Winter rescues of stranded drivers...

[GI Grandpa]

So last night and today, large swaths of the eastern US are getting a LOT of snow. This is going to be a two-part question, the one most people will reply to is:

Have you ever used your Gladiator to help someone stuck in the snow? Whether just to give them a push out of deep snow, or your traction boards under their drive wheels to get out, or all the way to hooking up your recovery gear to give them a pull? If it's a "regular" car, where do you attach your tow strap / recovery rope to minimize damage to their car?

Now, the second question, largely aimed at @Metalcloak / @Metalcloak Jon related to the previous question... Is the Metalcloak Front Bumper Winch Guard strong enough / solid enough to be used as a push bar to give a vehicle a push, or would it more likely crush and get damaged?

In Colorado we have FEAT - Four-wheeldrive Emergency Assistance Team which has agreements with area hospitals and the Sheriff's Departments to offer assistance. We don't get called as much anymore as a lot of folks now have AWD and 4x4s. However we still get some and I have recovered dozens of folks with the Gladiator and my TJ. I will not recover something like a Prius that has no safe place to hook a strap to. Even hooking up to the suspension underneath you run the risk of damaging the plastic front end.

Sponsored

 

[Stoon_Slar]

I've helped multiple people out after snowstorms here. Last year, 3 vehicles in an 3 block distance. Only used recovery strap. I've used shackles to look around rear hitch mount successfully. And yes, I asked one guy to hook it up himself if he was interested in my help. Worked out fine - all on residential streets.
the only on that wasn't was in a field off a highway so that was well out of traffic danger.
if I ever do consider stopping to help someone on highway/ freeway, I would only do so if it was safe which is difficult to ensure when current conditions might be the reason someone needs a pull out of a ditch in the first place. ,

 

[BearFootSam]

Not a kinetic rope? Hopefully it's a static pull.

Of course, frankly I wouldn’t attempt a dynamic pull against one of those screw in towing eyelets anyway, same for any non-dedicated tow point on these crossovers and light SUV’s. I wasn’t intending on wheeling so I only had the two static straps, pulley and shackles I keep in my winch kit for setting up anchors. The winch kit always stays on board since most occasions I’ve needed the winch have been to unexpectedly rescue some stranger. Like the time we were tide pooling and I saved a boat, truck and trailer from the sea.

In the case of the Outback, With 2,000lbs more mass, better traction, beefy frame mounted tow hooks, and 10T shackles / tow strap, the weak link was the single eyelet with an inch of thread in sheet metal.

I instructed the other driver to be in drive and off the gas until I gave a hand signal once the strap was taught.

 

[BearFootSam]

Recovery is not as simple as it seems. There are risks of damage to either vehicle and injury to yourself and others. Our club recommends you video consent and waiver to damage with your phone when you help recover a stranger. Sad, but today’s reality. We had a local off roader die last year trying to help someone get unstuck during a snow storm. There are recovery classes you can take, usually with your local club, that will give you more basic knowledge. Best to have some skills and the right equipment.

Sage advice, I fortunately acquired quite a bit of recovery training and experience in the army. Getting a 50,000lb RG-33 unstuck from deep mud, at night, wearing NVGs in the middle of a high risk mission is another level of pressure. But, it was sure nice learning all this stuff on hardware that I didn't own and wasn't liable for if it broke.

 

[4-Low]

The problem with modern vehicles is that 95% of them have ZERO places to attach a tow strap. And hooking to suspension components is a bad idea.

 

[BearFootSam]

The problem with modern vehicles is that 95% of them have ZERO places to attach a tow strap. And hooking to suspension components is a bad idea.

Seriously, man! It borders on negligence how these vehicles are marketed with off road aspirations and the OEM cheaps out on any kind of reasonable tow point. At least if folks get in over their heads, and they do, give them a fighting chance at being rescued without a tow service. Even the trucks that have a good tow point often only have one.

 

[Metalcloak Jon]

So last night and today, large swaths of the eastern US are getting a LOT of snow. This is going to be a two-part question, the one most people will reply to is:

Have you ever used your Gladiator to help someone stuck in the snow? Whether just to give them a push out of deep snow, or your traction boards under their drive wheels to get out, or all the way to hooking up your recovery gear to give them a pull? If it's a "regular" car, where do you attach your tow strap / recovery rope to minimize damage to their car?

Now, the second question, largely aimed at @Metalcloak / @Metalcloak Jon related to the previous question... Is the Metalcloak Front Bumper Winch Guard strong enough / solid enough to be used as a push bar to give a vehicle a push, or would it more likely crush and get damaged?

We do design the winch guard to have a great amount of strength, however it is not designed to the level of a push bar like law enforcement would use. It is more so designed to help in the case of emergency to help protect the front of the bumper, winch, etc. The other concern, as others have stated would be damaging the vehicle being pushed, with it being a very concentrated area we feel it would easily damage the area being used to push, unlike a push bar which generally has more area to distribute the pushing force

 

[JAsh1967]

the only on that wasn't was in a field off a highway so that was well out of traffic danger.
if I ever do consider stopping to help someone on highway/ freeway, I would only do so if it was safe which is difficult to ensure when current conditions might be the reason someone needs a pull out of a ditch in the first place. ,

Yeah, the car I mentioned were in a "Michigan left" turn around, so out of the traffic flow and I was able to get far enough over (with hazards on) to be well out of the flow.

Because I would've had to turn around to face any traffic coming into the turn-around, I was quite hesitant to use the winch, which would've meant hooking up to the "horn" on the back bumper (stock bumper.) So, honestly, I'm just a bit glad they declined help and opted to wait for AAA.

 

[Sweetums]

I try to avoid pulling on any vehicle that doesn't have a good attachment point, tow hitch bars are a good option and quite a few crossovers have a hitch - even if it's just for a bike rack. In the past I've pulled cars out from lower control arms - I know it's not ideal, but let's face it, what do you think a tow truck driver is going to throw a steel hook around? If you use a soft shackle and bridle the two LCAs as close to the chassis as possible, you're pretty unlikely to damage anything. Those parts are designed to handle the weight of the car driving over pot holes at freeway speed; a slow and deliberate pull in slippery conditions is not likely to damage anything.

If they still want to be recovered and you're worried about liability, just ask them to state they are fine with the risks on a quick video.

 

[Zachanadandy]

I try to avoid pulling on any vehicle that doesn't have a good attachment point, tow hitch bars are a good option and quite a few crossovers have a hitch - even if it's just for a bike rack. In the past I've pulled cars out from lower control arms - I know it's not ideal, but let's face it, what do you think a tow truck driver is going to throw a steel hook around? If you use a soft shackle and bridle the two LCAs as close to the chassis as possible, you're pretty unlikely to damage anything. Those parts are designed to handle the weight of the car driving over pot holes at freeway speed; a slow and deliberate pull in slippery conditions is not likely to damage anything.

If they still want to be recovered and you're worried about liability, just ask them to state they are fine with the risks on a quick video.

We came upon a Chrysler 300c stuck at a low shaded point on a turn. Uphill either direction and both were covered in ice. Fortunately she was still on the road surface. I looked for suitable attachment points and there was nothing. I asked if I could try driving it out. She was more than happy to let anyone else behind the wheel. Took a few back and forth runs like trying to reach the top of a half pipe, but eventually got it up to the dry road in the sun on the downhill side. Even trying to attach to suspension arms was not helpful as the plastic bumper sat so low it would have been torn off.

 

[MT1]

I’d never do that push bar idea. Asking for problems if you damage someone’s vehicle.

Yeah, need a tire or something squishy, especially with modern car bumpers, and still go very softly.

 

[salvino]

So last night and today, large swaths of the eastern US are getting a LOT of snow. This is going to be a two-part question, the one most people will reply to is:

Have you ever used your Gladiator to help someone stuck in the snow? Whether just to give them a push out of deep snow, or your traction boards under their drive wheels to get out, or all the way to hooking up your recovery gear to give them a pull? If it's a "regular" car, where do you attach your tow strap / recovery rope to minimize damage to their car?

Now, the second question, largely aimed at @Metalcloak / @Metalcloak Jon related to the previous question... Is the Metalcloak Front Bumper Winch Guard strong enough / solid enough to be used as a push bar to give a vehicle a push, or would it more likely crush and get damaged?

I’ve helped several drivers stuck in the snow over the years. A kinetic rope with soft shackles seems to work very well. In every case there was no need to pull more than very gently. This includes pulling a pretty buried in the snow Suburban out that belonged to a friend.

The key is finding a safe place to connect that is low enough not to damage the bumper. If there is nothing else A arms or even a wheel works. If you attach to a wheel make sure they don’t spin the wheel. You do the pulling. If you want to learn more, Matt’s Offroad Recovery is a fun place to learn.

I once had to rescue a guy who was inches from sliding off a shelf road with a several hundred foot drop off. Don’t try this until you have a lot of experience with recovery.

Regarding pushing, that would be an absolute last minute desperation method for me. So many thing can go wrong while pushing.

 

[smlobx]

When I was living in VA it used to snow fairly frequently then later we started having more ice. Since I was in construction I always had a 3/4 or 1 ton 4x4 and would inevitably find people who had slid off into a ditch.

on a spring trip out west in 2024 we mistakenly left about a month earlier than we should have and encountered a lot of snow and impassible trails ( particularly being on our own). However one of my bucket list destinations for that trip was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
We started down the Forrest service road in the dry but about 10 miles in we started encountering patches of snow, nothing too significant. About that time a Ford F-150 came up behind us at a good clip so I just pulled over a bit to let it by.

The snow patches became more frequent and deeper but we weren’t even in 4x4 yet so we decided to continue. Around the next turn there’s the F-150 on the side of the road in a ditch. We pull up and ask the girl if she needed any help and she seemed surprised that she couldn’t move…. I got out and looked at her truck. It had street tires and absolutely no place to attach a tow strap to. She got out of the truck and she was wearing a t shirt and shorts. She had no additional clothes, no food or and recovery gear. She just kept saying that she lived in Lake Tahoe and didn’t understand why she got stuck.

I offered to tow her out of the ditch and follow her back to pavement ( did I mention that her low fuel light was on?).

As I was getting straightened out a Ram Truck camper was coming back from trying to get to the North Rim and decided to turn around as it just kept getting worse. So I pulled her out and the truck camper and I lead her back about 20 miles to a gas station…

In case you thought I was making this up!

 

[WILDHOBO]

Many times. I’ve only walked away one single time. The truck was very large, very heavy, and very stuck. It would have likely eventually worked out, but there were too many bystanders trying to argue that their idea was better.

But I’ve used my winch, straps, and kinetic rope multiple times to pull people out of snowy ditches. Every vehicle is different, as is every situation. I’ve used wheels as attachment points for a straight lateral pull on ice, A arms, axles, the thread in recovery ring on a Volvo once. I had to recover the same Escalade twice in two weeks. That person did not know how to drive.

 

[WestwallNF104A]

I have the owner of the other vehicle hook up the tow strap, that way the consequences aren’t on me. I obviously advise as much as possible on how to do so.

I dragged a Subaru out of playa muck in the Alvord desert this summer, lady didn’t even know about the tow eye in the tool kit until I showed her where to find it. I think she’ll be more realistic about the capabilities of symmetrical AWD in the future.

Yup. I never will set up the soft shackel. They get to do that. I will tell them how to set it up to minimize damage chances, but they have to set it.

Sponsored