When is it OK to try and pull out the odd stuck truck? (1 Viewer)

[bkgiii]

Eric, I'll echo a couple of points Eric V made: (1) Don't use chain. Not long after I got the LX, at the camp, my cousin's Scout became hopelessly bogged in mud (kinda like the picture, above). Only thing I had at the time was a 30' chatin with hooks on both ends. Long story short, chain snapped, luckily at the attachment point (on mine), and through his windshield it went. Lesson learned. Snatch strap purchased thereafter.

(2) At friend's house construction site, last year....Dually with 20' construction trailer stuck in fill dirt. Hooked up to him, slipped strap over hitch ball... Luckily, no one was injured. Reattached, pulled truck/trailer out.

If you're inclined to be the occasional samaritan....know your vehicle (and it's limitations), get the right equipment, and definitely a good recovery bag as these guys have described on here.

FJ40---Interesting reading...thanks for posting it.

 

[96Cruiser]

PLEASE do not use those damn straps with metal hooks one em...

I personally refer to that as the hook of death

Where were you guys last christmas,cause thats what my doofus brother got me(15 footer with the "hooks of death") i said "jeez bro,are ya wanting me dead or something" and he was like "what do you mean" and i said "that strap is deadly,what were you thinking?" so i had to splain it to him as he's not into offroading or needing a strap or anything(he wont even own a 4wd,i say he's adopted or something!!)



doug(who bought his own 20 foot strap with NO hooks)

 

[scottm]

I'm also apprehensive about rescuing. My strap is still unused after two years. Maybe I'll get a few lessons when Doug comes for Christmas? I do a lot of highway driving in bad weather, and I've pulled a few cars out of the snow there. That's probably the most dangerous environment for a rescue, and I'm getting more reluctant as I get older.

 

[ginericLC]

15 footer probably isn't much of a snatch em strap, more of a tow strap. Cut the hooks off and use it as a tree saver for a winch. If you can get a shackle in it without cutting the hooks off leave it as is and don't use the hooks. Also, there is a big difference between a tow strap and a snatch em strap. Tow straps are rigid, not good for snatching somebody out of the goo.

 

[wildman4wheeler]

Me and My uncle where stuck in a bog with the engine completly submarined. We got a chevy truck to pull us out and his bs chain snaped and busted the back 4 runner glass. Luckly no one was injured and to this day i hate chain with a passion

 

[Safado]

Just to Chime in here again and add to what ginericfj80 had to say.

There is NOTHING wrong with a tow strap with hooks, but it is just that...a TOW STRAP. Used when your sisters car won't start and you need to tow her to the mechanic. But NOT to pull a stuck vehicle out. They don't stretch or give and can be dangerous. You can also use a chain to tow a vehicle...but never to pull someone out. The D-ring upgrade idea is great as well.
You also do not want to use a yank strap to tow a vehicle, because it stretches. There are many articles out on the web that tell of the performance degredation to yank straps when used to tow. Pull the car out of the mud, if it won't start, switch straps and pull him out. I keep both in my truck.
Use the right tool for the right job.

 

[tech_dog]

I brought this back from the dead because it had some interesting points about recovery screw-ups.

Now that my winch is fully functional, I'm shopping for all the other bits and pieces, including a good book, to make sure I am set up for safe recoveries.

The forces generated here are obviously massive, and a screw up can do a lot of damage to man and machine.

Does anyone have a recommendation on a good book full of recovery safety rules, sequence of preferred techniques, equipment guidelines, and most importantly a list of things you should never do?

Are there any other words of wisdom that should be tip of mind when you or the truck in front of you ends up stuck?

 

[spressomon]

I brought this back from the dead because it had some interesting points about recovery screw-ups.

Now that my winch is fully functional, I'm shopping for all the other bits and pieces, including a good book, to make sure I am set up for safe recoveries.

The forces generated here are obviously massive, and a screw up can do a lot of damage to man and machine.

Does anyone have a recommendation on a good book full of recovery safety rules, sequence of preferred techniques, equipment guidelines, and most importantly a list of things you should never do?

Are there any other words of wisdom that should be tip of mind when you or the truck in front of you ends up stuck?

Bill Burke's "Getting Unstuck" should be in everyone's library (useful on & off-road).

http://www.bb4wa.com/products/DVD.htm

 

[SINCITY100]

Bill Burke's "Getting Unstuck" should be in everyone's library (useful on & off-road).

http://www.bb4wa.com/products/DVD.htm

X2


I recently watched the Burke video and I agree anyone who wants to learn or freshen up on recovery skills should watch it. He touches on some of the more "common" situations where vehicles get stuck, and how to make a safe recovery. He also shows how to use and how to choose properly rated equipment.


I kinda like the loose script and the lack of editing, its more like an old friend giving you some advice rather than a tutorial video

 

[missouriman]

pull first if you spin and they are almost coming out try a tug.
use attachements that will not come off.

the other side of this becareful who you are working with.
I got stuck in some greasy mud, not deep. just couldn't get out of the depression.
well a guy in a chevy stops and offers to help.
I hook up my strap and get in.
rather then ease forward, I see him floor it. uggggggggg
20 feet of strap laying on the ground. I held the wheel and layed down on the seat.
thank god it was a heavy strap. I use clevis's. but he pulled about 20 times as hard as I needed.

so make a plan before you pull, damages ect.

also the guy that you are giving a pull to that floors it to 80mph and digs holes the size of graves.

stupid should be painful.

 

[farinvail]

HOLLY CRAP 7,104 POSTS, and not comfortable giving someone a strap, or having the sense when not to. I don't generally dis people, but maybe too much computer time is a bad thing. Thanks everyone for the good advice. We can all use reminders to be safe about what we do. The life you save may be your own.

 

[e9999]

HOLLY CRAP 7,104 POSTS, and not comfortable giving someone a strap, or having the sense when not to. I don't generally dis people, but maybe too much computer time is a bad thing. Thanks everyone for the good advice. We can all use reminders to be safe about what we do. The life you save may be your own.

HOLY CRAP! 65 Posts and can't figure out yet how to read dates...!

 

[Atticus]

Frankly, if you don't know how to safely do this, then simply decline to try a recovery and offer to help in another way such as driving to cell range and calling his buddy, etc. If you're not reasonably experienced in recovery, it should be considered something dangerous in the realm of motoring. I am assuming from the tone of your post that you are not mechanically inclined and if that is so, then don't attempt something that can actually kill you.

What you do is too dependent upon your experience, the situation at hand, the equipment available for use and the driver of the stuck vehicle for a simple post. I recommend you research this a bit on your own and come to us with questions. You should also do a search here of course.

Whatever you do, don't ever attempt to recover a solidly stuck vehicle in reverse. The engine makes enough power in low range to damage your drivetrain in reverse.

Doug

I don't think being "mechanically inclined" has anything to do with it. The fact of the matter is that you are dealing with tremendous and potentially lethal forces. It is more an issue of experience than having a mechanical inclination.

Also, IME the danger of the situation escalates exponentially when you factor in a winch. A winch line "popping" under full load is quite a sight.

 

[tech_dog]

I keep drawing parallels with rock climbing, where I have knowledge.

Common sense isn't enough with climbing, as sometimes small things like the way a carabiner faces or the way a strap is arranged can create very dangerous conditions. There are names for the mistakes, i.e. the death triangle, the death knot, etc.

I figure recovery has a lot of similarities, i.e "never do this, or you'll die."

 

[bofer84]

ahhh, the famous stuck thread. Let me first start out by saying that i am a pretty good driver when it comes to not getting stuck, but luckily, im even better at getting myself unstuck.

Let me say that i agree with the statement that the snatch rope with the metal hooks on the end are deadly, if the rope breaks, that thing is going flying, ive seen it happen, there is still one lodged in an oak tree in georgia, and i mean lodged about 4 inches in there.

The chain...see diffrent stucks cause for diffrent ropes/chains. Personally, i like chains, they are more predictable but you just have to buy the right one, IE, not one at lowes discount etc...if you get lucky, you can find an old skidder chain, now, i promise you, your frame will come off before the chain breaks, some are just ridiculously strong and heavy. But, on a serious note, chains arent ment for snaching, they are ment for pure pulling. Sometimes it is helpfull to pull something or someone where you wont get any slack, this is when the chain helps. Also, chains are usefull for pulling trees around etc...but as i said, if you buy the right chain, it will be much much stronger then the snach rope, it will last pretty much forever and you wont have any problems with it. BUT NEVER SNACH WITH A CHAIN, as i said, if you buy the right one, you are going to screw up your truck, not the chain

snach ropes...as said before, great for getting people out of mud holes, not so good on the rocks. they can get cut really easily, the fibers can get damaged...list goes on and on. but generally, with a snach rope, you want to use the vehicals momentum and weight to do the pulling. This is generally successfull, and you can get some pretty heavy things out of sticky situations.

Winches...first let me say i encourage all winchers to switch over to amsteel blue.. its simply amazing, its basically a synthetic rope for winches. google it if you are intrested. now, winches can be a life saver, on rocks, mud etc...just be carefull make sure you put a towel or spare tire over the rope when pulling extreem loads. if you are ever in an open feild and are stuck, try diging a hole, and putting your spare in the ground, winch off of that, this uses the ground as a back plate to pull your vehical forward!

Lastly, the thing that i have learned most over the years, look at your surroundings. you would be suprised of what is around that can get you moving again, trees, rocks etc.

 

[C-dog]

Holy Cr@#, I didn't know I would need a calculater in the recovery kit.

 

[bofer84]

haha....its just good to have both. best overall solution is a winch of course with a snach strap in the back of the cruiser

 

[SamoL]

Actually there is a safe way to pull out a much heavier truck: use elastic (also known as kinetic) rope.
The procedure is:
1. Hook both cars with elastic rope + extended with regular tow strap if needed.
2. The car that pulls should gain some speed and hit the clutch just before the rope fully extends (at least if it has manual transmission).
At the same moment the guy that has been stuck should apply some power to his wheels to help at the recovery.

This way you wont hurt your truck (except maybe for the tow points or D-shackles that are generally too soft and might bend - use O-shackles instead). It's hard to know the exact speed needed to extract the stuck car, so you should repeat the procedure with gradually increasing the speed. I've been pulled this way with much lighter SWB Patrol from really awkward situations, where winch would be the only alternative:

The elastic rope I'm using is Hashi-Ken and is sold in Germany by Därr. For pulling out a 3 ton car the strongest elastic 20 ton rope is required (or at least I'm using it - to be on the safe side):
http://www.hashi-ken.com/lineup/soft_cr/index.html
http://www.lauche-maas.de/kat_ev/d06/003.pdf
http://www.daerr.de/bestellen/ergeb...00&-session=shop:C14D9310032cf2BFF9NuLpsE71FA

Something similar is sold by ARB, but this one is much better (haven't actually tried the ARB's product, but the people who have, say so).

Hope this answers your question .

Regards
Samo

P.S.: Of course the tow points on the car might break. So be prepared to duck down

 

[EdsCruisin]

What is the advantage/difference of snatch versus pull? I see here lots of discussion of using elastic snatch straps, non-elastic tow straps and chain. If somebody is stuck and the tow vehicle is parked to hook up and pull, what is the difference what material to use? If a tow truck came along it would use a cable attached to the winch, which is a non-elastic direct pull. Why would I need an elastic device?

 

[SamoL]

Elastic rope is cheaper than a winch
Using an elastic rope is limited to open space areas - trees and rocks might be a serious limitation making it impossible. Self recovery is possible only with a winch. The original question was: how to pull out another vehicle without damaging your drivetrain, right?
When possible, using an elastic rope is much faster than using a winch. Winch will also add another 50kg to your rig + another 100kg for the winch bumper. This will also make you less mobile in conditions where the weight of your car is an important factor (and where it isn't?).
I have a Warn M8000 somewhere in my basement, but I don't think I will put it on my LC100...

Regards
Samo