This might be a somewhat stupid question, but how do you guys pull/drag stuff around with your trucks? I'm curious as to how I should hook-up an emergency tow rope, a tree, stump, or whatever I need to rip out of its present location. I tied a rope to the front tow hook before when I had to rip a 40 foot tree down (wish I took pictures of that one... my neighbor was speachless when he saw me doing it), but I'm sure there's got to be a way to hook things up to the rear of the truck.

Are the front tow hooks the most "solid" method of dragging stuff? Or is there a better way to do it without risk of damage to the truck? I once hooked up my old Jeep Cherokee to a stump and dragged it out using the towing receiver... got the stump out, but wound up bending the receiver! No joke! Maybe it had something to do with the rust on the hitch & the fact that the Jeep hadn't towed anything since I got it, but I sure don't want to do that to my Ford!

2002 F-250 Lariat 5.4 Super Cab Long Bed Off-Road Package, Towing Package, Camper Package (don't have a camper -- just wanted the beefier chasis config). I'm assuming I hook something up to the trailer receiver, but not sure what... for now, I just have a really cool US flag emblem in the hitch/trailer receiver.

Oh and Yeti -- don't respond to this post; I'm gonna be ignoring you for a while. (Just kidding -- your thoughts on this one would be appreciated ).

 

Warn makes a pretty stout bracket for a 2" receiver. It is a solid shank that has a hole in which a clevis (included) fits. You can easily attach a strap to the clevis and pull away... Note - Make sure you keep something on the strap to prevent it from snapping back if it breaks! A heavy coat or moving pad works well.

 

I usually just stick a tow rope through the hitch reciever and then put the pin in so that it doesn't go anywhere.

The Law
1989 F-250 HD 4x4
460, C6, BW 13-56, Sterling 10.25" (4.10:1), Dana 44 HD (4.09:1), twin K&N's, no muffler, stock lo-flo cat, Bosch Platinum Plugs (0.060") MSD 6A and TFI Blaster Coil

 

tie to the ball, just make sure it is a knot that you can get out when you need to, like a bowline
if not the then climb under and tie to the frame, then you can pull all day long

 

Never tie to the ball! Repeat after me, NEVER TIE TO THE BALL!! Getting the knot undone would be the least of your worries. The hitch ball can AND WILL break off under stress and then it becomes a little missle! A little 'ol thing like a trailer ball flying at a zillion miles an hour is a very dangerous and possibly fatal object!
You can put the strap through the receiver as posted above, but I find it hard to get my 3" wide strap into the box. The clevis mount is strong and quick when using larger straps.

 

OK so if I'm reading right, the best bet is to use a clevis mount from Warn (or other comperable company)? Am I better off doing this than the tow hooks that came on the front of the truck? I want to be able to drag stuff in forward gear rather than reverse if I can. Please no comments about gear ratios and reverse being "stronger" than forward for this kinda' stuff -- the SD can take it, if the clevis can. Are you guys sure this isn't going to screw up the receiver? Last time I tied a rope to the receiver on my Jeep, I actually bent the receiver! Again, it was a rusty old thing that hadn't towed for years, so this may have had something to do with it.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-Nov-02 AT 04:01 PM (EST)]My idea, pay someone else to do it!! seems like work to me and would surely interfere with my nap.

If your going to pull from the rear, the only choice you have is your reciever, (unless you have aftermarket tow hooks) its the strongest point on the rear of your truck, assuming the hitch is a good frame mount and not bumper mounted, it distributes the pull or stress evenly between your frame rails.
I would probably rig some type of sling to go around the hitch, so your pulling from both sides, rather than just the middle.
Then incorperate a clevis and hook w/gate on a recovery strap.
I don't pull stuff like that with my trucks so I really can't help to much, it's good to have friends with heavy equipment


I grabbed this from another site :

If the anchor breaks loose, all of this massive energy is converted to high velocity energy of whatever weight remains attached. For example, if the towing vehicle weighs 3,000 lbs. and is moving at just 10 mph when the anchor breaks, a 3 lb. shackle will become a cruise missile flying at over 300 mph.

I would assume if the trailer ball broke, it would be the same thing.
Don't use the ball, and remember, the weakest link will break first.

All I can say is DUCK!!

 

If your Super Duty is not super enough, you can use a pulley and double your yanking power. Rig the frame of the pulley to the stump you are pulling out. Hook one end of a cable to the mount in your truck, around the wheel in the pulley, and back to an anchor point that is NOT your truck such as a large tree trunk. The closer your truck is to the second anchor point, the better. In other words, you want the cable to make as close to a 180 degree bend around the pulley as possible. If your truck is pulling with 2000 lbs of force, the second anchor point will be doing the same; therefore, you will be effectively pulling at the stump with 4000 lbs.

 

>If your Super Duty is not super enough, you can use a pulley
>and double your yanking power. Rig the frame of the pulley
>to the stump you are pulling out. Hook one end of a cable
>to the mount in your truck, around the wheel in the pulley,
>and back to an anchor point that is NOT your truck such as a
>large tree trunk. The closer your truck is to the second
>anchor point, the better. In other words, you want the
>cable to make as close to a 180 degree bend around the
>pulley as possible. If your truck is pulling with 2000 lbs
>of force, the second anchor point will be doing the same;
>therefore, you will be effectively pulling at the stump with
>4000 lbs.

Great; with my luck, I'll wind up slamming the gas and ripping out the stump AND the tree I was using as an anchor point!

Seriously, though, the pully idea sounds good. I just hope I don't have to get involved in anything that requires more force than just my Super Duty. I only wanted to be able to drag some trees around to make the bonfire prep a little easier (BIG bonfire...) and rip out an occasional stump. Thanks everyone for all your ideas!

BTW -- Hey, KNOBBY4604X4 -- Do you think maybe I should tie to the ball? Sounds like a good idea. (Just kidding - don't me).

 

I always use a clevice to the receiver or tow hook. atop the chain or rope ( not recommended ) i straddle it with a saddlebag (duffle bag) or two full of sand or dirt along it's length. This way if it slips or breaks the weight of the saddlebag offsets the recoil effect.

Dan / FT

 

Heh,Heh...
Just let me know if you ever do tie to the ball, so I can say"I told you so"! Safety is a big thing in my book. I get ribbed about being a grandma type all the time, but safe is better than dead or all tore up!
BTW, sounds like a bonfire I'd like to see. (Of course, only if you have the correct amount of fire extinguishers and etc....
:-) )

 

I can joke around about this stuff, but trust me, I play it (somewhat) safe. I keep an extinguisher in my truck, along with a first aid kit, at all times. But I don't think Home Depot carries enough extinguishers for the type of bonfire I'm talking about! I'll just wait until there's a foot or 2 of snow on the ground; if that doesn't add to the safety factor (yes, the fire pit is located properly, no dead grass, overhanging branches, etc) I don't know what will.

I'll be ordering a clevis/clevice (sp) kit soon. Thanks everyone for the input.

Yeti: As soon as I get this setup, I'm coming over to tear your manual hubs off and replace them with ESOF!

 

I've got the marshmallows! And a 50 foot stick to roast them on!

 

ill bring the chrome *****

 

i helped someone 2 weeks ago by pulling him (toyota 4 runner) off a busy road. used a 2 inch towing strap that was 25 feet long. looped one end around my rear axle near the diff and the other end went on a tow hook on his bumper. will i hurt my axle doing this?