So I was driving around during the blizzard on Tuesday (AKA WINTER STORM JUNO) in southern NH near where I live. I was looking for some snow deep enough to get stuck in and no luck. The JKU is a beast. Ended up helping out a pick up that ran off the road. Best part, an F-150 tried for 20 minutes to pull them out with no luck--and I happened to have my GoPro running when it happened: http://youtu.be/UCB8sKHZmdc
It occurs to me that I frequently see other Jeepers helping out motorists.
Do you have any video or pics of helping out other motorists?
PS - already have a line dampener on order as I'm sure someone will point out that I wasn't using one here!
Now this is a genuine question so don't take it as criticism because I have never pulled anyone out of a ditch before, but why do you take such a large angle where you basically have to pull the pickup sideways before you can begin to pull it backwards instead of getting into a direct line with it and pulling straight back? Is it fear of rolling the truck sideways because of the angle in the ditch?
It is a valid question and I would have chosen a more direct angle and would not have pulled across an entire road--at that point you become a hazard to the idiots driving too fast and not being able to stop. Generally you would want to pick the same angle that the vehicle went in the ditch and pull them back in their original tracks. It did not look like the truck was helping any--my experience when winching a larger vehicle with a smaller vehicle you would want the one that is stuck to assist--to limit the stresses on the line and to minimize the potential for the winch to drag you towards the stuck vehicle.
I have no idea of how the rest of the road looked - so only a guess - either it was too icy/snowy and that was the best place for him to find grip or ?
I did notice early in his video, after he hooked up to the truck, it appears the winch is pulling the Jeep towards the truck.
I would have pulled it differently based on the video - but I can't see what to the right either and maybe that was the best angle available.
There is a big difference winching as opposed to puling someone out of the ditch. I suspect that the jeep wouldn't have "pulled" the dodge out of the ditch either. It is about having the right tool for the job.
Hard to tell from the video but the signs to the right of the truck were in the path. The F-150 that tried to pull them out first nearly ran them into the signs. The guy had to run to the truck and bang on the window to get him to stop.
There were other people off camera stopping traffic to ensure safety.
Well, I don't have any video or stories I can share, but I'll tell you that the reason I went way overkill on the winch I just ordered was that living in MA, I see a lot of cars off the road...larger SUVs/trucks too....and I intend to stop and help whenever I can.
As long as you have a couple of snatch blocks and know how to use them, you're not going to encounter anything an 8,000 lbs winch can't handle. Unless you're looking to winch a fully loaded semi...
You guys have great intentions helping stuck motorists. Problem is when you damage a vehicle or hurt someone then you are liable. I am more than willing to drive someone to safety or let them use my phone but winching a stuck vehicle on the side of a paved road is too much risk. I'd rather have AAA be responsible.
Yeah if you dont have a clue what you are doing and cant winch without hurting people or proprietary you are better off just coping out and letting someone else handle it.
And yes everyone should think twice or three times before doing it on the side of a road, especially one where the conditions are poor enough that people are losing control.
Y'all are missing something. When winching a vehicle out of a ditch lots of times is will just drag along in the ditch and slide twards you without the front end actually coming up out of the ditch. Lots of times you have to pull them across the road to get them up on it.
And yes this can be very dangerous because of reasons already mentioned.
I'd be winching myself across the road long before the line would fail. Little to no danger involved here. Seems like a lot of doom and gloomers on here. I notice that trend in many threads.
Safety first, of course, but makes me wonder why some people even own jeeps when they're afraid of their own shadow.
Recovery/towing being part of my job, IMO snatch blocks get overrated as a means of increasing pulling effort. Rarely do I use them, or see them used, for that purpose (we always bring enough winch).
They don't actually 'double' pulling power (ie-pulley effort loses), & there is frequently not enough cable/rope to 'double' back (let alone triple).
However, snatch blocks are great for off-side pulls/recoveries (attached to trees, anchors, etc..)
My neighbor's kid has a little Honda civic with a really obnoxious exhaust system which I've learned to despise. So when he was stuck simply trying to pull out of his driveway after the plows buried him I was laughing watching him and his friends try and plow through the snow bank. He got halfway through the snow bank, but then the ice ripped off his front bumper since he has it lowered and they didn't bother trying to shovel any of the snow first. So after I wiped the tears from my eyes from laughing so hard I went out with a simple snatch strap and pulled him out. I made him hook it up so that there would be no concerns if something else ripped off, but a simple slow pull got him clear the rest of the way.
I got a good laugh and a little feel good for helping out. I thought about having the wife video tape from the window, but compared to having a winch it would pale in comparison.
My neighbor's kid has a little Honda civic with a really obnoxious exhaust system which I've learned to despise. So when he was stuck simply trying to pull out of his driveway after the plows buried him I was laughing watching him and his friends try and plow through the snow bank. He got halfway through the snow bank, but then the ice ripped off his front bumper since he has it lowered and they didn't bother trying to shovel any of the snow first. So after I wiped the tears from my eyes from laughing so hard I went out with a simple snatch strap and pulled him out. I made him hook it up so that there would be no concerns if something else ripped off, but a simple slow pull got him clear the rest of the way. I got a good laugh and a little feel good for helping out. I thought about having the wife video tape from the window, but compared to having a winch it would pale in comparison.
Should have filmed from the beginning including laughing! lol
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