Question about towing when stuck

[TrainChaser]

I recently watched a YouTube video with the tow vehicle doing something I've never seen done before.  (I can't find it, now.)  I'm curious to know if this is a useful technique or sheer idiocy.

The trapped car was stuck in mud.  The towing vehicle was a standard PU.  They attached a tow strap to the car, leaving quite a bit of slack in the strap.  The truck driver hit the gas hard, leaped forward and the strap broke.  They did it again.  And again, breaking the strap every time.

The only way I've ever seen a stuck vehicle removed from its predicament was SLOWLY.  Sometimes they would rock it back and forth.  Sometimes they would roll it forward (if possible), and fill the gap behind the wheels with rocks/wood/etc for traction. 

So, was this jerking 'technique' a viable method, or someone using more testosterone than sense?

 

[Wanderer]

If it's causing damage to anything, yep, very stupid....

I always used the slow method to get out being stuck in places....Or one guy I knew had to wait 15 hours to get out of the issue. He waited till the ground froze back up...Made it nice and firm....Good thing he had food an coffee....

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

There are two kinds of straps floating around out there:

TOWING STRAPS are designed to tow a dead vehicle back to civilization where a tow truck can get to it to pull it in for service.  These have almost no stretch whatsoever, and should NEVER be used for trying to pull a stuck vehicle free.

RECOVERY STRAPS are made from a completely different material and have 20% to 30% stretch.  Think of them as extremely strong rubber bands.  They are also called Kinetic Recovery Straps or Ropes.  They are to be used as you describe.

Here's Youtube video of it in action.

[video=youtube]

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Here's a better video:

[video=youtube]

 

[highdesertranger]

OP is exactly right. I will add even with they right strap try the slow pull first. second make sure you connect the strap to a secure location. hitches are a good location. highdesertranger

 

[LowTech]

Yep, I've seen some bumpers pulled right off.

The slow pull won't always work. Sometimes to get close enough to pull someone you're in the same "bad traction" area and the pull rig is lighter, or the stuck rig has really gotten buried. Then you can be in a situation where the tow rig will just start digging holes.

I drag out loads of people and carry 2)30'×4", 1)15'×3", 1)8'×3" (tree saver) straps in addition to 50' heavy chain, a 25' medium chain and several shackles.
(Never use chain to "snatch" someone out. It doesn't take the shock well and can be deadly. For that matter, never use anything metal that's not a rated shackle, they can become missiles too easily )

Even w/ my weight and 6x sometimes I have to "bump" them by letting there be some slack in the strap before starting. Even then you start small and keep working up w/ how much slack you leave, . . . less is best.

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[highdesertranger]

hey Low Tech, nice to see you back. I was missing your posts. highdesertranger

 

[TrainChaser]

Okay, thanks a lot! In the video, they were using flat straps that looked like they were leftovers from WWI. I've never seen the "big rubber band" used before. Watching the videos was interesting.

I just looked up those Bubba Straps.... $200+. One of them was $759 -- yikes! Won't be buying one of those anytime soon. I guess I'd better use my head and stay out of trouble. Cheaper.

 

[highdesertranger]

stating unstuck is ALWAYS the best option. but it happens to the best of us. highdesertranger

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I just looked up those Bubba Straps.... $200+.  One of them was $759 -- yikes!  Won't be buying one of those anytime soon.  I guess I'd better use my head and stay out of trouble.  Cheaper.

Bubba Rope are primo stuff.  I believe I read somewhere that the army is using the big ones to extract stuck tanks.

But you can buy good stuff for less than $200.  Arb (an Australian company) makes some very good snatch straps for half of what Bubba rope gets.

http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-Snatch-Strap-33000lb-ARB715-P3621.aspx

Remember, in your original post, you described a video where they were breaking one strap after another.  Go too cheap and you're only kidding yourself, it's going to fail when you need it most.

 

[Tinman74]

I didn't see this done but was told it worked. There was a truck stuck behind a building where I was working and they took a strap from the tow vehicle and thru a tire. then took another strap thru the tire to the stuck vehicle. When they started to pull they said just start and don't stop. I was told it just jumped right out of the mud. I would think this is about the same principal as the stretch straps. May work in an emergency. Again you would have to use extreme caution.

 

[Gary68]

start at 2:00

[video=youtube]

 

[highdesertranger]

oh man that is so wrong on so many levels. to many bosses giving orders. to many people standing in the danger zone if a strap breaks. don't those guys know how to hook up a vehicle for recovery? it seems not. they where trying to use muscle and not brains. they are kinda of advertising come out with us and have a good time, yeah right. highdesertranger

 

[LowTech]

WOW!

http://www.DirtTrackTravelers.com

 

[Gary68]

yea,some shovel work,winch/come along and gently getting unstuck
like stated before,dont get stuck,if it looks sketchy,get out and walk it and at the moment of wheel spin,stop,dont dig yourself a deeper hole to dig out of

 

[USExplorer]

When I was in San Antonio a guy with a little 4x2 pickup truck got stuck in a muddy ditch after torrential rains, blowing out a tire trying to get out. I offered to pull him out after he asked for help, but all he had were ratchet straps used to secure luggage. I used 4x4 LOW to gain as much traction as I could in the mud, but the strap constantly snapped. As weak as it was, the rebound force was next to nothing, but if I ever need to tow someone out, low gear is what I will use.

The only time I really got stuck, I floored it when I felt the wheels slipping and ended up deeper in the mudfield. Bad bad choice. $300 for a tow truck to winch me out.

 

[TrainChaser]

Now, THIS was an interesting technique to get out of desert sand. Rather labor-intensive, but do-able: How to pull your car out of sand in the desert:

 

[LowTech]

That is a combination of two diff techniques that we use, the burying a "deadman" (used often when wincing out of sand w/ no anchor point), and using the wheel/tire to act as a winch.

The "deadman" can be most anything, log, spare tire (the most common ), or sand bags like they used. What they didn't show is that the strap running to the vehicle should also be trenched in some. Keeps the strap from pulling the object back up to the surface. And the hole should be sloped away from the vehicle.

The using a wheel as a winch works even better on dualies. It wraps in between the wheels.

The other thing that sandbags are good for is to fill them and then lay them in front/under the wheels, after digging out the drive direction. W/ enough of them you can make a short road. Afterwards they can be emptied and pack pretty small.

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