These Vehicles Can't Go ANYWHERE in this weather...

[Green1]

... without stopping to pull someone else out of a snowbank...

I went to the supermarket today to get a couple things, the supermarket is less than 10 blocks away, and in that time I stopped TWICE to pull cars out of snowbanks... Both vehicles had already gathered a crowd of people trying to push, but that wasn't enough.

First vehicle I hooked to the back of the Delica, and in 4hi you couldn't even tell it was there, easy as anything. second one I hooked to the front and reversed, the pulling didn't seem to be any trouble, but the road was so slick that I spun the wheels a fair amount and went quite a ways sideways while pulling, either way though, they both came out without much trouble.

It's my first time doing this sort of thing though, so I just figured I'd spend a moment to take some pride in helping stranded travellers...

[patty]

whats the rating on your tow strap?

[Green1]

that's a good question... and I can't remember the answer, I remember when I bought it that I made sure it was a reasonable strength, and it seemed like it should be plenty for pretty much anything I would need... but I really can't remember at the moment...

[bae146]

Just an item of caution: Have the other driver do the hook up of the tow rope to his vehicle. And then you check it. This way you are not liable for damage done, and you make sure the strap will not come loose and damage your vehicle. If you don't like how it is hooked up or if it cannot be hooked up properly; walk away.

[patty]

yeah i scene one guy at stave lake like 2 years ago loose his shit when the strap snapped and took out his rear window.

[Green1]

luckily both vehicles today had very obvious proper tow points on them... one of the reasons this is the first time I've done this is the last few I was going to help out didn't have any obvious tow points and I know better than to "just attach it to the bumper" (I've seen too many bumpers pulled off)

But your right, I should have the owner of the vehicle do the physical hook up from a liability stand point.

[Jaz]

Also advisable to drape a sweater or some sort of material in the middle of the snatch strap/ tow rope, that way the strap will hopefully actually wrap around that rather than pinging back and hitting the tow car.

Good work pulling folks out though guys, could have used a little back up a couple of times over the last month, but got very adept at digging my *way* too low car out of the snow!

[konadog]

Also advisable to drape a sweater or some sort of material in the middle of the snatch strap/ tow rope, that way the strap will hopefully actually wrap around that rather than pinging back and hitting the tow car.

Interesting idea - I wonder how well it works? Nonetheless, I'll not do another pull myself without taking this precaution - thanks. Maybe one for the Mythbusters

[Delicanadabc]

Hmm...

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=FDjmylmXxew

[jaggedfish]

I agree to be careful when hooking up and taking up tension on towstraps as well as pulling (yanking) too much. Know where you are and where you plan to go while pulling so you don't wind up being stuck yourself - it could happen even tho Delicas ARE amazing in the snow. Think about the pull logically and if you are really going to help or make the situation worse... stop and re-think each time the pull fails.

The video posted by DelicanadaBC speaks volumes and teaches a valuable towing lesson... why continue to pull the car further into the snowbank instead of moving to the front and pulling it back into the driveway?.... simply put, it's tunnel vision. What I mean is they are focussed on getting the car onto the road and not just unstuck... in their minds they HAD to get the car on the road and the result of not stopping to think is obvious, tragic and kinda funny as well (always funny when it happens to someone else).

I wouldn't let the possibility of problems deter me from helping someone in need - we are already too scared to help our fellow man because of liability issues and I believe society has suffered as a result (opening a can of worms there). Make a judgement call and don't let yourself be pressured into a situation that is impossible but a carefully orchestrated pull can be a nice way to help someone. I have pulled a few out of the Vancouver Goo that I felt were worthy and left others that were just plain stupid in the first place....

One instance I actually helped a guy in a 4-Runner who had helped others and had the misfortune of backing himself into a high-center situation (snow bank). Couldn't get in position to pull him out the way he came in, so tried to pull him thru the way he was going after some shoveling... a couple gentle snatches and it didn't budge... re-thought the situation and decided to pull him out sideways... worked like a charm! My bus barely even spun the wheels on the icy crud that we were in - NICE!!!

Another guy in a little car with all-seasons who decided to venture onto side roads and had NO IDEA what he was doing and didn't even smile when I approached... got left where he stood... just drove up and around and carried on.

The point is... I think you can judge how someone will be in the first few seconds of coming across them. If they are idiots, leave them there because they will cause you problems in the long-run.

The end of my book...

Definitely fun challenging these vehicle tho.....

[loki]

I agree to be careful when hooking up and taking up tension on towstraps as well as pulling (yanking) too much. Know where you are and where you plan to go while pulling so you don't wind up being stuck yourself - it could happen even tho Delicas ARE amazing in the snow. Think about the pull logically and if you are really going to help or make the situation worse... stop and re-think each time the pull fails.

The video posted by DelicanadaBC speaks volumes and teaches a valuable towing lesson... why continue to pull the car further into the snowbank instead of moving to the front and pulling it back into the driveway?.... simply put, it's tunnel vision. What I mean is they are focussed on getting the car onto the road and not just unstuck... in their minds they HAD to get the car on the road and the result of not stopping to think is obvious, tragic and kinda funny as well (always funny when it happens to someone else).

I wouldn't let the possibility of problems deter me from helping someone in need - we are already too scared to help our fellow man because of liability issues and I believe society has suffered as a result (opening a can of worms there). Make a judgement call and don't let yourself be pressured into a situation that is impossible but a carefully orchestrated pull can be a nice way to help someone. I have pulled a few out of the Vancouver Goo that I felt were worthy and left others that were just plain stupid in the first place....

One instance I actually helped a guy in a 4-Runner who had helped others and had the misfortune of backing himself into a high-center situation (snow bank). Couldn't get in position to pull him out the way he came in, so tried to pull him thru the way he was going after some shoveling... a couple gentle snatches and it didn't budge... re-thought the situation and decided to pull him out sideways... worked like a charm! My bus barely even spun the wheels on the icy crud that we were in - NICE!!!

Another guy in a little car with all-seasons who decided to venture onto side roads and had NO IDEA what he was doing and didn't even smile when I approached... got left where he stood... just drove up and around and carried on.

The point is... I think you can judge how someone will be in the first few seconds of coming across them. If they are idiots, leave them there because they will cause you problems in the long-run.

The end of my book...

Definitely fun challenging these vehicle tho.....

X2

[konadog]

Forget the tow, a few minutes with a shovel and that guy would have been backing out the driveway on his own...

[Jaz]

Interesting idea - I wonder how well it works? Nonetheless, I'll not do another pull myself without taking this precaution - thanks. Maybe one for the Mythbusters

http://www.arb.com.au/products/arb-reco ... ry-damper/

Here's one meant for winches by ARB, but you don't need to go that far - anything with a bit of weight draped should help to suck up some of the forces, or if anything, it will provide something for the strap/wire to wrap around, meaning it hopefully won't get to the other end (your car).

[jessef]

Also advisable to drape a sweater or some sort of material in the middle of the snatch strap/ tow rope, that way the strap will hopefully actually wrap around that rather than pinging back and hitting the tow car.

x2 heavy sweater/towels work well.

I'm guestimating that 90% of people who use tow straps don't understand the force/recoil physics behind it.

I've had two occasions where the line flew back at my truck (pulling) and the towels took the brunt of the recoil saving me and my truck from a heck of a lot of damage/injury.

There's news clips of people dead because a chain/hook came flying back through the rear window and hit them. Pretty sad.

Also I see them OFTEN. Ignorant people standing around the area where the strap/chain is being used.

I've seen a 80 foot long chain snap at the hook and wrap around two people. A pair of broken arms and a black eye and bruises.

Dangerous dangerous stuff if you and everyone else around you doesn't realize what they are doing/where they are standing.

Head's up to those who are unfamiliar with tow/chain straps.


Examples


Pay attention to this guy's rear window when the cable snaps.

[loki]

yep I always put something, anything with a little weight on it in the middle or 2 things, at about 1/3 and 2/3s of the way along the strap if I'm really paranoid.