Safety: Towing a Stuck
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:47 pm
An article I wrote some time ago; maybe useful for some discusssion.
Towing a Stuck Vehicle - A Beginner's Introduction
by PR, for AD4x4
Pulling a stuck vehicle out using a strap or rope happens quite often when offroading so it's imperative to have a good general understanding of the process with safety and efficiency in mind.
There are several kinds of stucks, each with their own characteristics, but in general there is a stuck car - be it sand, mud, rocks, a ditch - and an unstuck vehicle providing the tug. I assume there are no mechanical problems.
Firstly, let's look at etiquette… Could you please pass the salt? Elbows in! If you have to belch, disguise it as choking violently on a chicken bone… However, during a recovery procedure, the driver of the stuck vehicle is in charge, and he or she may belch at will.
S/he will listen to advice, especially from those more experienced, but the stuck driver alone will be responsible for the decision as to how and when the pull will take place. S/he oversees the placing of the towing vehicle, the attachment of the rope, and gives instructions. Everybody else follows these instructions, even if shaking their heads. Of course the rescuer may disagree enough to say: "Well, you can stay there then!"
All passengers out and standing out of reach of the rope, should it or a tow point fail and fly off at incredible force - not kidding on this - sufficient to pass through a car window and the cranium of the person inside. There have been fatalities from this happening even with experienced drivers, so don't take any chances.
DAMAGE FROM FLYING SHACKLE:
Standing behind a vehicle is also not safe because if the rope fails it will usually head towards one of the cars.
OK, so where to attach the rope? Your vehicle must have easily accessible tow points. Usually these come with a 4x4 vehicle from the factory, and you simply need to know where they are. They can be in the form of a hook, a ring or a towing hitch. Preferably you will have four, two on the front and two on the back. The minimum is of course one up front and one at the rear.
Any after-market additions especially on bumpers (ie, not attached directly to the frame) should be viewed with suspicion, unless you had them installed properly yourself. I personally have had both front hooks fly off because the bolts underneath had corroded - so if you've purchased a second-hand vehicle replace the bolts before that happens.
Attach the rope or strap to the tow point securely. If the tow point is a hook, then do not use an unnecessary metal shackle; but if it is a ring, then a rated D-Ring shackle is required. Do not skimp on these as they are the potentially deadly projectiles we already mentioned.
The best kind of rope is not a strap. Straps are strong and butch, true, but they do not stretch. The ideal tugging device is a flexible stranded rope or a specialized KERR strap (Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope). The idea is that when the tugging vehicle pulls back, if there is no stretch in the rope, the full force hits the strap, shackle, and tow point with a jarring bang. With a flexible rope, the energy is transferred along the length of the rope resulting in a safer, more pleasant recovery.
If a non-stretching strap is used, the technique should be to give several gentle tugs, with the rescuing car driving back and forth several times. Sometimes this is very difficult to do on sand, as the rescuer will also get stuck.
A metal cable should never be used - those are for winches only. Also, never join two ropes with a metal shackle, but pass them through each other's loop and insert a rolled newspaper or car mat, or even a packet of Baby Wipes to stop them from binding.
PACKET OF BABY WIPES BETWEEN TWO LINKED ROPES - DON'T USE METAL SHACKLE!
A generalized procedure is as follows: The stuck driver walks around the vehicle determining the best recovery angle. S/he consults with the driver of the rescuing car, and any other interested bystanders, shoppers, gawkers and fruit sellers, and decides on where the rescuing vehicle should be placed and how the pull should be done. This information is for the two drivers, and they must make sure they understand each other.
The rescuing vehicle gets into position, preferably facing away from the stuck vehicle, and the rope is securely attached. I would suggest you spend three kilojoules of energy and do it yourself to make sure it's done right. Thank the friendly, helpful citizen who ran up and did it for you just the same.
All people clear! Verify that all people are in fact standing far enough away - it is one of the finest characteristics of the human race that there will always be at least one individual who thinks he (and, yes, it is usually a he!) can dodge bullets. Children can be forgiven for not realizing the danger, but please try to aim the flying shackle at this adult person so that he may not be allowed to procreate further.
The two drivers get in their cars, the windows are lowered so you can hear if people shout STOP! STOP! The stuck driver signals s/he is ready with a honk, the rescuer acknowledges with a honk, and the pull starts. When the stuck driver needs to stop the pull, s/he honks, and the rescuer acknowledges with a return honk, and stops and stays stopped.
Do not attempt to get out of your vehicle unless the acknowledging honk has been sounded, just in case s/he decides to give you a second, harder pull just as you are stepping out.
A LITTLE PATIENCE GOES A LONG WAY IN KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE
All said and done, it's not a complicated procedure, and you will find it gets repeated a lot on trips involving sand. Your recovery rope or strap will get heavy use, and therefore you should purchase the very best there is. I would suggest a minimum 10 metres of length, and a 28mm diameter three-stranded mooring rope seems to fit the bill nicely.
Carry two so they can be combined to double the length if necessary, and if one breaks you of course have a spare handy. Replace when it becomes frayed or loses its flexibility, and try and keep it out of the sand and sunlight as much as possible.
Despite all my disclaimers and threats of debilitating injuries, it is a very simple and common procedure - just make sure you do it right.
This article continues with the post Towing a Sidestuck - http://www.ad4x4.com/club/viewtopic.php ... 39#p116239
Towing a Stuck Vehicle - A Beginner's Introduction
by PR, for AD4x4
Pulling a stuck vehicle out using a strap or rope happens quite often when offroading so it's imperative to have a good general understanding of the process with safety and efficiency in mind.
There are several kinds of stucks, each with their own characteristics, but in general there is a stuck car - be it sand, mud, rocks, a ditch - and an unstuck vehicle providing the tug. I assume there are no mechanical problems.
Firstly, let's look at etiquette… Could you please pass the salt? Elbows in! If you have to belch, disguise it as choking violently on a chicken bone… However, during a recovery procedure, the driver of the stuck vehicle is in charge, and he or she may belch at will.
S/he will listen to advice, especially from those more experienced, but the stuck driver alone will be responsible for the decision as to how and when the pull will take place. S/he oversees the placing of the towing vehicle, the attachment of the rope, and gives instructions. Everybody else follows these instructions, even if shaking their heads. Of course the rescuer may disagree enough to say: "Well, you can stay there then!"
All passengers out and standing out of reach of the rope, should it or a tow point fail and fly off at incredible force - not kidding on this - sufficient to pass through a car window and the cranium of the person inside. There have been fatalities from this happening even with experienced drivers, so don't take any chances.
DAMAGE FROM FLYING SHACKLE:
Standing behind a vehicle is also not safe because if the rope fails it will usually head towards one of the cars.
OK, so where to attach the rope? Your vehicle must have easily accessible tow points. Usually these come with a 4x4 vehicle from the factory, and you simply need to know where they are. They can be in the form of a hook, a ring or a towing hitch. Preferably you will have four, two on the front and two on the back. The minimum is of course one up front and one at the rear.
Any after-market additions especially on bumpers (ie, not attached directly to the frame) should be viewed with suspicion, unless you had them installed properly yourself. I personally have had both front hooks fly off because the bolts underneath had corroded - so if you've purchased a second-hand vehicle replace the bolts before that happens.
Attach the rope or strap to the tow point securely. If the tow point is a hook, then do not use an unnecessary metal shackle; but if it is a ring, then a rated D-Ring shackle is required. Do not skimp on these as they are the potentially deadly projectiles we already mentioned.
The best kind of rope is not a strap. Straps are strong and butch, true, but they do not stretch. The ideal tugging device is a flexible stranded rope or a specialized KERR strap (Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope). The idea is that when the tugging vehicle pulls back, if there is no stretch in the rope, the full force hits the strap, shackle, and tow point with a jarring bang. With a flexible rope, the energy is transferred along the length of the rope resulting in a safer, more pleasant recovery.
If a non-stretching strap is used, the technique should be to give several gentle tugs, with the rescuing car driving back and forth several times. Sometimes this is very difficult to do on sand, as the rescuer will also get stuck.
A metal cable should never be used - those are for winches only. Also, never join two ropes with a metal shackle, but pass them through each other's loop and insert a rolled newspaper or car mat, or even a packet of Baby Wipes to stop them from binding.
PACKET OF BABY WIPES BETWEEN TWO LINKED ROPES - DON'T USE METAL SHACKLE!
A generalized procedure is as follows: The stuck driver walks around the vehicle determining the best recovery angle. S/he consults with the driver of the rescuing car, and any other interested bystanders, shoppers, gawkers and fruit sellers, and decides on where the rescuing vehicle should be placed and how the pull should be done. This information is for the two drivers, and they must make sure they understand each other.
The rescuing vehicle gets into position, preferably facing away from the stuck vehicle, and the rope is securely attached. I would suggest you spend three kilojoules of energy and do it yourself to make sure it's done right. Thank the friendly, helpful citizen who ran up and did it for you just the same.
All people clear! Verify that all people are in fact standing far enough away - it is one of the finest characteristics of the human race that there will always be at least one individual who thinks he (and, yes, it is usually a he!) can dodge bullets. Children can be forgiven for not realizing the danger, but please try to aim the flying shackle at this adult person so that he may not be allowed to procreate further.
The two drivers get in their cars, the windows are lowered so you can hear if people shout STOP! STOP! The stuck driver signals s/he is ready with a honk, the rescuer acknowledges with a honk, and the pull starts. When the stuck driver needs to stop the pull, s/he honks, and the rescuer acknowledges with a return honk, and stops and stays stopped.
Do not attempt to get out of your vehicle unless the acknowledging honk has been sounded, just in case s/he decides to give you a second, harder pull just as you are stepping out.
A LITTLE PATIENCE GOES A LONG WAY IN KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE
All said and done, it's not a complicated procedure, and you will find it gets repeated a lot on trips involving sand. Your recovery rope or strap will get heavy use, and therefore you should purchase the very best there is. I would suggest a minimum 10 metres of length, and a 28mm diameter three-stranded mooring rope seems to fit the bill nicely.
Carry two so they can be combined to double the length if necessary, and if one breaks you of course have a spare handy. Replace when it becomes frayed or loses its flexibility, and try and keep it out of the sand and sunlight as much as possible.
Despite all my disclaimers and threats of debilitating injuries, it is a very simple and common procedure - just make sure you do it right.
This article continues with the post Towing a Sidestuck - http://www.ad4x4.com/club/viewtopic.php ... 39#p116239