So seen a car in a ditch and thought what if my wife gets stuck...

[ford40]

I will NEVER pull a car out, sorry but with my luck

well if they would take it out of park it might come out.

 

[OC455]

My next door neighbor got stuck in her driveway, I do not know why she tried to back into her driveway if it wasn't cleared. She was sitting in her vehicle for 2 hours...(over twelve inches in one day)

I snow blowed out around her car and her driveway and tried to find a point to hook up to help her out. No go. She told me that she already called a tow truck.

Tow truck showed up, flatbed with a long roll back. She was stuck at the end of her driveway and he was way too long to hook up to try. He comes over to me and asks if I will hook up to her AWD Escape with my truck.....pretty much told him, "NO". Got my Kubota out and told him if he could hook up with his tow hook I will try it with my Kubota and pull her back in to her driveway....

Had to back up and go forward a few times but I popped her car out with my little Kubota BX.

My Ram isn't a tow truck and wouldn't try it unless it was an absolute emergency.

 

[68PowerWagon]

I will NEVER pull a car out, sorry but with my luck

I think they needed to watch a few episodes of "Highway thru Hell"! Think how much money they would have saved by just calling a professional tow company out! The first one could have been any easy pull out if they just pulled in the right direction. And the second one... well that was just plain stupid! There was NO way that was getting pulled out without damage to one or both of the vehicles.

 

[TomB 1269]

You picked up what looks to be a very nice strap. This strap looks to be able to handle "snap - pulls" in which you get a small rolling start and allow the strap to stretch and give extra force by jerking the stuck vehicle slightly to "break" the static tension / adhesion of being stuck. Just make sure that all attachment points are strong and secure. The shackle receive you purchased will serve you well, but also know that a strap loop shoved in the receiver box and a hitch pin slide thru it is also a very secure attachment point.

The last piece of advice I'd give is particularly when pulling out cars as you have a substantial weight over them is to have the driver place the car in neutral and key their foot on the brake. You do not want them stopping on the gas, catching traction and launching in to you, particularly if you are pulling them back on to an active roadway in which you may have to stop pulling to avoid another car on the road.

The other advantage to brakes on in the car being pulled is if necessary you can strap thru the rim to pull on most cars with alloy rims, vs steel wheels. Not the preferred choice but it does work and is a low risk for damage to the car being pulled.

 

[kmrtnsn]

You picked up what looks to be a very nice strap. This strap looks to be able to handle "snap - pulls" in which you get a small rolling start and allow the strap to stretch and give extra force by jerking the stuck vehicle slightly to "break" the static tension / adhesion of being stuck. Just make sure that all attachment points are strong and secure. The shackle receive you purchased will serve you well, but also know that a strap loop shoved in the receiver box and a hitch pin slide thru it is also a very secure attachment point.

The last piece of advice I'd give is particularly when pulling out cars as you have a substantial weight over them is to have the driver place the car in neutral and key their foot on the brake. You do not want them stopping on the gas, catching traction and launching in to you, particularly if you are pulling them back on to an active roadway in which you may have to stop pulling to avoid another car on the road.

The other advantage to brakes on in the car being pulled is if necessary you can strap thru the rim to pull on most cars with alloy rims, vs steel wheels. Not the preferred choice but it does work and is a low risk for damage to the car being pulled.

No, No, No!!! DO NOT EVER ATTEMPT TO PULL A STUCK VEHICLE FROM A TIRE OR THE SUSPENSION, EVER.

 

[Shiva]

The best money you'll ever spend is on AAA or CAA.
They're just waiting for your call for help.
Doesn't even have to be your car your in.
It covers the member no matter where or in whose car they're in.
Let them get out there in the mud and hitch up in ****** conditions.
Cheapest insurance you'll ever buy and most likely to use.

 

[Tim7139]

So the wife has a 07 Forester and I got her the new Falken Wildpeak AT tires for the snow here and works great but still you never know.

I bought a recovery strap of 22% elasticity and got myself a shackle hitch.

Do I need anything else and do I need to worry about hurting my truck by pulling someone out of a ditch?

A winch generates non trivial forces and takes longer, but gives you a lot more control and feedback. Much better choice if your going to work with randoms.

A recovery strap uses quick, violent force. This places a lot of responsibility on the driver of the vehicle being recovered to keep everyone safe, and gives them minimal time to do it. Great for a quick pull with a trusted partner, but random players will try and hit your truck with their vehicle. Keep in mind their reaction and decision making skills may be why they're stuck, and human nature will lead them to look at your truck and subconsciously steer towards it.

Practicing a few times in advance with a few small rocks or wood behind the tires to create resistance to overcome should get you used to the energy build up in the strap, and her used to the wait, snap, act process. Every inch of stretch makes a big difference to the amount of stored energy in the strap and the speed at which the other vehicle will start moving. You don't have to go far or fast.


In the winter the spot you're trying to pull someone to might not have great traction making it hard for the other driver to stop or steer after being pulled if they remember to. The jerky nature of recovery straps greatly magnifies this issue.

These Aussies have fun with both in the mud, and discuss some pros and cons