So, last night, at about 3:30 in the morning, one of my friends called me, and wanted me to tow him out of the snowbank he got his s10 stuck in... I didn't have a problem with that (once I woke up), and I towed him out in about 5 minnutes...

It was easy because we both had trailor hitches, but I wondered what the correct, and safe way is to tow something (like a car), that doesn't have a hitch? Just wrap the rope around one of the axles?

 

attaching to axles is a last ditch effort. What holds your axle to your frame? I would suggest Keeping a short length of chain with recovery hook on one end and a d ring on the other end. This could be used when you tow a car or truck with no hitch. Just hook the recovery hook to a frame rail and run your tow strap through the d ring.

 

Most cars don't have frames... I usually go to the axle, serious axle bracing, or (prefered) recovery hooks. Most of the time I let the car's owner do the hooking, then verify it myself. That way, they are the only ones to blame if something breaks I don't charge money, and that, combined with letting them to the hooking, eliminates almost all liablity for me. Then, if they want to pay me, I can accept it as a gift rather than as payment. In fact, after three winters in NH and two in Colorado, I've only recieved payment from one person, who replaced the tow strap I broke on his car and also purchased me a set of snow chains so I could get the next guy out with less trouble than I had with his

 

well if its a foreign car i like to strap the 30 foot rope around a lower radiator hose, then gun it tell im doind about 10-15mph and when it rips the front of the car off along with the radiator i just keep going... if its a american car i try to find a tow point or somthing sturdy. watch out for air bag sensors when hooking.. a good 20 foot ****** strap is the best, they are nylon and about 7 bucks or so.. they make it less harsh of a jerk.. its like a big spring.




Ray

 

i AGREE 100% on using a strap not a chain unless you are towing a SEMI out. All I use is a strap. It is way less stressful on both rigs and easier to work with in the cold. Your hands do not so friggin cold and rust colored. Another bonus id that a strap is less likely to get burried in the snow and be a pain to loose.

 

Most European cars are required to have tow hooks front and back. Next time you see a Meredes or BMW, look for the the little covers on the bumper.

That said there is a hook usually in the car tool box, actually it's an eye that screws into the hole under the cover. On my VW it's left hand threaded under my front side grill. 95 percent of owners will have no idea what you are talking about, but at least it's an option for you if you need it.

 

I use a 3/8 logging chain as a personal preference. Ones about 16 ft, ones about 8. I have a cheapo tow strap but the chain goes on easier and a clevis can adjust the length, and it doesn't suck up water and get slick with mud. Just DON'T take a running start on a chain, cause that jerk is bad on truck, car, chain, life expectancy, ect. A rope around the axle can lead to a car missing two wheels in a hurry. The engine has to be bolted to something, so look for the cross members of the frame, but again don't jerk hard.

Example when shorter is better, and a 20ft ****** strap won't work. Last Saturday I was up in the foothills, and found a chevy that was nosedown in a ditch at about 45 degrees, perpendicualer to a two lane road that had a deeper ditch on the other side. He was between a tree and a rock (I guess he was lucky to miss them?) so he had to be pulled straight out. He apparently got in there by fishtailing on the road, almost stopping while sideways, then lost his front wheels off the edge of the road and just kept sliding down in there. I hooked up with the short chain hitch to hitch so it was about 3 ft between us, and eventually got him out. The angles on the road between the ditches was all that made it iffy.

 

The great thing about straps is you can tie them at any length I have a 30ft 30k strap (6" wide) that I use for full sized trucks and semis and I've had it as short as 10ft, but very very rarely at the full 30ft.

 

Knots reduce tensile strength of any kind of rope, strap, ect. I don't have the book, but an overhand knot reduces the strength by over 40%, and a square knot by over 50%. So your 30k strap becomes a 15k strap, then add an 8k truck going 25 on the end of it, and bam there breaks the strap.

 

Its more a fold; try tieing a knot in a strap then pulling it tight. Any fold will reduce the strength because of the way the force is applied to multiple layers of fabric. Its still stronger than anything else you will find at a parts store. In all the time I've pulled trucks and cars (five seasons, two in Colorado, three in New Hampshire) I've pulled several hundred vehicles but only broke two 10/15k straps, and that was from wear, not failure. I don't use chains, and don't advise using chains due to the complete inability for them to handle an overload (snatching) as well as the danger to people and more importantly equipment. I do this for fun; if I shatter someone's window/taillights/bumper, I have to pay for it out of my massive ($10) career earnings. A strap won't do very much damage if any, and are easy to replace and easy to store. You just have to take care of them. A 30k strap is still far stronger than any chain you will have. Even equipment chains are only 7700lb tensile strength. (So if you tie the 30k strap into a 15k strap, and pull a 7000lb truck (quite heavy), you still have double the pulled weight in reserve, double what the chain offers.)

 

This is one experience why I use a tow strap now:
My dad was towing my mustang using his bronco. I didn't keep the tension up and he sped up too quickly turning onto a side street. The chain snapped in the middle, wrapped up and over the bronco breaking the front windshield and the other half wrapped up and dented in my hood.

 

Another good reason not to tow with chains OR straps. Rent a dolly or hire a pro.

 

the look on peoples faces is pricless when you give them a yank and their bumpers fly off and you keep going!

Ray

 

if you are just pulling, and not snatching on it, there are holes in the uni body of cars. You can use a "T" hook, like what a wrecker uses to tie cars down, or a car transport. I've got a few of them in the box just for that.

 

tie it right to the bumper!!!!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF693eh9mUU