Recall I said "those lockers in my wife's JLU will NEVER...........

[ShadowsPapa]

.............be used?
Yeah, there will never ever be human finger prints on that switch, and the locker off switch. Ain't gonna happen. The recovery gear I stashed in the back a couple of years ago - will stay in the bags and never get used. That Jeep will never see 4Lo..
Nope, ain't gonna happen.
That is....until an Amazon delivery driver got his big honkin' Ford delivery van stuck in our driveway.

People don't realize that our driveway is a hill, and it slopes a lot to the west - water starting at the top makes it about 10 feet down before it's into the yard, it's sloped a lot to prevent all of that water from reaching the house and garage.

I had it plowed after the last snow, and the 32 degree temps and sun took care of most of what the Mojave had packed at the edges of the drive, but that refroze today and - more snow. It was coming down pretty good. The Amazon driver came down the driveway (about 120-130 feet) instead of parking up on the road and walking down. We have a turn-around area that works for short Jeeps, but there was snow and some ice on it.
Worse, his tires were crap.
He got stuck about the time my wife came home with her Jeep - she asked if I could help him out - yeah, but remember, I'm not supposed to lift, strain, that sort of thing. So - "use my Jeep and pull him out".
So I grabbed the tow strap, shackle, and the piece for the receiver and had him crawl under and hook the strap - that way it was on him, and I'm not to do that sort of thing anyway, not yet)
I figured - 4Lo, this will be pretty easy.
Uh, no. Got a few feet and the Jeep started sliding west to the yard. That damned big delivery van is HEAVY.
Oh, great - hey, lockers - I needed to turn left at the top to get him onto the road so thought use rear lockers only.
That worked for a few more feet, then the rear headed toward the yard badly.
So, flip that switch up for both lockers, and that little JLU 4xe Rubicon got the job done. Pulled that heavy delivery van up the hill on the snow and ice. I had to disengage the front locker at the top to start the turn, then shut them both off to finish the job and got him pulled onto a down-hill area and unhooked.

The little Jeep that could. And, I was so wrong - the lockers and 4Lo did get used while she owned it (barely, it gets traded for another when the new one comes in)

I put that stuff in there for two reasons:
If we come across someone that needs help, we are equipped to help
and
If she's out and about and gets it stuck, anyone who comes along and knows Jeeps can either get it unstuck for her, OR, has the CORRECT equipment to use to pull her Jeep out, proper straps and so on.

It's Iowa, always be prepared.
Just never thought it would be used to help someone off our own property!

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[Stan H]

I put that stuff in there for two reasons:
If we come across someone that needs help, we are equipped to help

Yes , although I use the stuff myself I pulled a small empty water truck with my 15ft strap& lockers etc..
I have a 1,500 ibs. Strap, a 15,000 strap, 12k winch and hooks 🪝 etc why just because ya never know.

 

[IamPro2A]

Yea, we get a fair amount of winter here. Most of the locals where I live carry a recovery kit but, I've pulled a few people out. One was a couple of young guys from out of state driving around the back roads taking pictures (seriously, he had a very nice looking SLR). They had pulled onto what they thought was the shoulder, but was actually a drainage ditch filled with snow. Then there was the mailman who slid off the road in his 2wd delivery van with bald tires. He couldn't find/reach a tow hook under the van in all the snow, and the tow truck arrived before we could dig for it so I left it to the pros. Carry a far more serious kit in the UTV though, because that's more likely to need it.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

These lockers are impressive and I’ve been on a few recoveries in winter that required both to be used.

The heaviest vehicle I assisted that was stuck was a double tanker truck hauling sulphur and weighed in at 60k lbs. It was on its way up the Cochrane hill, just west of Calgary. The road surface was just too icy but the gravel truck did do the highway but the sulphur truck came to a stop at a bend in the road about 200 yards from the top. Grade average for the nearly 3 km hill is from 6.5 to 8.7 percent.

He wasn’t going anywhere and I stopped to offer what weight I was in a double locker 4L pull. The driver laughed and said there was no way I could do anything to help him get unstuck but I said I can provide maybe 4000 lbs of pull on this ice and maybe that’s enough to give him momentum to creep up the hill. We won’t know unless we try!

He got out of the cab and we looked everything over and I noticed he had tire chains hanging on their hooks and said, why don’t you throw on a set and let’s get up the hill! I helped him with that and I hooked up my 3” x 30’ strap and engaged the lockers. I didn’t send it but was a good bump and he put his rig in gear with his tire chains digging in and spinning.

Wouldn’t you know it, we started advancing inch by inch then was starting to pick up speed! I manually shifted up 4 gears and just held it there. We had about 200 yards until the top of the hill levelled out, then we pulled over and unhooked.

He never would have believed it but we got it done and I now know what this truck is capable of which is why I’ll be back in one very soon.

 

[Jteakus]

 

[legacy_etu]

My FedEx guy and Amazon always drive up my driveway. Kinda ticks me off because I.m starting to get a pothole from the heavy truck plus there’s always the chance he can hit my basketball hoop. UPS guys are trained to stay out of driveways!

I gotta admit I’m surprised even with the lockers you were able to pull a large truck on ice.

Hows your head doing?

 

[Oilburner]

Pics or it didn’t happen-

 

[Maximus Gladius]

My FedEx guy and Amazon always drive up my driveway. Kinda ticks me off because I.m starting to get a pothole from the heavy truck plus there’s always the chance he can hit my basketball hoop. UPS guys are trained to stay out of driveways!

I gotta admit I’m surprised even with the lockers you were able to pull a large truck on ice.

Hows your head doing?

Heads ok. Your meaning after the moose hit or head being all swelled up from helping that big rig up the hill? I recovered from both!

I helped him get going and he helped me to keep it going. There was a skiff of pea gravel from the sanding truck and I had probably 250-300 lbs of extra weight in mine. Me alone, no way, his one set of chains made it come together too but he did need my help. Glad I could.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Pics or it didn’t happen-

Arggh, I know, right?! Next time

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My FedEx guy and Amazon always drive up my driveway. Kinda ticks me off because I.m starting to get a pothole from the heavy truck plus there’s always the chance he can hit my basketball hoop. UPS guys are trained to stay out of driveways!

I gotta admit I’m surprised even with the lockers you were able to pull a large truck on ice.

Hows your head doing?

Ice with some bare spots that got cover with fresh snow. Luckily, there was just enough that was mostly snow or snow pack. I know the right front tire hit one of the spots that had cleared and was only fresh snowfall because I could hear it squealing. Took me a second to realize the thing was pulling him with just the right front tire getting much traction. The other three must have been on ice or packed snow (same as ice)

Weaning off the oxy, incision tender and those stiff nylon stitches are uncomfortable if touched ( hats are a real problem) but really no constant pain and fluid bulges going away.

 

[Zachanadandy]

I'm guessing your driveway is a lot steeper, but sometimes the big truck just needs a little help.

 

[Sandman 4x4]

The craziest stuck pullout I’ve ever had to do, was back in 1978, when I got my 73 Scout II stuck in an area where we went off roading pretty often. But in back of a water filtration facility, built 50 years before that. In Cumberland RI, S. Attleboro MA area. They had an area where they spread out the gunk to dry about 6 months before I tried driving across what looked like beach sand and immediately sunk in up to the rockers. Dam no reputable tow, wrecker would help. So I went back to my wonderful Dads trucking company where I worked as a driver. Told him my predicament and borrowed his 67 Mack R Model, diesel with twin shifters hi/low 6 wheel refer box truck, plus every strap, chain and cable I could find, 10 in all at least 10-15’ long, just enough to reach from the yard/driveway of a homeowner who lived adjacent to the area. Who lucky for me also off road his Jeep and bikes back there with us! So I backed the Mack up on the grass to reach with what we had, but in deep low range first gear the rear wheels didn’t have enough traction and I didn’t want to ruin his lawn. Luckily it was during the winter so the ground was frozen. He came out of his shed with two short snatch em straps we put at each end to add some give. Then from the paved driveway easily dragged the Muck covered Scout, through the muck, then at the edge of his property I hosed all the muck off my Scout so not to spread in all across his yard and driveway. Then removed 4 lengths and back up closer to my Scout and pulled it up to the driveway! Lesson learned!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I'm guessing your driveway is a lot steeper, but sometimes the big truck just needs a little help.

Sometimes it doesn't take a whole lot - like the IRT shots of the pickup pulling an 18 wheeler out of the snow - especially if the area is flat, just a bit of help is all that's needed, let their tires bit just a little and they are fine.

When we got to the road and unhooked everything, the driver showed me his tires - IMO, not safe even in dry weather, but wet or snow? There wasn't much tread on them and like most such vans, the tires are more for highways than anything.

The tracks from last night are pretty well covered with fresh snow now - otherwise it was quite a pattern of slide to the west edge of the drive, back across and up a bit, slide back to the edge, then back again and so on.

 

[MPMB]

People don't realize that our driveway is a hill, and it slopes a lot to the west - water starting at the top makes it about 10 feet down before it's into the yard, it's sloped a lot to prevent all of that water from reaching the house and garage.

I guess in Iowa a speed bump is a mountain?



Better to have it in the hand and sharpen tool in the crayon... oh you know the thing!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I guess in Iowa a speed bump is a mountain?



Better to have it in the hand and sharpen tool in the crayon... oh you know the thing!

Our hills are weird - a lot of them, close together. They say we have mountains in the far corners, but I don't mind mountains compared to this -

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