Basic Recovery Methods?

I was riding a dirt trail the other day when I stumbled upon a group of dumb teenagers who thought there Geo Metro was a good off road vehicle. They ended up stuck but, being the newbie that I am, I had no tow straps or anything to help them out. I drove away thinking, "Even if I did have some, what the hell do I do with them???" So my question is, whats proper procedue for pulling out a stuck vehicle. Do I always need shackles? What basic gear do I need? Can I attach tow straps to the tow hitch? Does the puller always need the tie up in the rear and the one being pulled always in the front? Any help is appreciated?

 

A 2"x30' recovery strap is a necessity. Along with 2 to 3 3/4" shackles. The tow hitch is a fine place to pull from.

A couple of quick recovery pointers.
- Always try to pull in a forward gear, avoid pulling from reverse
- Never attach to anything that isn't the frame of the disabled vehicle (you don't want to be ripping off bumpers)
- Even if you think you've pulled them out of the "stuck", pull just a bit further if the land permits to be sure.

 

Every situation is different and you gotta use some common sense & 'thinking' to know what's best & safe for each situation.

Generally, look for tow points or tie-downs. If it doesn't have any - you want to find areas that are solid - like the frame. If the vehicle doesn't have a frame (Unibody), then structures in & around the axles, lower control arms, etc. Wrap straps around a 'larger' area versus around one small area (hard to explain).

And of course, you ALWAYS want to make sure the owners of the stuck vehicle are aware.....anything can happen and its NOT your responsibility if something breaks (good idea to have a witness also). If they are not happy with that - then you need to walk away.

 

And take care not to get yourself stuck too. Those 30ft straps look pretty long until you're trying to hook up to someone in the middle of a mud hole. I had to winch out last weekend and 100ft of winch cable was just enough to get me out of the mud and on solid ground, but barely.