.
As you know; the 4.9L Straight Six Red-lines at 4,000 RPM.

The Granny Tranny is not normally speed-shifted,
especially from reverse to 2nd gear.

Reverse in the NP 435 is all the way back to the right, toward the seat
and 2nd gear is all the way back to the left side, toward the seat.

I have one picture of the red 1978,
but I couldn't figure out how to upload it?

This happened before Cell Phones was common and I knew
I was going to have to walk 3 miles if I didn't get out of that mud bog.

I thought I would share the story and mention about using
Low Range and 2nd Gear as I did.

 

Pics or it never happened. Haaaaaaa. Great story tho