Best gear to pull cars out of snow banks?

[CoronaRaptor]

He has no shame!

 

[K223]

He has no shame!

I concur

 

[Oldfart]

I concur also.

 

[Badgertits]

Quality 2 inch tow strap. Never a chain. Leave a bit of slack and tug out gently, if it doesn't come out tug harder. Typically anyone stuck in snow is hung up AND you will normally be pulling on a slippery surface.
Although if you are dry ground with good traction put it in 4 low and turn on the rear locker.
Otherwise use 4 high, don't worry about the locker if tugging out.

My latest pull out was my brothers 2008 Super Duty pulling a 10000 lb 5th wheel camper that sunk into the middle of a dirt road this spring up to his rear differential. Yanked him out with my Raptor in 2wd.
Absolutely yanked the shit out of him, they said it didn't jar them at all, it just surged out.
If you don't have weight/traction use momentum is what I say.

for something like that you really should be using a kinetic strap- easier on drivetrain, they’re pricey but worth it

in snow I’d typically just stick w/ a regular nylon recovery strap w/ tow hook

 

[Badgertits]

I guess what I’m asking is, how do you connect a tow strap to a sedan/minivan/crossover? This is what I was gonna use a chain for. It would be two hooks on a chain to a recovery strap to my truck. This idea just came from watching videos of professionals.

they pretty much all have at least a little recovery D-ring someplace on the frame- I pulled a lady out of a ditch in An Audi S5 in NH ski country last year, toughest Part was finding out where to attach the tow strap w/o damaging the car, turns out on that vehicle there are little square plastic pop-outs on the front & rear bumper that hide a recovery hook

worst case attach to the frame somehow

 

[TurboTJ]

Again, the only hard problem is connecting to a low slung vehicle without a chain with some hooks. I would like to use a recovery strap connected to a short chain with hooks on it. That way there is some elasticity to prevent any jolts.

There is a YouTube channel called something like Matt’s offroad recovery or something similar. He drives a yellow Jeep Cherokee. He does all kinds of different/interesting/non-typical recoveries. It is worth a look if you ever get bored. Might give some ideas for the future, not just snow recoveries.

watching Matt’s YouTube channel is what gave me the idea. Recovery strap connected to two ~6ft chains with a hook on each of them. The problem isn’t deciding which strap to use, it’s getting the massive loops on a recovery strap to attach to anything on a mini van that’s high centered in snow.

I have had to use a tow strap before because it has hooks on the end. In this case, I crawl forward until the strap is tight and then idle forward in 4L. Definitely no jerking.

 

[ayoustin]

Bit of a thread bump but figured I'd share my experiences as I've pulled out a few ill equipped vans and cars stuck on the sides of country roads here in Michigan during the winter.

On most cars it's pretty easy to get around a suspension member like the rear subframe, or a knuckle if you have to pull at a bit of an angle. I've gone around control arms before but they need to be pretty beefy. If in doubt, don't hook up there and ask the owner to find a tow point or tell them to consult their owners manual or google for an answer.

As far as actually connecting to the stuck vehicle. I usually just throw one end of the strap around the subframe and pull the other end through the loop and then hook the other loop up to my drawbar that takes a D ring through it (you can get them on amazon for pretty cheap), or if you don't have something like that just put the loop in your receiver and put the pin through it. Be mindful that if you take this approach, don't wrap around anything sharp or you run the chance of abrading the strap.

I've always used triple reinforced tow straps for getting cars unstuck. Usually cars/minivans etc. are a fair bit lighter than trucks and usually they're not that stuck (usually it's because they just neglected to buy winter tires) so recovery isn't too hard and you don't need to build momentum to get them unstuck. Just get the strap taught and creep forward at a steady pace is all it takes 90% of the time. Snow usually makes for easy recovery too, it's much more willing to let go than mud.

If you're recovering anything larger than a standard duty truck you'd be smart to use something like a kinetic rope as you're likely going to need to take advantage of the "kinetic" part AKA a running start.

 

[Pikser]

I have never pulled anyone out of snow in South Texas, sand and mud about every week or so. A recovery strap is the way to go.
Many i have pulled out have a tow point built into the bumper. BMW, Mercedes etc.
Square plastic insert on bumper that pops out and have a screwed in point for a tow point that is located with the spare tire

 

[ColoradoBoss]

I guess what I’m asking is, how do you connect a tow strap to a sedan/minivan/crossover? This is what I was gonna use a chain for. It would be two hooks on a chain to a recovery strap to my truck. This idea just came from watching videos of professionals.

most unibody vehicles have a tow hook in with the jack. pop the tow hook cover off the bumper, thread the tow hook into the frame, that's your pull point. don't pull a vehicle buy the suspension.

 

[Tango_9]

Use a recovery strap. They are designed to stretch when loaded. I would also have the vehicle owner make the connection on their vehicle. If you end up causing damage they can't blame you.

Yes, use a stretch strap! When I had my old ranger I pulled out full size trucks that laughed at the thought of my little truck pulling them out of a snow filled ditch, they quit laughing real quick. And I agree, have the stuck vehicle owner attach the strap. Give it hell with a little slack then at the end stomp the brake, always worked for me.