Being stuck in mud can be a nightmare! That is why it’s wise that you know how to get your car out of mud to continue with your journey! Find out more here!
One of the worst things that can happen to a driver during the rainy season or when driving off-road is to have your car stuck in mud. Not only will your car get dirty but you’ll be disorganized and trying to get out might damage some components of your vehicle.
You might misjudge how deep the muddy path is or didn’t even know there was anything like that there. There’s no need to dwell on how you got into the mud but rather how to get out of it. This article by Naijauto is meant to give you a thorough guide on how to get your car out of mud, so your car doesn’t sink deeper and you don’t end up spending the entire on one spot while making little or no progress.
With the right tools, you can get your car out of mud even with no assistance
1. Try driving backward
Once you are driving forward and your car gets stuck, don’t keep trying to accelerate further. It only makes your wheels sink deeper. Let’s not forget that you will keep splashing mud all over the doors, trunk, bonnet, windows, and engine of the vehicle. Therefore, what you should do immediately you notice your car can’t move forward in to try reversing.
Do not turn off the engine. Simply place your gear on R and drive backwards. Perhaps the road leading to the mud is better than the one leading out of it. Hence driving in reverse should work. If you’re able to move backwards for a bit and get stuck again, try forging forward at a faster acceleration. You’ll likely get out of the mud and head on with your journey.
2. Provide traction for your wheels
The reason your car stays stuck is that there’s no traction between the wheels and the road you’re on. You need to provide some traction then.
There are gigantic thick metal wires that are sold online. You can buy those and keep in your trunk for times when you get stuck. When you tie the wire through the wheels and tyre, it creates some sort of bump when that area rotates and touches the ground. This makes your car move forward or backwards one way or the other.
Back the car up, hopefully, you undo getting stuck in mud
Other materials you can use for traction are you car floor mats, thick leaves (not grasses please), gravels or small stones and blankets. What you do is to place them close to the tyre, underneath, so your wheels can roll over them. They might get slightly sunk in the mud, but will provide traction for you to get out of that spot. If you can find a lot of these materials, you can create a path for your vehicle to drive on. When safe, you can always go back to get your mats and clean them.
3. Get people to push it for you
When you have tried the first DIY method and it doesn’t work or you don’t get the materials for the second, it’s time to use some manpower. If you’re lucky enough to be driving with some friends, they can all come out to push the vehicle backwards or forward – depending on which path gives you more traction. If you don’t have passengers with you, find locals around that can help.
First of all, try to make the car lighter. There’s actually a possibility you got stuck due to the weight of the car. A sedan weighs about 1,800 kg on an average while an SUV weighs about 3,000 kg. Imagine driving that with bags of rice, spare tyre, tools and even humans. It adds close to another thousand kilograms. That’s why emptying the car helps. Afterwards, you can get in and have them push towards the direction with better traction. This is usually the most common way to get a car out of mud in Nigeria.
The car getting stuck is just the responsibility of all the occupants
4. Get it towed out
This is pretty much the last resort. Nigerians feel a car only gets towed when it’s been involved in an accident. Well, that shouldn’t always be the case. When your car is stuck in mud, you can request for a towing van to come to get it out for you. There are usually areas in the front and rear of your vehicle where they can attach their towing chain and pull your car out.
However, you will need to put your car on neutral gear and control it while it’s been towed. It’s really not rocket science. Simply reduce the weight as well. Alternatively, you can get another vehicle to help you tow it out. If you have a thick and strong belt or chain, you can attach it to both tyres and that should work. With all these tips on how to get your car out of mud, you should be calm when it happens as you already have the best tricks at your fingertips. However, avoid muddy areas and drive carefully when in a wet area.
8 SUVs that are perfect for rough terrain (from cheapest to most expensive): https://naijauto.com/car-buying-and-selling/suvs-for-rough-terrain-4222
So Amazing!!!