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252 STARTING AND OPERATING
Can you still move the vehicle? Is there an anchor
point to winch to? Are you alone or do you have
another vehicle to help? Is there high risk of
vehicle damage during the recovery process?
Answering these questions will help you determine
the best method of recovery. If you can still move
the vehicle slightly and the only issue is slick
ground, then rock cycling your vehicle would be the
first choice. If you have ample room, an additional
vehicle and there is low risk of vehicle impact on
the surroundings, then using a tow strap to the
vehicle tow hooks would be fast and easy. If the
vehicle is severely hung up or in a situation where
great care needs to be taken during the recovery,
then nothing can do the job better than a winch. If
you are severely hung up on something you should
jack the vehicle up and stack something under the
wheels to allow the vehicle to roll off the object
without causing further damage. This should be
tried before attempting any recovery method.
Rock Cycling Your Vehicle – Rock cycling your
vehicle is one of the easiest, fastest and most
commonly used methods. This simply involves
shifting your vehicle from DRIVE to REVERSE,
while applying throttle after each shift. During
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
cycles 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
join two tow straps together using a 1.5 inch
hard 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 backup, 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.
CAUTION!
Pulling the vehicle off an obstacle, without first
clearing the object, may result in additional
underbody damage.
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).
20_DJD2_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 252
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