Pulling A Stuck Vehicle - Gear and Procedure?

[Kong]

Originally Posted by pluckyew

when i got stuck near Lake Tahoe, on mere 1' of snow, my phat 4wd titan was pulled out by a nissan pathfinder! lol

Would appreciate more info on your experience. I tow two snowmobile sleds in a covered trailer up snowy forest roads. I usually buy real snow tires with studs, and was looking to do that with my new Titan. Had thought about trying out the stock off road tires first, but a trailer can really get you stuck.

What do you think caused your problem? What tires do you have?

Thanks

[Big-J]

Cabela's has a nice Warn Receiver Shackle and 3"x30' tow strap you can buy.
I still haven't had the pleasure of using them but cant wait!

http://www.cabelas.com

both are in "Automotive / atv" , Automotive Exterior, winches/recovery accessories

(a direct link wont work or else I would post it)

This is a heavy duty shackle and Tow strap (real nice)

You may be able to find a few others out there but these are pretty darn good.

Best Regards!

-Big J

[pciley]

Originally Posted by Titan4x4Aggie

No one answered this and i had the same question. I have a 30' tow rope, 3" wide i think, 10000 lb tensile strength, that i keep in the side bed box. I dont have the Big Tow Package, so where should i hook up the rope to? the front tow hooks? I have offroad package.

I heard you shouldn't pull/tow in reverse, is this true? Where can i look the ropes to on teh back side of my truck?

Before I got my tow hitch, I wrapped both looped ends of my 20' strap around the front hooks (one loop around each hook) with a slip knot by pulling the rest of the strap through each loop and letting it cinch down on each of the hooks. Since the hooks openings face outwards, and the pulling would force the looped ends inwards, it worked perfectly.

The driver of the vehicle pulling me out put his strap *through* the loop created by my strap being attached at both ends to my hooks, and then back to his hitch. no problem. no damage. hooks held up great, etc.

EDIT: I know I am bad at exlaining things Aggie, so here's a diagram to help. Yes, I know I can't draw
The second pic is if you want to pull someone out from behind, WHEN you get your hitch. It's called a receiver shackle. You will find it very frustrating to have the strap loop slip off your tow ball and it will be worth the $40 to buy this great tool.

[kvoman]

Someone mentioned when you're pulling a vehicle in mud or sand, then the vehicle being pulled should put in drive and give it gas to assist - That's a definite NO NO.

Based on my personal experience, trying to pull someone stuck in the mud and that person tried to help by giving it gas - all that is doing is: 1) make the stuck vehicle sink deeper in the mud/sand, 2) create a mud wall to make it much harder to pull, 3) the stuck vehicle could possibly become a sling shot and slam into your vehicle, 4) the stuck vehicle could hit hard pavement and break their gears, 5) all of the above.

When I tried to pull this guy out, he tried to give it gas and I couldn't get him out, he revved his engine, the tires were spinning like crazy but he just sat like a cement block, but the straps kept stretching longer and longer. We tried the sling shot pull but that didn't work either. There were two other full-size rigs (a Chevy and a Ford) and none of us could pull him out when he was trying to "HELP". Finally, I told him to shut the engine off, don't do anything, just let us pull him, and sure enough, it was pulled out with ease. I remember this situation well because I burned by winch trying to help him, the full size Chevy broke his axle, and the full size Ford gave up after two attempts.


Also, get a snatch block in addition to the shackle if you're going to do any pulling. It will double your pulling capacity. And, get a winch if you're really serious. This will allow you to pull from many different angles when combining with a snatch block and a shackle. One of the responder is absolutely right when he said to tie a rag/towel (at least one, if possible, put two and spread them over the length of the strap) over the strap - NEVER forget that step. The other benefit to having a winch and a steel bumper in the front is the additional protection it affords you in a frontal collision!!!

[logicjunky]

Reading through here there is a ton of great information. I was under the impression, however, that tow hooks were on the front of your vehicle b/c reverse was the ideal gear for high torque pulling since it is the lowest gear in the box. (No high RPM's are attainable in R.) I could be wrong on this, but that's what I remember hearing somewhere. I agree w/ the towel on the strap and no chains 100% for getting people unstuck. One question, is it better to tie the towel onto the strap and then lay it over?

[anmut]

Originally Posted by Takideezy

I caution you not to use the front "tow hooks" to pull someone out. Only pull from the center of the truck...the hitch. You would be surprised how much frame tweaking can take place when you pull from the two hooks...I know.

My 08 Titan manual specifically says DO NOT USE THE FRONT HOOKS TO PULL OTHER VEHICLES.

[Brianguy]

[quote=kvoman]...and the full size Ford gave up after two attempts.
QUOTE]
so what you're saying is that Ford sucks? couldn't agree more