Will it hurt my truck to tow people out of big bogs?
11-09-2016, 12:58 PM
#21
Senior Member
Hopefully the OP reads the entire thread and sees the need for caution, and the risk to property and lives if things are done wrong - and hopefully ignores the bad advice.
11-10-2016, 08:27 AM
#22
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Very Helpful Information
When I originally posted this question, I really wanted to know what others think about using our own trucks for towing. That’s why I asked the question: so I could LEARN. Here are some things I learned that are probably obvious to others:
There are different levels of pulling a stuck vehicle out of a jam.
Use experience and judgement to decide which level you are comfortable with.
There are two kinds of straps you can use: a tow strap or a ****** strap. ****** straps have flex in them and they are better.
As the level of difficulty increases, you can move into cables, winches, and tandem pulls.
If you decide the situation is beyond your comfort level, you can still call a tow or give a ride.
Good samaritan pullers can get lots and lots of people out of jams as most situations are not that severe.
Be aware and conscious of dangers for yourself and bystanders and equipment.
Some good old boys look at these situations as challenging and fun...kind of a puzzle.
I had a guy pull me out of a muddy, grassy field one time, and by the way he acted, I almost thought I did him a favor by presenting him with this complicated situation.
With the information provided in this forum, now I might get some of that same satisfaction by starting out small and building my skills.
There are different levels of pulling a stuck vehicle out of a jam.
Use experience and judgement to decide which level you are comfortable with.
There are two kinds of straps you can use: a tow strap or a ****** strap. ****** straps have flex in them and they are better.
As the level of difficulty increases, you can move into cables, winches, and tandem pulls.
If you decide the situation is beyond your comfort level, you can still call a tow or give a ride.
Good samaritan pullers can get lots and lots of people out of jams as most situations are not that severe.
Be aware and conscious of dangers for yourself and bystanders and equipment.
Some good old boys look at these situations as challenging and fun...kind of a puzzle.
I had a guy pull me out of a muddy, grassy field one time, and by the way he acted, I almost thought I did him a favor by presenting him with this complicated situation.
With the information provided in this forum, now I might get some of that same satisfaction by starting out small and building my skills.
11-10-2016, 08:55 AM
#23
Senior Member
When I originally posted this question, I really wanted to know what others think about using our own trucks for towing. That’s why I asked the question: so I could LEARN. Here are some things I learned that are probably obvious to others:
There are different levels of pulling a stuck vehicle out of a jam.
Use experience and judgement to decide which level you are comfortable with.
There are two kinds of straps you can use: a tow strap or a ****** strap. ****** straps have flex in them and they are better.
As the level of difficulty increases, you can move into cables, winches, and tandem pulls.
If you decide the situation is beyond your comfort level, you can still call a tow or give a ride.
Good samaritan pullers can get lots and lots of people out of jams as most situations are not that severe.
Be aware and conscious of dangers for yourself and bystanders and equipment.
Some good old boys look at these situations as challenging and fun...kind of a puzzle.
I had a guy pull me out of a muddy, grassy field one time, and by the way he acted, I almost thought I did him a favor by presenting him with this complicated situation.
With the information provided in this forum, now I might get some of that same satisfaction by starting out small and building my skills.
There are different levels of pulling a stuck vehicle out of a jam.
Use experience and judgement to decide which level you are comfortable with.
There are two kinds of straps you can use: a tow strap or a ****** strap. ****** straps have flex in them and they are better.
As the level of difficulty increases, you can move into cables, winches, and tandem pulls.
If you decide the situation is beyond your comfort level, you can still call a tow or give a ride.
Good samaritan pullers can get lots and lots of people out of jams as most situations are not that severe.
Be aware and conscious of dangers for yourself and bystanders and equipment.
Some good old boys look at these situations as challenging and fun...kind of a puzzle.
I had a guy pull me out of a muddy, grassy field one time, and by the way he acted, I almost thought I did him a favor by presenting him with this complicated situation.
With the information provided in this forum, now I might get some of that same satisfaction by starting out small and building my skills.
That could have been me! I love a good puzzle. Some guys like the brute force of a pull, I like the engineering and challenge
11-10-2016, 09:29 AM
#24
Senior Member
Great summary, except for the "****** straps have flex in them and they are better."
It depends on the usage. I don't own a ****** strap, have no use for one. I like control when I help someone (never going to be bogged down in deep sand or mud), and a tow strap does that. A ****** strap stretches and stretches, until the stuck vehicle starts moving. I like being able to stop my truck and know that the stuck vehicle isn't going to keep moving and potentially hit me (unless it's driver is an idiot).
It depends on the usage. I don't own a ****** strap, have no use for one. I like control when I help someone (never going to be bogged down in deep sand or mud), and a tow strap does that. A ****** strap stretches and stretches, until the stuck vehicle starts moving. I like being able to stop my truck and know that the stuck vehicle isn't going to keep moving and potentially hit me (unless it's driver is an idiot).
11-10-2016, 10:03 AM
#25
Senior Member
Edit - Check out the 2nd video I posted in Post #13 of this thead for a comarison of ****** vs tow strap usage.
Last edited by LMychajluk; 11-10-2016 at 10:08 AM.
11-10-2016, 11:19 AM
#26
Super Moderator
11-13-2016, 10:08 PM
#27
Haha, that's so funny. I was reading this thread out of curiosity, but every post had "****** straps" in it. I was wondering what the secret was and if anyone would tell me. Login, and it now shows "****** straps".
11-16-2016, 01:48 AM
#28
Senior Member
11-24-2016, 08:14 AM
#29
So what size/strength recovery should someone be buying if they only want to buy one? I see the strap should be sized to the smaller vehicle and a typical recommendation is a minimum breaking strength of 2-3 times the smaller GVW. If I'm pulling my mazda3 out of the ditch I'd only need 9000lb strap, I assume I could just use a heavier strap and it will act more like a tow strap than a recovery strap since the lighter vehicle won't stretch it.
The Smitty strap mentioned earlier in this thread is a 30,000lb strap, is that a little heavy for the f150?
The Smitty strap mentioned earlier in this thread is a 30,000lb strap, is that a little heavy for the f150?
11-25-2016, 08:20 AM
#30
Poster;
If you are out with a couple of buddies and a couple of older trucks or beaters and you have the right equipment than go ahead. You can have more fun pulling them out than they did getting it stuck. But if you are talking a couple of $40,000 dollar trucks that people rely upon than you better think twice...If your truck is damaged does he pay for it. If his truck is damaged do you pay for it. You also have to look at insurance implications. A professional tow truck towing your truck our of a jam is insured on both his and your vehicle. Damaging your truck by yanking some stranger out of a jam is probably not going to be covered. One more thing. Once you hook onto someone's truck they are going to want you to do whatever it takes to get it out. Taking ever increasing runs at the tow strap is a big one and I guarantee you that they will be some pissed off when you decide to unhook with them still stuck.
If you are out with a couple of buddies and a couple of older trucks or beaters and you have the right equipment than go ahead. You can have more fun pulling them out than they did getting it stuck. But if you are talking a couple of $40,000 dollar trucks that people rely upon than you better think twice...If your truck is damaged does he pay for it. If his truck is damaged do you pay for it. You also have to look at insurance implications. A professional tow truck towing your truck our of a jam is insured on both his and your vehicle. Damaging your truck by yanking some stranger out of a jam is probably not going to be covered. One more thing. Once you hook onto someone's truck they are going to want you to do whatever it takes to get it out. Taking ever increasing runs at the tow strap is a big one and I guarantee you that they will be some pissed off when you decide to unhook with them still stuck.