Extracting Cars from Snow

robert

Expedition Leader
Ugh- It's a transit cluster, not a towing cluster. They are designed to be used when securing a vehicle, such as to a trailer, not for vehicle recovery. Typically the frame is not reinforced but simply has an opening that one of the tools will fit into. They are not meant to be heavily loaded, especially shock/dynamic loading. They can rip out. Yes, tow companies use them for recovery but they carry insurance, the vehicle is often trashed at that point anyways and a large percentage of the tow truck operators I've met were borderline morons who did other unsafe stuff as well.

You need to be careful of the screw in inserts as well as most of them are not actually recovery eyes but tie downs. Even the better-quality ones that you may see on race cars are typically designed to be loaded in one direction, such as pulling the car back onto the track, not pulling it at an angle up an embankment.

Vehicle tie downs, primarily on trucks, may be rated as recovery points but typically not and shouldn't be used as such.

I used to pull people out back before everyone went full retard and started suing for everything under the sun. These days, with very few exceptions, unless I know you and we're wheeling together, I'll offer to call you a tow truck. I'm not getting sued or risking damage to me or my truck because someone else can't drive, had the wrong vehicle for the conditions or couldn't be bothered to prep their vehicle beforehand (all too common amongst the brodozer and hi-end SUV crowd who mount winches but have no recovery points, and typically don't know the first thing about winching either).
 
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verdesardog

Explorer
When using a transit cluster make sure you pull inline with the frame not at ANY angle. The frame is very stout but not designed for a sideways pull. In other words use a frame slot not a cross member slot and pull directly to the front or rear. And no jerking shock loads! (EX AAA certified recover specialist tow truck driver)
Now, Unibody vehicles are a totally different ball game.......
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Didn't see any mention of it, but I've felt safe using a tree strap around an axle or subframe member, if you can reach something like that. I also feel safe using a tie-down eye for towing or potentially winching since it's presumably rated for the vehicle weight with some dynamic margin, e.g. rough seas, car hauler over the road or on a railroad. I've also use a leaf spring as a recovery point but wouldn't trust a coil spring not to dislodge.
 

Happy Joe

Apprentice Geezer
Over the decades I have essentially stopped recovering vehicles for people (I do not have a tow truck and I tell "them" this).
..Unless a life is in danger or the circumstances are "extreme"... or I happen to know them; those that get stuck deserve to deal with the consequences of their actions/lack of preparation, themselves, (a 4 or 6+ hour wait for a tow truck will, likely, give them time to meditate on their unpreparedness & driving style)...
Only IF their vehicle has proper tow points (a trailer hitch isn't; I have pulled (winched) off several in snow, though admittedly the vehicles were high centered on/in drifts) will I normally consider giving someone a tug... and then only with the understanding that any damage is on them/not my responsibility.
Note; most vehicles today do not have frames and sheet metal/unibody mounting points are usually easy to bend, IMO.

BTW; for about 8 years, until last spring my DD (including winter road trips) was a 2wd Ranger pickup on street treds; it never got stuck in the snow, on icy roads (or even off road camping)... and yes, it does snow here.

Enjoy!
 
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JPR4LFE

Adventurer
I have a Curt Class III hitch installed in the rear. Would this be considered a usable tow point? Seems like it would.

A receiver hitch is a very useful recovery point for the rear of a vehicle. Do not loop the strap over a ball if there is any kind of tugging, as the ball can break off and come flying through the windshield. you can either buy a shackle mount insert for the receiver, or my personal favorite is to use the open receiver and put the tow strap right into the opening. Then, take a hitch pin and put it into the hitch pin hole, through the strap, and out the hitch pin hole on the other side. The strap is now contained in the receiver and it a very secure place to tow from.
 

Happy Joe

Apprentice Geezer
Class III hitches can be load distributing (in which case they are frame attached) or non load distributing.
Class 3 load distributing hitches is can be rated UP TO 10,000 pound of rolling trailer weight; when properly installed.
The security of using one for light to medium pulls is usually adequate. However an 8,000 pound rated winch on the last (inner) wrap is capable of pulling with a force of of up to 16,000 pounds when using a snatch block, (very winch dependent).

In practical terms this means that a load distributing frame mounted class 3 hitch is relatively safe to use for a tow/recovery point for medium stucks. and a non frame mounted class 3 receiver hitch (up to 6,000 pound rating) is usually safe to use as a tow/recovery point for relatively light stucks.

Be aware that some receive hitches are not properly installed and may fail.

Be aware that snatch straps can be rated well over 20,000 pounds but the stretch in a snatch strap greatly reduces any shock load.

Enjoy!
 
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Kerensky97

Xterra101
Make sure you know the difference between Yank Straps and Tow Ropes. Those $18 straps at Harbor Freight with the hooks on the end are for towing a rolling car over flat pavement, not extracting stuck cars.
Yank straps are like big rubber bands (that cost much more than tow straps), after taking up loose slack the extracting vehicle calmly accelerates until the strap and stuck vehicle brings them to a stop then locks up their brakes. The elasticity of the strap is usually enough to pull the stuck vehicle out of the snow by itself. In snow it's rare for you to really have gun the engine to pull somebody out.

I saw an Austrailian 4WD show where they connected 7 straps end to end to pull a vehicle out of some mud flats. The extracting vehicle never even felt the resistance of the pull but the stuck vehicle launched out of the mud like a bullet when the combined elastic straps got taut.
 

Brewtus

Adventurer
E = 1/2kx^2

The more "stretch" you have in your strap, the more potential energy there will be if something breaks. A "stretchy" (Nylon Ɛ = 0.3 @BS) strap can have, depending on weave, fiber relaxation, and condition, around 100 times the stored potential energy that a "non-stretchy" strap (Polyester Ɛ = 0.03 @BS). That thing lets go and someone isn't going home that night. Nothing comes for free and there is no one perfect solution to all recovery problems.

I agree that hooks are a no-no, but at the end of the day, a strap is a strap. It has mechanical properties and can be used to do work. Know your equipment and the implications behind the nature of your equipment. This whole vernacular based discussion of Snatch, Kinetic, Recovery, Tow, Static, Yank, Stretchy, Non-Stretchy gets a bit ridiculous at times. Yes, that is "a" method to use "some" tools in "some" circumstances, but it's not the only way nor is it guaranteed to be the safest way.

My 0.02 worth.
 

Happy Joe

Apprentice Geezer
Just my $0.02...
Avoid tow ropes (especially those cheap chinese abortions with an attached hooks), tow or log chains and tree/lifting straps for extraction/recovery (they, except for chinese tow ropes with hooks, are useful to rig snatch blocks etc. if properly rated).
The above items have no or minimal stretch and can shock load recovery points (after the recovering driver finds that his tires spin then backs up to take a run at it) for a greatly increased chance of damage.
Always make certain that recovery equipment is in good shape (especially check for the wear threads in tree, tow and snatch straps, and replace them if the wear threads are exposed).
Use a damper (can be as simple as a jacket or floor mat) thrown over winch cables/ropes and snatch straps to reduce the whip if one should break. Chains normally drop but can also recoil if they break (think dents and broken bones).
Keep all observers/spectators well back from the recovery... yes; I know that most snow recoveries are usually light/easy but it only takes once...

NEVER use a trailer ball for a recovery or tow point; ...saw one go completely though the windshield and rear window of a pickup; fortunately missing the driver, passenger and the two people riding in back holding onto the light bar...

Enjoy!
 
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