Stuck in the Mud: The Mechanics Behind Pulling a Heavy Garbage Truck to Safety

By George L. Nitti After three days of steady rain, the ground behind a local business in rural southeastern Oklahoma had turned to soup. When a garbage truck backed up to a dumpster to make its usual pickup, the driver quickly realized his mistake: his left rear drive wheel sank deep into the mud, and 20 tons of wet trash held him fast. 

That’s when Zac Carp of TW Towing and Recovery got the call. “He told me right off they were packed all the way through - over 100 stops’ worth of trash,” Zac said. “I knew it was going to be heavy.” 

When he arrived, the truck’s front end sat level, but the left rear wheel was buried almost to the brake chambers. The driver mentioned they usually hook to the axle in these situations, but Zac had other another idea.  

“I don’t like hooking to the axle unless I have to,” he explained. “You can pull one out from under the truck if the bolts shear off. The manufacturer recommends using the pull pin, so that’s what I went with.” 

After securing the pull pin, Zac set up a snatch block and assessed the best line of pull. When the metal shackle threatened to side-load, he swapped it out for a soft shackle—a flexible rope-style connector supplied by Yankum Ropes, a new sponsor providing TW Towing with rigging gear designed for off-road and recovery work. “A soft shackle can go any which way and not side-load,” Zac said. “It’s just safer.” 

Working steadily and calmly, Zac doubled the line once, locked in his geometry, and began the pull with his 14-ton Century on an F-550 four-wheel-drive chassis. Within moments, the garbage truck rolled free. “It came out easy,” he said. “The truck never ceases to amaze me with what it can do.” 

Once the unit was clear, Zac filled the holes left behind to prevent ruts and damage to the lot. “You always want to leave the site better than you found it,” he noted. 

Asked about his steady demeanor, Zac said it’s a mix of experience and instinct. “To me, it’s all geometry,” he said. “Before I even step out of the wrecker, I already know my plan. I guess I’ve got a kind of sixth sense for it.” 

In the end, the recovery went off without a hitch, or rather, with the right kind of hitch. A good plan, sound rigging, and respect for manufacturer recommendations turned what could have been a messy problem into a clean, professional recovery.  To see the recovery in action, visit Zac's youtube channel @ TWTowingandRecovery