Atlanta Ice Storm - Towing Tips? Pushing Tips? (1 Viewer)

[JimGeorgia]

So you all saw us on the news. Millions of us in Atlanta trying to get home Tuesday in an ice storm. I spent 6-1/2 hours in my 97 LC crawling through traffic. The last four miles were on hilly icy roads. I was a little concerned until I switched the CDL on and lock my wheels. How cool was that. It was like driving on dry pavement. So I watched a transit bus slowly sliding past me. I offered to slow him down but he waived me off. Farther up the hill was a new Ford 4x4 truck not able to get traction. I offered to push from behind and got him going. After a few more of these I realized pushing people with my newly painted bumper was pretty stupid (yes I dented and scratched my steel bumper), So here's the question for us southern boys that don't see much snow or ice...is it better to push or pull people and how do you push without damaging your bumper? If you pull, how do you drop the rope going up hill once the towed car gets traction?

 

[Douglas S]

Not sure if serious?

Pull, don't push.

 

[Hornd]

These headlines were unreal:
"Baby born in Car"
"Kids sleeping in School, Can't get home"
"Cars Abandoned on I-75"

And the crazy part is they warned everyone entering the city that traffic was a gridlock. It about as crazy as ppl getting trampled at a concert.

My in-laws were coming back from FL and saw signs 12 miles south of city and were able to get a hotel.

 

[half k cruiser]

It never ceases to amaze me when stuff like this happens and everything shuts down. I guess I'm so used to it, here in Kansas we have every type of weather so you just get used to dealing with whatever.

To the OP always pull when you can. Pushing will usually lead to damage for somebody. If your towing somebody up a hill, then you are doing just that, towing them all the way to the top. If you stop after they get traction then they will stop and by the time you unhook your line they will be stuck again. So essentially you need to maintain a taut line all the way to the top.

If you think your going to be doing this often then you should invest some money into a little recovery gear. Let us know if you have more questions.

A good 3 inch strap
3 bow shackles - 4 is preferable
2 loop slings for safety (mandatory for me)
1 tree strap (optional)

 

[greentruck]

Yep, pull unless you have a bumper set up for pushing like many tow trucks do. Agree it's all or nothing, don't stop in the middle to unhook to see if it can make it to the top, just take them there, then unhook. It's safer...

I tend to be the good Samaritan type in most cases. However, when it comes to heavy traffic and ice/snow, unless it's a bonafide emergency, I usually take a pass. It's just too darn dangerous in reduced visibility, out of control folks who haven't a clue what they're doing, and people who start losing it in all of this who should've stayed home.

We have people killed every year helping others in winter storms up here, where we know better. Down South where folks think they're driving on another planet when it snows, it's gotta be even more dangerous.

Be careful out there.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Don't push. Direct contact between two vehicles pressed hard together and bouncing up and down on uneven snow is a recipe for damage as you saw. Learn about vehicle recovery here with search, and apply it to urban situations. Having said that, decades of helping stuck motorists reveals to me the scary wide spectrum of driver skills you will encounter, a portion of which are hazardous to your health and your vehicle. They don't get your instructions for when to stop, hitting your truck or driving on the recovery strap. They step out into traffic to thank you, causing a fender bender. They rudely make phone calls to friends about their situation while you are waiting politely at the window in driving snow to tell them to be ready for the pulling. Etc, etc. it's VERY unlike being on an off-road trip and helping someone, and arguably way more dangerous. Remember, they've been preselected as the 1 in 1000 motorists who couldn't handle the conditions, while the other 999 drive by and gawk. Then you stop to help....

DougM

 

[Kernal]

Good towing advice including the safety aspects.

 

[CycloSteve]

There is a reason why there are recovery products called "tow straps", and none called "push straps". That said, being a good samaritan and using the right tools and methods can still up with damage to your own rig.

As others noted, the freaked out urbanites do not always know what to do in adverse weather conditions. I have driven in snow storms in the north east in a 2wd passenger car with no issues, yet seen plenty of Californians in AWD and 4WD vehicles completely botch things in the rain or slightest hint of ice or snow. Sometimes it is best to just stay home when Mother Nature takes over.



Steve

 

[jrmudder92]

Yep, pull unless you have a bumper set up for pushing like many tow trucks do. Agree it's all or nothing, do stop in the middle to unhook to see if it can make it to the top, just take them there, then unhook. It's safer...

I tend to be the good Samaritan type in most cases. However, when it comes to heavy traffic and ice/snow, unless it's a bonafide emergency, I usually take a pass. It's just too darn dangerous in reduced visibility, out of control folks who haven't a clue what they're doing, and people who start losing it in all of this who should've stayed home.

We have people killed every year helping others in winter storms up here, where we know better. Down South where folks think they're driving on another planet when it snows, it's gotta be even more dangerous.

Be careful out there.

True or you can be like me and do the strobes... but i have too have them for work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFwDZX0jp1Q&list=UUSfpnk9MGXEn53se6tjRCDw&feature=c4-overview

 

[greentruck]

True or you can be like me and do the strobes... but i have too have them for work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFwDZX0jp1Q&list=UUSfpnk9MGXEn53se6tjRCDw&feature=c4-overview

Been wanting to do some strobes. Doubt I'll feel any more heroic with them, though.

 

[Howard705]

As an expert pushing vehicles into garages with other vehicles for many years-don't even think about pushing-wait till you do it and damage their car or they get hurt and want you to pay. When pulling-unless the person being pulled is really bright-use long, long strap if possible so they don't panic or over throttle or slide on it or WHATEVER and rear-end you.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Considering the magnitude of the problem and the thousands of vehicles involved I think it wouldn't be prudent to risk damaging your vehicle....pushing or pulling.
My .02

 

[jwilber]

I too was stuck in that mess in Atlanta unfortunately I was not in my 80 but a 2000 ford Taurus. Me being originally from Chicago I knew the drill but what I saw others doing was crazy. All that being said if you dont have the proper equipment like stated by others dont even try recovery you will just cause damage and or injury

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Southerners know as much about driving in snow as Northerners know about winning a BCS championship.

 

[bmac1996acc]

I've winched out a few if it wasn't in a busy area. Haven't needed the winch to get myself out yet so I figured I'd give it some exercise.

...via IH8MUD app

 

[jbldaddy]

Rescued the wife in the 80, she had been giving me a hard time about the truck saying it was old and lots of miles 220k, drove it to Boca Raton for Christmas from atlanta. She said on the way home Tuesday night I love this truck. Here is a picture of her 4runner where we left it. It is still there, will get it tomarrow.

 

[JimGeorgia]

Your warnings here are exactly my concerns. Okay so no more pushing, pretty safe but dumb. It damages your vehicle. Pulling people up an icy hill is simply dangerous for all the reasons you mention. I've seen near fatalities and rear-end damage from these attempts. In 3 feet of snow and 5F snowy weather in the 1970s I was standing on a road after being hit. A fourth vehicle was being pulled out of a snow bank by a 4x4 when the tow hook broke releasing the car that slid backwards and buried a guy in the snow who was pushing the car. He was severely injured.

Lessons from this week's mess in Atlanta are many. Cruiser owners can help in one important way - offering to drive stranded motorists home. I saw stories of 4x4 owners who shuttled nurses to hospitals, parents to schools to get stranded kids, school bus drivers from school to home and more.

 

[half k cruiser]

^ A good option. Just don't pick up the wrong individual ! I picked a guy up last year and drove him a couple miles to his work through the snow storm. My wife flipped about it. She didn't seem to care about my statements of.....got a good read on him....harmless......I had a plan.........worst day of his life if he tried something. Nope she didn't care about any of that. Oh well.

 

[JimGeorgia]

LOL. My wife started complaining about my rig after the 2 inch lift and mud tires. When I got safely home on Tuesday she said LOVED my truck and would NEVER say anything bad about it again. Yesterday on icy side roads, a guy rolled down his window - a Honda CRV or something - and said "awesome Landcruiser, where can I get one, what year?" I said, "97 and check out IH8MUD". Not sure he understood while I drove ahead and he spun his tires.

Seriously, what is the weigh ratio on the 80s back wheels and front wheels? It must be perfect because my rig doesn't slip on moderate hills of ice/snow with CDL locked wheels. I'm not talking snow or mud, this is southern Georgia icy roads. I had no idea my rig would be this stable. I mean, I can make it slide, but carefully driven with all wheels locked, it drives like dry pavement.

 

[Parsnip]

<snip>this is southern Georgia icy roads. I had no idea my rig would be this stable. I mean, I can make it slide, but carefully driven with all wheels locked, it drives like dry pavement.

I live in Tucker, GA. I was home when the snow came but was keen to try out the new to me '97 LX w/o lockers in the snow and ice. So I drove out early on Wednesday morning and went calmly up and down hills of snow and ice under snow and some with just ice.


I felt all clever and self satisfied with the purchase of the LX after seeing and feeling how stable it was going where I wanted it to with no problems. I didn't engage LO which would of course lock the center diff.


Then I wanted to see how the wife's RX would perform. So I did the same or almost the same drive in her FWD RX and also had no trouble navigating the streets. I did feel a little less clever and a little less self satisfied. But I was happy that she is driving a capable enough vehicle. For form's sake I will mention that the RX is on new Bridgestone all seasons while the LX will probably need new rubber in a year.

Forground LX, background RX parked in neighboring lot so as not to block the drive just in case.