Pulling car out of ditch/snow bank, etc.

I pulled a lady out of the ditch the other day when we had the first snow. Looking for a reply from someone who knows what the best rope or strap is to use. Also any general tips on where to attach it? Before I always thought a tow strap is what to use but have watched several you tubes and they all said a tow strap is bad, metal hooks are bad, and to use a snatch strap or rope, I.e. Something with elasticity. They noted severe injury and death have occurred while pulling a stuck vehicle out and having a hook or ball come loose and strike someone in the head.

Don’t know but is there a liability issue with this? Nice too do a favor and help a fellow person out. I would assume there is something written somewhere that helping out a fellow person in need is ok and you wouldn’t be responsible for and bad outcome?

The result of a litigation obsessed world.
Use a chain and hook it up to the side view mirror…

A couple of years ago we found a guy stuck at an access. Front wheel drive minivan, and we weren’t going home until he was out of the way.

We looked at pulling him out with a tow strap, but there was literally no way to do this without destroying the front end of this vehicle. It’s all plastic! Who makes these things, Fisher-Price? Honestly there was no way to attach a strap without tearing the front off this van.

I ended up standing in the lake and pushing him out.

SR

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I was always told to use a recovery strap. They have no hooks and will stretch so you don’t get that hard jerk. But hooking it up to the car these days can be hard. I normally go for the A arm on a car. But I let them hook it up to their own car.

30′ tow strap, min 10k lb rating (I prefer to get a 20k-30k for the small extra price). The strap should have loops on the ends, no hooks. Never use the ball on a receiver as a tow point. If there are no recovery points available (just plastic bumper) consider having the owner hook the strap up in case of any damage, or call a tow truck, or carry sand and a shovel with you and just dig them out.

I agree with the others, always have the stuckee hook up the strap, so they are responsible if something happens. I even tell them that as they hook it up. Never have had issues, but just in case. I also use the yellow snatch straps. Loop it thru the stuck vehicle and I have a heavy clevis that I put the other end thru and attach to my receiver hitch.

Also, if you are a Ford truck guy, pulling out a Chevy truck guy, you are allowed to give them a little grief. Not too much though, cause it might be the other way around the next time!!

Growing up in the country if I ever see someone in the ditch I’ll never pass someone by without stopping to offer help, given that it’s a safe location anyway.

I always keep a recovery/tow strap with loops on the ends in truck just in case. I’ve pulled several cars out of the ditch the past few winters and have learned that while newer vehicles don’t usually have the same tow attachment points built in like they used to they do almost always come with a removable tow eye. If you look at the front bumper there is usually a small square section of the plastic that’s removable and the removeable tow hook is stored with the car jack

Will

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Will Roseberg wrote:

If you look at the front bumper there is usually a small square section of the plastic that’s removable and the removeable tow hook is stored with the car jack waytogo

Learned something new today!

-J.

Most vehicles have at least one “recovery point” to hook up to on each end, but finding it can require the manual and then some. To Steve’s point, on low-slung minivans and such, it’s often buried when the vehicle is stuck.

I personally carry 50 feet of recovery strap and 25 feet of 2 inch nylon tow rope. I also carry a nylon axle strap, which is VERY handy when you cannot find a tow point. I have 2 loose eye hooks, and 2 shackles that can be attached to the loop ends of the recovery strap, so with this combination I can find a way to hook up to anything short of a flying saucer.

Slowly DRAG the stuck vehicle out with the stuck driver assisting. Do not “bounce” the car out with stretch from the straps/ropes unless absolutely necessary. This is where bad sh1# happens.

As has been mentioned, NEVER hook up to a hitch ball! When I was a kid this was driven home to me when a school bus driver that we knew was killed when he tried to free a stuck school bus by hooking a recovery strap to the ball. The ball broke off and hit him in the face doing some 500 FPS. The ball shot like a cannon shot cleanly through his skull. These straps store tremendous energy! Stay back!

Always place jackets or floor mats draped over the rope or strap so that if they break, they fall to the ground and their energy is partially taken away by drag.

Grouse

I carry both but the biggest issue is usually finding a spot to connect on stuck vehicle. Nice tip Wil. I never knew that. I dont pull people out in the city but I sure do in the middle of nowhere. Others have done the same for me.

Thus is what we use.

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Not Automobile related. But last summer I came across an elderly couple (early 70’s) while 4-wheeling north of Black River Falls. The wife’s ATV was completely sunk and neither had the strength to pull it out. I graciously pulled up and asked if they needed a winch out. The husband immediately yelled “NO!”. He then went on to tell me how his brother had died from a recovery hook on a vehicle that broke and shot back to his face, like Grouse said. We spent almost a half hour trying to pull her our before he finally gave in an let me winch her out. I had never even thought that those straps or even a winch cable stores that much energy. I have always draped a towel or coat over the cable just to be safe.

I keep a hook in my truck like the one Kabekonacrazy mentioned, they aren’t cheap but they work great. I also keep a thick strap like Will posted in my UTV and my Truck.