VIDEO : SIMPLE TIP to Get UNSTUCK

I'm reading this thread in September 2024 and sand I understand (except for when it turns to mist with no bottom to it in the middle of a creek bed). Now I need to know how to get out of the mud. I live in North Central Florida which used to be under the sea so there is lots of sand but there is also enough mud to screw up a day. As far as I remember from 4 wheeling in the late 1970's you had to have tall tires for ground clearance and paddle tread tires but those aren't great for the rest of the week on the paved roads.
 
I'm reading this thread in September 2024 and sand I understand (except for when it turns to mist with no bottom to it in the middle of a creek bed). Now I need to know how to get out of the mud. I live in North Central Florida which used to be under the sea so there is lots of sand but there is also enough mud to screw up a day. As far as I remember from 4 wheeling in the late 1970's you had to have tall tires for ground clearance and paddle tread tires but those aren't great for the rest of the week on the paved roads.
Winch is the best option and how I have managed to get out in Florida mud. Ordered one right after I first got stuck in it, luckily someone with a winch was nearby at that time.
 
Can of worms! The JL Sport S (2 door) front bumper isn't made for a winch. Once I get a steel bumper I can get a winch. Even the lower cost bumpers and winches will set me back $900+-. I have already discovered that JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket!
 
Lowering the tire pressure can help get unstuck in mud as well. Just be aware that the risk of de-beading is higher with mud, and solving it is more difficult since the mud gunks up the bead. Watch some videos about how to fix a de-beaded tire.

While I do not yet have personal experience with it yet, there is a type of jack which is an air bag that you insert under the vehicle and inflate using the exhaust pipe. This would provide more opportunity to add rocks, branches, and logs for better traction, as well as maybe clear something that the Jeep is hung up on.

Make sure to bring an air compressor, tow-strap, kinetic rope/strap, full-sized shovel, large crowbar, and a saw (e.g. Silky saw) capable of cutting roots and branches. Even a small obstacle can cause you to become stuck in mud, especially if you do not have lockers.

Carrying traction boards (e.g Maxtrax) is a good idea, although not usually what you should try first.

If tires are spinning, stop and take a look rather than digging a deeper hole.

It is always wise to go wheeling with a buddy when the risk is high.
 
Can of worms! The JL Sport S (2 door) front bumper isn't made for a winch. Once I get a steel bumper I can get a winch. Even the lower cost bumpers and winches will set me back $900+-. I have already discovered that JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket!
Do you mean bumper & winch together is $900 or more? Or do you mean they’ll cost at least $900 each?

There are good US made winch bumpers that are less than $900.
 
Can of worms! The JL Sport S (2 door) front bumper isn't made for a winch. Once I get a steel bumper I can get a winch. Even the lower cost bumpers and winches will set me back $900+-. I have already discovered that JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket!
Spend the money on a good solid winch plate, after installing the Mopar winch plate on my JL, and helping a friend install the Warn winch plate on his JL, I'd choose the Warn.

You could trim the inner metal portion of the stock bumper and make it work. You have a sport, so you'll also likely need the Mopar Rivnuts to properly mount the winch plate/skid plate into the frame rails; Mopar 06511076AA M10 Bracket to Frame Rivnut Nutsert.

I bought a knock-off JL 10th Anniversary metal bumper off Amazon for less than $400, it came with a winch plate but it was thin stamped metal, so I tossed it for the Mopar thicker plate (again, I'd choose the Warn plate).
The black power coating is peeling off where I've bumped into stuff on the trail but overall, the bumper is holding up.
 
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