# Stuck truck on Matagorda beach



## cc (Aug 11, 2005)

Saw this truck on the Matagorda side of Mitchells Cut today, no one around just checking to see if everyone was alright , what the story is, that's a long hike back to Matagorda


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## Leo (May 21, 2004)

Real bad day for someone


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## essayons75 (May 15, 2006)

.


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## cc (Aug 11, 2005)

Can someone flip pic? Thanks


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Brown cedar area! He's toast!


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## Mr. Saltwater (Oct 5, 2012)

Someone learned an expensive lesson.


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## 4 Ever-Fish N (Jun 10, 2006)

Dang. That's a nice truck. Was...


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## Get'er Wet (Aug 25, 2016)

Ouch$$


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## TxDuSlayer (Jun 24, 2006)

Wow!!!!


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## stinkypete (Oct 2, 2015)

But I thought Tundras were the go anywhere tow anything trucks that never get stuck?.


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## RRbohemian (Dec 20, 2009)

Yep, that truck is toast. Probably will be below the border soon.


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## bigdav160 (Aug 25, 2004)

It was very soft yesterday. Pulled two trucks out and a Jeep Wrangler. Didn't go all the way down and didn't see the Toyota.


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## ddakota (Jun 28, 2009)

Imagine your teenage son calling you...."Dad, I accidentally got your truck stuck on the beach. We're headed back to see if we can get some help, it'll be ok till we get back, nobody else is out there."



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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

Rubberback said:


> Brown cedar area! He's toast!


I firmly believe there are patches of quicksand around there...I've jumped out of the boat in 2' of water and never touched bottom.


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## Lat22 (Apr 7, 2005)

Ouch. I came really close to doing that on PINS in 2004. Two tow trucks and $800 got my F-250 out about 20 minutes before the tide would have had it.


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## Bayscout22 (Aug 9, 2007)

If he is on the Matagorda side... that's 22 miles from blacktop (or thereabouts). That's going to be an expensive tow.


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## SD Hawkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Needs to call HOMER and the HOAR guys who was posting a while back, they were on FB I recall him stating but I am not cool enough for FB so not sure.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

It's all about knowing your limits.


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

Timemachine said:


> It's all about knowing your limits.


Looks like he has established a new benchmark now. :rotfl:


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## wisslbritches (May 27, 2004)

Open hood = Can I get a jump?


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## cman (Apr 17, 2009)

catch any fish?


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## Squid94 (Nov 15, 2010)

The hood is open so the water will drain...:rotfl:


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## Tail Chaser (May 24, 2004)

My goodness, I hope that's fake news. Photo shop? Hard to recover from that one, unless you're filthy rich.


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## 24Buds (Dec 5, 2008)

Tail Chaser said:


> My goodness, I hope that's fake news. Photo shop? Hard to recover from that one, unless you're filthy rich.


i would bet Insurance owns it now. Total loss for sure. Sucks.


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## NautiNate (Jul 13, 2016)

*stuck truck*

saw the same truck there Monday....water hadn't made it in yet and hood was closed....no one around then either...was the trailer still there?


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Haute Pursuit said:


> Looks like he has established a new benchmark now. :rotfl:


Car bodies 2.


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## bigdav160 (Aug 25, 2004)

NautiNate said:


> saw the same truck there Monday....water hadn't made it in yet and hood was closed....no one around then either...was the trailer still there?


What did the trailer look like? Like this one?

I pulled these two guys out of a hole Tuesday morning.

Said they were stuck Monday and paid $1600 to have a wrecker pull them out. Then they stuck themselves again.


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## MEGABITE (May 21, 2004)

What a nightmare


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## NautiNate (Jul 13, 2016)

Didn't have a cover....hard to see from my pic late afternoon....maybe 6pm


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## Charlie in TX (May 4, 2012)

24Buds said:


> i would bet Insurance owns it now. Total loss for sure. Sucks.


^^^this^^^ only out deductible.


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

Didn't know Flatoutfishin owned a truck too.


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## Jamaica Cove (Apr 2, 2008)

cman said:


> catch any fish?


They're trying to trap them in the cab of the truck.:bluefish:


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## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

Toyota will probably buy it and make a commercial stating how tough their trucks are. LOL


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## cc (Aug 11, 2005)

NautiNate said:


> saw the same truck there Monday....water hadn't made it in yet and hood was closed....no one around then either...was the trailer still there?


There wasn't a trailer there, and the passenger door was open ,


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## Worthy 2 Keep (Sep 2, 2009)

*Stuck Truck*

Does Seatow cover that?! h:


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## irbjd (Aug 11, 2005)

cc said:


> There wasn't a trailer there, and the passenger door was open ,


Looks like there used to be a light bar across the top of the cab, too.


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## Aggieross05 (Nov 1, 2011)

They took their light bar off; no wonder they got stuck.


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## cottonpicker (Jan 25, 2010)

I have never driven more than 5-6 miles Down Matagorda Beach. How far can a normal 4x4 with stock tires travel safely. Getting stuck in loose sand is one thing but I never want to encounter quick sand.


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## TexasRenegade (Feb 2, 2015)

cottonpicker said:


> I have never driven more than 5-6 miles Down Matagorda Beach. How far can a normal 4x4 with stock tires travel safely. Getting stuck in loose sand is one thing but I never want to encounter quick sand.


Stock tires aren't a problem, all aggressive tires do is sink you faster in sand. My entire ranch is sugar sand with spots that are worse than anything you'll find on a beach. The best tires I've ever used in sand were 37" low pro 18-wheeler tires on my old dually. No tread at all, stayed at 100 psi and would float that heavy truck anywhere in sand.

Tall tires are better than wide, helps you keep up your momentum. Wide tires put a heavier load on your transmission.


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## Flat Fish (Jun 18, 2005)

I've never driven down Matagorda, but on the Sargent side there are patches of clay. If you get in the clay you're screwed. I imagine there's some of that on the gorda side near the pass.

The one I don't understand is that jeep. Picture makes it look like they were stuck in straight up sand. Did they not have a shovel or bucket or anything? I'm sure the trailer adds a little, but that does not look like anything the jeep should be stuck in.


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## TxBrewer (Jul 23, 2011)

When we were in Matagorda last, two years ago, between Beach road and Jetty Park the sand was so packed down I saw 2wd trucks and a few small cars driving. Is that typically that safe? Heading back down this year and the wife wants to drive the 2wd Tundra to the beach spot rather than drag the gear but pictures like that makes me rethink that idea.


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## cc (Aug 11, 2005)

Tail Chaser said:


> My goodness, I hope that's fake news. Photo shop? Hard to recover from that one, unless you're filthy rich.


This pic is not photo shop, I took the picture myself on Tuesday going to look at the surf in my boat


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## Tail Chaser (May 24, 2004)

cc said:


> This pic is not photo shop, I took the picture myself on Tuesday going to look at the surf in my boat


I don't doubt it, it just really sucks.


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## bigdav160 (Aug 25, 2004)

> The one I don't understand is that jeep. Picture makes it look like they were stuck in straight up sand. Did they not have a shovel or bucket or anything? I'm sure the trailer adds a little, but that does not look like anything the jeep should be stuck in.


They had shovels and tire traction mats. Said they had been digging for 3 hours and were tired. They pulled out pretty easily so maybe they were close to getting themselves unstuck.

It was really soft. No way a 2WD would have made it very far.


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## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

TxBrewer said:


> When we were in Matagorda last, two years ago, between Beach road and Jetty Park the sand was so packed down I saw 2wd trucks and a few small cars driving. Is that typically that safe? Heading back down this year and the wife wants to drive the 2wd Tundra to the beach spot rather than drag the gear but pictures like that makes me rethink that idea.


A lot of it depends on how much rain we've had. A few days of rain and cars driving on it will pack it down.


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## Coyote B (Jul 31, 2012)

TxBrewer said:


> When we were in Matagorda last, two years ago, between Beach road and Jetty Park the sand was so packed down I saw 2wd trucks and a few small cars driving. Is that typically that safe? Heading back down this year and the wife wants to drive the 2wd Tundra to the beach spot rather than drag the gear but pictures like that makes me rethink that idea.


Ive gone past 3 mile cut in my 2wd a couple of times. Its just depends on the conditions that day. Typically you can make is up to 3 mile cut in 2wd. The county cleans and "flattens" the sand in the summer, up to 3 mile cut if I remember right.

Youll be fine between the Jetty and Beach access.


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## Mr. Saltwater (Oct 5, 2012)

TxBrewer said:


> When we were in Matagorda last, two years ago, between Beach road and Jetty Park the sand was so packed down I saw 2wd trucks and a few small cars driving. Is that typically that safe? Heading back down this year and the wife wants to drive the 2wd Tundra to the beach spot rather than drag the gear but pictures like that makes me rethink that idea.


I see a lot of 2 wheel drive vehicles get stuck there at times. If you get there early you can drive the packed sand closer to the waterline, but when the beach fills up you won't be able to. The stretch of sand from the beach entrance to the water gets pretty rutted up at times as do some patches between there and the jetty. Pretty much a 50/50 chance you will stick a 2 wheel drive there, but there are usually so many people there someone will pull you out. A good soaking rain makes it much more driveable for 2 wheel drive vehicles.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

High tide makes a real difference their! I wouldn't go down that beach without 4x4. I wouldn't buy a truck without 4x4.


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

I rode with a friend several years ago who had a 4x4 Toyota Tacoma and we made it all the way to the cut and back. Yes watching the tide schedule is important.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

fishingcacher said:


> I rode with a friend several years ago who had a 4x4 Toyota Tacoma and we made it all the way to the cut and back. Yes watching the tide schedule is important.


Those trucks are dynamite down there. That's what I had. 
My 4x4 Doodge does good.


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## TrailChaser (Nov 7, 2015)

Some things to remember for beach driving.

On most 4x4's, only one of the front wheels, and one of the two rear wheels will be driven. The ones with the least traction will be the ones getting power.(welcome to the world of open differentials)

If you have front and rear lockers(true 4x4) you practically can not get stuck on our beaches. 

Front wheel drive cars will do better than any 2wd pickup truck.(take the wife's car) Just don't back up on the sand.

If you do drive your 2wd on the beach; you should hit the soft sand with speed(momentum) keep straight(turning will kill your momentum) and do not spin your tires. Drive straight to the water's edge where the sand will be more packed and stable. Never stop on soft sand. In some sand, 4x4's with open diffs can't get going again. Like someone already said. The more aggressive your tires, the faster they will remove the sand from under your tires. Street tires are better because they don't dig nearly as fast.

If you're driving down the beach near the water and you have to go around some people by driving in the soft sand. Hit it with some speed and stay in established ruts. The deeper the ruts the better.

Know when you're screwed.. Don't bury it to the axle by spinning your tires. Just let it roll to a stop on top of the sand. Go gather up a bunch of stuff you can drive over to make yourself a track. If you have a air pump, letting some air out of the tires making a bigger footprint will help. Or just wait till someone with a 4x4 comes along and you will both be grateful that you aren't sitting on the frame.


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## bigdav160 (Aug 25, 2004)

> Youll be fine between the Jetty and Beach access.


Most of the time but not all the time. I spent a memorable Labor day pulling out about 30 vehicles from that area.

Heck Tuesday I pull a Dodge Ram not 5 feet from the entrance ramp. He should have gone straight to the beach then turned but he turned early and buried it.


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## Mr. Saltwater (Oct 5, 2012)

TrailChaser said:


> Some things to remember for beach driving.
> 
> On most 4x4's, only one of the front wheels, and one of the two rear wheels will be driven. The ones with the least traction will be the ones getting power.(welcome to the world of open differentials)
> 
> ...


Good advice.

Sometimes those ruts can be too deep though if you vehicle has real low ground clearance. In that case you are pretty much screwed and shouldn't even be there.

If you have a bucket and are near water, you can make yourself a track of wet sand ahead of your tires. Just might take quite a few trips hauling water.


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## gigem87 (May 19, 2006)

ddakota said:


> Imagine your teenage son calling you...."Dad, I accidentally got your truck stuck on the beach. We're headed back to see if we can get some help, it'll be ok till we get back, nobody else is out there."


I can easily imagine that! :cloud:


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## Blue Devil 7 (Aug 25, 2005)

Matagorda changes a lot. I've seen it so smooth and hard packed I could run 40mph in 2wd all the way down to Hog Island, and I've seen it so soft that 4wd trucks were getting stuck right at the road. I've pulled more stuck people out of the sand there then everywhere else combined. I've not had any problems in Nissan Titan *knock wood* running good A/T tires. But I also have rear locker I can use in 4-low if needed. The closest I ever came was the one time I drove all the way down to Mitchell's Cut. There was more weed on the beach that year and when trying to drive the hard packed sand by the water's edge, I hit a section that must have been a weed mat that was covered by packed sand. I was carrying some speed, but it sank down low enough that I was dragging my skid plate. That would have been a bad place to be stuck if the tide came in, just like that Toyota. Another bad spot down there is by the entrance next to the nature center where people go to fish the channel or the jetties. It used to be a soft hole right there but it looks like they put a bunch of rock down right at the entrance. Go 50 yards and it can get really soft.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> I rode with a friend several years ago who had a 4x4 Toyota Tacoma


Ironically, that's the only truck I ever stuck on a beach that was 4x4 and that was because it was impossible to get stuck...but I was wrong 

Yup I went where I knew I shouldn't but figured it would go right through that loose sand.

The great thing about it was that it was so easy to get unstuck. Nice guy and girl in a Dodge 4x4 had enough tow strap to hook to mine and pulled it out.

That was on South Padre in 1992.

TH


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## 24Buds (Dec 5, 2008)

floor mats have saved a few folks.


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## Toby_Corgi (Mar 11, 2015)

It's been mentioned, but I wanted to emphasize that deflating your tires to make your tire footprint significantly bigger makes a lot of difference. How much to deflate depends on the tires. I measure the tire footprint at normal inflation and then continue to measure during deflation until it is 2x longer than normal. That halves the PSI your tires are applying to the soft sand. For my 4x4 4Runner I have to deflate to about 8-10 PSI. Just don't forget to reinflate when you get off the beach. I do this when I run the 120 miles round trip down PINS to the Port Mansfield jetties and haven't gotten stuck yet. Of course, planning your trip to run the waterline during low tide is the best advice. If there's a lot of sargassum on the beach, be aware that's sometimes it gets covered up with sand and forms a hidden pocket that can sink you fast. In that case if you're close to the waterline during low tide, make sure your insurance is paid up.


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## sharkinaggie07 (Oct 1, 2016)

The add to what everyone else has said, a five gallon bucket and water can get you out of a lot of situations on the beach. This is especially true with 4x4s or front wheel drive cars. Soak the sand in front of the tires and it will usually firm up enough so that you can get some momentum going. 

-SA


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## S-3 ranch (May 26, 2004)

Houston area off-road recovery on Facebook will pull anyone out for free 
Many off-road groups on Facebook are in the area some in SPIN and SPIs 
361 pullout and Rgv mud and sand are free


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## big bluemarlin (Apr 12, 2006)

truck just came down main street Matagorda on a big flatbed.got pulled out with a big 4x4 tractor


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

Trouthunter said:


> Ironically, that's the only truck I ever stuck on a beach that was 4x4 and that was because it was impossible to get stuck...but I was wrong
> 
> Yup I went where I knew I shouldn't but figured it would go right through that loose sand.
> 
> ...


No it means twice as stuck


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## MEGABITE (May 21, 2004)

Would it work in soft sand?


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## TexasRenegade (Feb 2, 2015)

MEGABITE said:


> Would it work in soft sand?


If you could keep it on the tire it would work fine. Might have to do it on both sides depending on the differential and if you have lockers. They sell a commercial version that's a little more refined than a 2x4 and straps.


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## Pilot281 (Aug 14, 2006)

Problem solved


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## MEGABITE (May 21, 2004)

"Not today, surf! Not today!" :rotfl:


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## cc (Aug 11, 2005)

Wonder if it's still there


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## ibtbone (Oct 7, 2013)

cc said:


> Wonder if it's still there


See post 60, it's out

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