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168 STARTING AND OPERATING
this process, for additional traction, try turning
your steering wheel quickly left and right no
more than a quarter turn. If you are stuck in
mud, sand, or snow try spinning your tires during
this process to clean the debris from the tread
and improve the traction. You want to create a
rocking motion with the vehicle. This helps build
vehicle momentum, which hopefully gets you
out. Remember to ease off and on the acceler
-
ator before and after the shift. If after a few rock
cy
cles your vehicle is not free, stop and try
another method of recovery. Continuous rock
cycling will only cause unnecessary damage to
your vehicle and the environment.
Using The Tow Hooks With A Tow Strap – Tow
straps are a quick and easy way to recover your
vehicle from minor situations if you have a
secondary vehicle which is not stuck. The tow
hooks on your vehicle are designed to take the
abusive force generated during vehicle
recovery. Do not use the bumper or any other
vehicle component as an attachment point.
Using tow straps requires coordination between
the two drivers. Good communication and line
of sight are required for a safe recovery. First
connect the tow strap to the correct attachment
points on both vehicles. There should be a least
20 to 30 feet (6 to 9
meters) between the vehi-
cles to allow for a safe recovery. If necessary
joi
n two tow straps together using a 1.5
inch
h
a
rd wood dowel. This will keep the straps from
becoming knotted and is safer than using a
clevis pin if the strap breaks. Next have the tow
vehicle back-up, leaving two to three feet worth
of slack in the strap. Then the tow vehicle, using
light throttle, should accelerate tightening the
strap providing the pulling force needed to free
the vehicle. The vehicle being recovered should
assist in the recovery, at the time of the snap, by
slowly spinning the tires in the same direction as
the pulling vehicle. After the vehicle becomes
free, the driver of the previously stuck vehicle
should signal they are free and should hit their
brakes stopping both vehicles. The driver of the
pulling vehicle should let off the throttle without
using the brakes, once signaled by the other
driver. This sequence is important to avoid
having the recovered vehicle hit the pulling
vehicle.
Winching (Refer To “Winch Operation” For Addi-
tional Information)
–
Winching is most
commonly used in the following situations:
there is no support vehicle available, a high
controlled force is required to recover the
vehicle, there is a high risk of environmental or
vehicle damage, or where nothing else seems to
work. A winch can deliver a high pulling force
with a great deal of control. It allows you to walk
the vehicle out of the situation in a slow
controlled manner. This control works well for
avoiding further vehicle damage. Once you
decide it is time to use the winch look for a good
anchor point. It needs to be strong enough to
hold more than the vehicle's weight and provide
a direction of pull as straight as possible. Use
block and tackle if necessary to improve the
angle of pull or increase the winch's pulling
force. If the anchor point is a tree use a strap
CAUTION!
Damage can occur when spinning your tires at
an excessive high speed. Do not spin your tires
faster than an indicated 30
mph (48 km/h).
WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two
straps with a clevis pin. These heavy metal
objects could become projectiles if a strap
breaks, which could cause severe injury. Never
leave more than 2 to 3 feet (0.60 to 1
meter) of
slack in the strap. More slack than this greatly
increases the risk of injury and vehicle damage.
Always keep everyone at least 30 feet (9
meters)
aw
ay from a strapping or winching situation.
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