Tow Straps and Chains

[Matt In Oklahoma]

How many of you carry tow straps and/or chains?
Vehicle recovery is an important part of what we do as we do not sit at home locked in the bunker despite popular tv land views. We get out and live and have lives. I carry 2 military style ratchet straps and one over-sized logging chain and a smaller chain at a minimum in the truck. I carry one civilian styled tow strap in the car.

I usually use them after the magic phrase of "I Can Make It"! For some it's "Hold My Beer And Watch This" LOL

In this particular case it was after Team Hit n Miss and I were at the range the other day and right after I left my transmission cooler went out and I blew 3 and 4th gear. Good times
I was fortunate to have them coming in behind me all to willing to help and saved my sorry hide from a lengthy wait. Sharpshooter towed me to the shop the following day using the same setup but shortened slightly to make "in town" steering a little easier to negotiate around corners and such.



Don't forget this isn't that far away either

https://www.survivalandpreparednessforum.com/showthread.php?1350-Shoveling-Snow&highlight=drift

The other questions that remain are
Do you know where to hook up at? Both in front and back?
Do you know how you will communicate with the person towing you? Verbal, phone, radio, hand signals
Do you know how to stop the person towing you with your brakes and can you see around them to know when to stop?
What speed will you travel at? On the highway? In town?
Do you carry enough so that the person towing you can not get stuck in the mud/snow/ice with you and be on solid ground when they pull?
Do you carry any other traction devices or material like boards, sand, kitty litter, carpet pads etc. ?

I am of the belief that whoever needs towing should have their own straps/chains and be responsible for hooking up to their vehicle. You got it stuck that means you wade in the mud and be responsible for whatever damage is incurred during the pull.

[RobertJ]

Matt
Another simple device to have/make for towing (not retreaval ) is a simple tow bar made out of thick walled pipe with chain ran through the center or welded to either end about 6'-8' in length. I had mine stolen recently but had it since the mid 80s, it had towed a many a vehicle and helps with chain/strap slack and stopping short/fast. No run out or snaching on acceleration. Its also good to know if a 4x4 vehicle can be flat towed without taking out a drive shaft or Transfer case in neutral as well as tranny... practice, practice , practice

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Matt
Another simple device to have/make for towing (not retreaval ) is a simple tow bar made out of thick walled pipe with chain ran through the center or welded to either end about 6'-8' in length. I had mine stolen recently but had it since the mid 80s, it had towed a many a vehicle and helps with chain/strap slack and stopping short/fast. No run out or snaching on acceleration. Its also good to know if a 4x4 vehicle can be flat towed without taking out a drive shaft or Transfer case in neutral as well as tranny... practice, practice , practice

+100
You know life here happens enough that it's real world experience usually but practicing wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe something for a weekend training event

[Grand58742]

The military straps Matt refers to are these:

http://west.loadup.com/military/surplus/12652.html

And work great for tow straps. These have to pass a safety inspection before they can be used on aircraft and can often get failed for the smallest details. Getting some used, but in great condition is a possibility if you live near a military base and have a friend that can snag them. You can also get them off Evilbay for a decent price.

I also have one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-x-30-ft-heavy-duty-recovery-strap-60579.html

Which works pretty well since there isn't a buckle that is needed.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Ok looking for places to “hook up”. Just like Grand in downtown OKC there are bad places to hook up and can leave you with things you didn’t want :). Those tow straps or chains can result in unwanted damage if not properly done so I will try and show you the right and wrongs. Some vehicles have small tow hook loops in the front and/or rear of the vehicle like this one that requires that removal of the rubber insert.



The frame shown here in green is where you want to wrap that strap or chain. I actually carry a 2ft length chain with a bolt and nut to use for this and hook to it. The items marked in red are things you want to avoid such as brake/transmission/fuel lines and electric cables etc. Remember the strap/chain could slide when the tow or pull is in progress so look carefully for directions it could go.



There are things that might look like a handy place to hook up like this exhaust hangar bracket but I assure you the first pull and you will regret it because your muffler will be lying out there all alone. These are not designed to handle that much pressure and exhaust pipes “float” a little and are not solid.



On a receiver hitch area there are usually built in loops. These are the best places to hook up to as they are designed to take the strain of a falling loaded trailer at 60+mph. The ball hitch is tempting but you need to wrap the strap all the way around the bar and not just the ball because it will slide over the ball if it is just hooked over it.



Many real pickups have built in tow hooks like this one to use. These in the front of mine are used to pull downed trees and other objects from the front so I can maintain complete view. As you can see from the damaged plastic things do happen so be willing to accept that cracked plastic is still better than the situation you are in and don’t be too angry when damage occurs. It’s part of life and getting pulled or towed.




CONT:

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Let

[SCinPNW]

Excellent information, and thank you for the pictures too! I am about as ignorant with regards to vehicles as they come. I am thinking a basic car repair class is in my and my daughter's future.

Now off to add the above mentioned items to my list of things to get.

Thanks,
SC

[Benn Gleck]

Thanks for this post Matt.

I keep a HEAVY nylon tow strap and several ratchet straps in my truck but you reminded me that I need to get a heavy log chain to compliment the straps. I saw some large ones at the flea market last year at a decent price but it slipped my mind until now.

[jimmycthemd]

Cars all have civvy tow straps. The truck has a logging chain and a 'come along'. It's a 1 ton diesel and has plenty of (more or less) convenient palces to properly hook up. I also carry a couple of bags of sand-blasting sand in the truck, one bag in my car and kitty litter in the wife's for icy days. Also a trenching tool in all for light shoveling.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Cars all have civvy tow straps. The truck has a logging chain and a 'come along'. It's a 1 ton diesel and has plenty of (more or less) convenient palces to properly hook up. I also carry a couple of bags of sand-blasting sand in the truck, one bag in my car and kitty litter in the wife's for icy days. Also a trenching tool in all for light shoveling.

Yep I carry a 1 ton comealong as well, boards, shovel and multiple jacks in the truck for recovery
I'm waiting till the next time I get stuck and do a recovery video, yes there be a next time LOL

[Not_Yet_Prepped]

Being the n00b that I am, I recently learned one thing (and I will share) is:

A tow strap is NOT a recovery strap. Many around my A.O. use the term as one and the same but THEY are different...

A recovery strap you WANT stretch... And you start your "snatch" with slack in the strap to get a little momentum and is NOT intend for more than a few feet at time.

A tow strap you prefer to be "fixed" in length and you first get the strap tight before you "tow" the vehicle and is fine to use for longer or further than a few feet.

http://youtu.be/-Ire31FrEAI

[xdpatriot]

We keep both chains and straps. We have boxes in the back of both vehicles. We also keep small 2 ton floor jacks in them in addition to the high lift jacks we have mounted on the exterior.

[Grand58742]

We keep both chains and straps. We have boxes in the back of both vehicles. We also keep small 2 ton floor jacks in them in addition to the high lift jacks we have mounted on the exterior.

You keep planking or something on board for the floor jacks?

[xdpatriot]

You keep planking or something on board for the floor jacks?

We keep a 18"x18" 3/4" piece of cut plywood in the box as well. We used to keep bricks but the wood is just lighter and it can be stood up, or placed in the bottom of the box. It takes up almost no space.

[Grand58742]

We keep a 18"x18" 3/4" piece of cut plywood in the box as well. We used to keep bricks but the wood is just lighter and it can be stood up, or placed in the bottom of the box. It takes up almost no space.

Was curious. I've often thought a jack would be pretty useless without something underneath if I was off road.

Thinking like me, though you're way ahead lol