Pulling car out of snowbank

[Cat_Driver]

I'm sure you've all seen this Snow bumper - YouTube

 

[KTurner]

Yea, I was checking to see if anyone had posted that link yet.

BMW's from the 80's-90's include a tow hook in the factory toolkit that you thread into the car when needed.

Keith

 

[Dutch445]

Tell us please, did you pull the Dodge out by front or rear, and what attachment point did you use on the truck? Reminds me of the time I pulled a 3/4 ton 4X4 pickup out, he was mired in deep snow and the rear was on the downgrade, all I had to do was give him a healthy tug from the front using my diff lock (ice underneath) using the chain he hooked to the front tow hooks.

And while we are on this subject, if you had a preference, which type of recovery aid would you prefer to use, a tow strap or a chain?

IIRC we hooked a strap between my rear hitch plate, and his receiver, pulling him backwards as he drove with 4wd. a little tug or 2 on the
strap and out he came.
i have always used a strap, but on some cars it is tough to find a good spot to hook to.

 

[JDgreen227]

I'm sure you've all seen this Snow bumper - YouTube

Saw that here before...what baffles me is why those big, strong, young guys didn't just push the car forward when it was originally only part stuck.

 

[dave1949]

Saw that here before...what baffles me is why those big, strong, young guys didn't just push the car forward when it was originally only part stuck.

Ahhh, could it be because they are clueless idiots? I thought similar, or heaven forbid they picked up a shovel.

 

[94BULLITT]

I don't know if it's true, but I have heard that the "frame" slots are only for tie-down and not for recovery. That said, I still use them.

I don't know if I would want to pull hard on them.

 

[bcp]

Interesting photos of t-slots here:

T-Hook Slots: How strong are they? in General Towing Discussion Forum

In that post and several others I've read, tow operators are often now hooking up to wheels to recover a car.

Bruce

 

[94BULLITT]

[

Interesting photos of t-slots here:

T-Hook Slots: How strong are they? in General Towing Discussion Forum

In that post and several others I've read, tow operators are often now hooking up to wheels to recover a car.

Bruce

I remember on the tv show "Wrecked" that was on speed they said they use the wheel on a unibody car because it is the strongest attachment point.

 

[ray66v]

As the government mandated CAFE fuel mileage standards have risen, manufacturers have shed all unnecessary weight.

In last 30 years, there has been a progression toward lighter under body components. We now have few places on most cars you can even raise them up, without doing some sort of damage. Let alone attach a line, and put a load like the entire weight of the vehicle, as you pull it out of a ditch.

Most of the under structure now is tempered sheet metal, accented with suspension components made from either more sheet metal, thin walled steel tube, or light weight aluminum castings.

All cars have something built into the under structure to allow for tying them down for shipping purposes. Few have any sort of solid place to attach a chain or strap, designed for the purpose of pulling the vehicle out of a ditch. Nor do they seem to have many suitable places the manufacturers could have easily allowed for this.

With the new CAFE standards coming, it's surely going to get worse.

 

[coldfingers]

My neighbor had a receiver hitch put on his car just for hooking on to pull it out in case they got stuck. He said they have used it once so far.