Tips pulling a stuck vehicle
 

Alright, I have some quick questions that have been bothering me all day long, so here goes.

When pulling a stuck car/farm equipment, and 4 wheel drive is needed, was are the best ways of successfully pulling the vehicle, withou twisting or breaking something?
Also, is it really that easy to twist a driveline part or break something in the driveline system?
Also, is it better to pull in 4-Lo or 4-High? I know that power is factored in deciding which one to choose.
Thanks for any advice/suggestions!
Wheelo

Hook it up to something on the vehicle that can handle a strong pull without bending or breaking; take up the slack, then pull it smooothly.... no jerking it.

Put it in 1st, you will be able to tell if you need 2Hi, 4Hi or 4Lo pretty quick (depends on where the other vehicle is stuck and your traction).

You won't have any trouble with twisting the driveline, you're sig says you have an auto. If what you are pulling is really stuck or you have limited traction a tug-em nylon strap works wonders. No violent jerk and no damage, but a lot of force if you are moving when it gets tight. Chains are OK if you are very careful and don't need much initial force to get the stuck vehicle moving, or if you're towing with a heavy machine like a buldozer or tractor. Never jerk with a chain. The strap is better if the towing vehicle is lighter than the stuck one or if you just want to move someone who is broken down on the road. I never go on a trip without my strap.

Wetspirit

exactly what i do...

if i see that method dont work, then i give a couple of good yanks if i can do so... I have yanked a couple of vehicles in differrent angles just to loosen them from the mud they were in and once i did that, they came out much easier...


Rick

Slow and steady

My freind buried his Ramchager to the rockers just of of a dirt road in somedirtly clay. Well that wasn't so bad, but he put it in park (in 4Lo) with the whell cut sideways, and accedantly let his door get shut behind him. YES is was locked.

I got him out by just putting my tuck in 4Lo, and with No slack in the strap started to just "blap" the throttle in a rocking motion until the ram charger started to just barely move. At that point, I easied into it again and stayed on it making sure not to break traction.

For him being the idiot that he was, i proceeded to drag his truck down the road until I broke one of his automatic locking hubs (his parents wouldn't let him get new one because there "wasn't anythin wrong with his)

Caution: about 2-3 weeks later my flexplate "flexed" into 10 pieces.

Receiver hitches make the best tow point.

I always try to do it easy first. Then get progressivly harder. I pulled a haf ton chevy that was pasted into the mud. I was in some power and it took a couple of solid jerk to get him out. It finally broke the suction in third-low about 2200RPM with some good slack in the strap. Of course I would never do that with anything but a strap. And one that is rated very high.

Randy

Thanks for everyones advice on here!
I dont really have all that much experience at retrieving stuck vehicles, But I now know some tips. Thanks,
Wheelo

when hooking to the stuck vehicle,hook to the off side of it,not the near side....say its stuck in the ditch on the passenger side of his truck,youre going to pull forward,hook to his passenger side front,not drivers side front...this really helps more than you think.................bama

What works when you cant get traction to pull someone?

I tried to help someone stuck yesterday in the mud. They high centered a 4x4 Chevy truck. I got behind their truck on dry ground, but couldn't get enough traction to move them. I could jerk because all they had was a 1/4" or 3/16" chain and I knew it would break with much of a jerk.

You tell them no thanks, you won't be pulling them out at this time.

If you don't have a 30K+ strap, you don't even try.


phox

here is a secret a old man taught me. If the vehical stuck is up to the frame rails and you pulling point on your vehical is higher then his all you are doing when pulling on him is trying to push the ground in front or behind him out of the way. Makes getting traction very hard. put the largest aired up tire you can get your hands on verticly underneath the chain or stap to where as the chain or strap is running on the tire. This way you are pulling the stuck vehical up and out of the ground

That is good advice...

This is the best way I've ever seen to roll a truck, ALWAYS hook the high side. This "help" isn't worth the risk. Of course this all depends on the terrain. It's just my .02. Former 3536 wrecker operator USMC.

Im not sure why anything would twist or break unless you are backing up slamming the gas and jerking it out. As a tip, the lower you can hook the stuck vehicle and the higher you can hook it to the pulling vehicle the laws of gravity will work with you

yeah good advice