Winch for hire?

I don't have a winch on my truck but I tend to pull people out when there stuck. When it snowed in town I pulled my brother's Chevy Blazer out of the bank after he got high centered on his spare tire. On the way up to the ski hill I've pulled quite a few people out of the ditch. They've all been great full, I just at them and tell them to have a good day on the hill and to slow it down a little next time. I would say I do it out of the goodness of my heart and if they feel like paying me then all the better

 

I pulled out a 2wd drive taco out of the sand. There was a Titan trying to pull him out but couldn't. This was off the road of a busy highway too! No one stops anymore. Turns out the guy was deaf. I'd want someone to pull me out if I was stuck. BEEN THERE DONE THAT!!!

 

I dont have a winch yet but I've pulled a few people out with a strap. I once pulled a guy's broken down Ford Super duty off a busy street where there was no room to park into a parking lot so he'd at least be out of traffic until he could get help. He was real grateful and said he didn't have much but he insisted i take 5 bucks from him as a thank you.
Basically I'll just do it for someone if its not a real tough job, but i'll always take a "donation" if they insist.

 

I don't pull people out being that I do not have a winch on my truck and no 4wd. Although, I had the last pickup pulled out of a nasty situation by attaching a chain to the rear hitch and lifting+dragging the truck out with a 345D CAT excavator... Quite a site to see, the bucket on the 345 was as wide and long as the truck bed!

 

Tried to pull an old man back in December when we had all that snow.
He had successfully gotten out of his driveway and to the top of the hill, but stopped at the stop sign before the main road, so he lost all momentum. Obviously not knowing how to drive in snow, he had also decided to pull into the snowbank to help initiate the right turn he thought he was going to make.
I hopped out with my steel braided cable (I can only buy so many things at a time, guys), but the guy had no tow hooks in the front - at all. He had one little one on the back, but I wasn't about to pull him down the hill and have him bash into my rear.
I spent some time telling him to remove his handicap placard so he could see out the front window crazy and try rocking the vehicle, but all he could do is sit there gunning the pedal.
Finally got a guy passing by with a shovel. The driver practically drove over the shovel and the shoveler (kept gunning the engine as the guy was shoveling).

Dad tried to tow a guy once, but as he started hooking up, the guy said, "If anything happens to my car, I'm holding you responsible!!" Dad unhooked, bowed, and drove away from the screaming man

You K Falls guys watch out - a few years ago there was a guy who was broke down on the side of the road on 97. A passing tow truck came to help. The stuck guy shot the tow truck driver, drove the tow truck to the truck stop (it's called Amy's or something... the one by the Super 8). He entered the diner, and shot himself in the head.

 

See, this is the kind of stuff that worries me if I wanted to be a good citizen and help others... Safety, liability, etc...

 

Its "Mollies" truck stop....all i can say is Damn

 

God now I feel senile. At least I haven't forgot about Starvn' Marvin or Wubba's.


I ate there the weekend after the incident, too.

 

Derail in 3.....2.....1
I've seen(though never been to) Starvin' Marvin's but whats Wubba's? never heard of it. What/were is it?

 

I don't have a winch but I think it's bad karma to charge. My mom had a flat in the dead of winter about 4 years ago and an off duty firefighter stopped to change it for her. She still to this day drops off bakery and candy to him at the fire station 2 or 3 times a year. My $.02: You get what you give!

My question is, I could understand pulling out other vehicles like trucks that have obvious tow points but how the hell do you pull out cars where there is no place to attach the strap/winch? I could see some people whining about damage.

 

Some of the smarter built cars have at least a single front and rear tow hook. It's one of the things I look for on a car when buying when I need ot compare stuff.

If they don't have a tow point, you say goodbye, because there's nothing to do.

If you eat at Starvin' Marvin's, you better have a hell of an appetite. Portions are enormous.
Wubba's is near the Thunderbird grocery. Small little BBQ joint, makes some good stuff.

 

Thank you Timmer . . . i guess if you're going to look for these attachment points on a car that's stuck (most likely in the snow for me), you'll need to pack a "snow suit" in the truck.

 

Offroad I always help, but when people are spun out in the snow on the hwy it usually depends on how much time I've got, and how much traffic there is, not trying to get hit while helping someone out. As far as taking money, offroad I wouldn't think of it, but on the street I sure won't say no.

 

I imagine I would do the same. Last time I came across some (other) college kids that got themselves stuck, it was a 3/4 ton Dodge and they were stuck in a mudhole WAY off to the side of the main road. So we (me and Taconut) gave one of the guys a ride to where we could get some cell service and let them get one of their buddies to get them out.

Too much liabilty... For the Tacoma!

 

Ive helped out a few people during the snow season.

 

I pull people out all the time (or atleast did back when i could afford to drive LOL) if they offer cash I accpet but i never ask for it... one time I pulled a crew cab f350 4x4 out of a snow bank with about 7 mexican guys in it.. they all started handing me like $5's and 10's... lol I made around $90... all i did was lock their hubs in for them and give little pull with tacoma

 

helped pull a guy out today that was stuck. didn't have a recovery point so we wrapped the strap around the frame of his truck.)

what do you guys to whenever a vehicle that needs to get yanked out doesn't have a easily accessable recovery point? same thing I did? I noticed the top layer started to come apart, probably from snagging on rough edges. any products out there that could be wrapped around the frame, then the strap attached to to prevent damage to the strap?

 

Like I said, I carry around a length of braided cable - kind of like the stuff you see that goes from the ground to the top of an electrical pole - with eyelets at either end. You could try a small bit of that I guess.

The car I tried to help had a plastic skid plate that covered every last thing you could imagine. If it came down to me really needing to tow him, he would be SOL.

 

I am cautious, but will usually stop to help. I haven't had to pull anyone out, but since I'm only running a 4cyl 2wd it would have to be an easy pull.

I had one incident where I was walking by a Ford Ranger that was stuck. It was on the side of the street, and we had got about 3-6" of snow. He was sitting there with his wheels cranked all the way spinning his tires. I got him to straighten out his tires and pushed him out.

I was driving a Cavalier at the time. I had no troubles that day.

 

My roommate went out 2 winters ago and pulled people out for like 4 hours. He came home with almost $100 from people who insisted he take it. He went out this last winter and got stuck himself on I-70 for almost 5 hours. I don't know if he'll be feelin' it next year.