Off-road Recovery by M.O.R.T.

Matt Maloney of Maloney Enterprises in Madelia, Minn., is a man on a mission—to find creative solutions to recovery problems in the Heartland. Creating the company’s unique M.O.R.T. off-road recovery vehicle from a Bobcat T300 has proven useful in farm country.“Our Bobcat winchbox unit is called M.O.R.T., which stands for Maloney Offroad Recovery Toy,” Matt said. “Wanted something bigger and more unique, more beefy and more massive. … I needed something for one-man operation.” The winchbox is a 60,000-lbs. winch off of a military retrieval vehicle with 750’ 5/8 cable, so Matt has plenty of line for using snatch blocks.“I don’t need to piece together two shorter lines. The spade is 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall and has five tie-offs on the front of the spade for more recovery versatility and points for snatch blocks or whatever I need. I can pull out a loaded 18-wheeler.” Farmers who have combines or field sprayers with 6’ tires stuck in the mud are calling Maloney to bring out M.O.R.T. to get them unstuck. Like in this recovery of a sprayer, Maloney’s device is cheaper than using heavy trucks that take longer to do the job, and the Bobcat can move stealthily through the fields without tearing up valuable crops.These photos show how M.O.R.T. digs in to get the job done on a sprayer.Many folks looking at Matt Maloney’s little Bobcat might scoff at the idea that it could possibly take on a job like towing a loaded cement truck stuck in a ditch. But that’s only until they see it in action, he said.For more about this incredible machine, don't miss the October issue of American Towman.