Need a "how to tow" tutorial on towing with tow straps

dallasdig

dallasdig

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Mt Juliet, TN, United States
As snow is starting to fall across our country, I am interested in learning how to tow (or more specifically pull other vehicles out of ditches) with my TJ. This is my first year owning one and I need to know what equipment I would need (tow straps, etc.) and where to attach straps to the jeep and to other vehicles. I don't have a winch so not interested in winching people out. Figured the experts here could clue me in.
 
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We've got these threads:
How to properly tow your Jeep Wrangler TJ
Winching Without The Worry

However, none of those have to do with just towing someone out of a ditch with a tow strap. That's actually pretty easy as long as you know where the attachment points are on both vehicles.

Do you have stock bumpers, or aftermarket bumpers with attachment points on them?
 
Well, I personally wouldn't use a tow strap to pull someone out of anything, they are just two rigid. A "Bubba Rope" is best for this task IMHO. They stretch and spring to provide better pulling power and cause less damage. Just make sure you get the strength you think you'll need.

As far as a mounting location, any frame mounted attachment point will suffice, whether in the front or the rear of your Jeep. Also, the more center the attachment point the less sideways jerking you'll get.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K2AH3F2/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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I'd be very, no EXTREMELY wary of volunteering to extract a car from a ditch or similar situation. Few cars have good attach points for tow straps, hooks, etc. and what happens if you attach your strap or chain the the wrong part of a car and damage it or rip the part off? And for your Jeep you would need frame-mounted tow hooks or D-rings which need to be properly installed. You absolutely cannot attach straps, ropes, or chains around a bumper. Most bumpers are either thin sheet metal (like the TJ's) or plastic. I saw a video of an idiot who attached a tow strap to the axle on a Jeep he was trying to extract and no kidding, he yanked the entire axle out from under the Jeep. Others show bumpers being pulled off. If the tow hook is not attached to something extremely solid, which is very hard to find on today's mostly unibody cars, the odds against damaging something are not good. I had a hell of a time extracting a Jeep from a minor situation because it had no frame-mounted tow hooks anywhere. She did have a receiver hitch I ended up using by inserting my tow strap into it and securing it with the draw bar pin but not all bumper hitches are up to more than towing an easily towed trailer on pavement.
 
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+1 get a snatch strap (like the Bubba rope) and NOT a Tow Strap. Big difference in the two. Go to the farm store and get yourself four 10,000 pound tow hooks. Toss the cheesy spring "keepers" that come with them. Grab eight 1/2" Grade 8 bolts of the appropriate length and associated hardware and bolt them to your frame, two front and two rear. That should get you set up for pulling someone out of the snow. (Let me look, there's a tutorial on how to do this here someplace...I'll post it up when I find it)

Now, with all of that being said, for you and your TJ's safety, get a good first or second tier 8,000 pound winch and use that. It's less abusive on the jeep and you have much more control over the whole extraction situation. Make sure you have a shovel and wheel chocks. A TJ will pull almost anything out of a snow bank, but there's technique involved. Light rigs like the TJ don't like pulling heavier rigs out without protesting.

Edited to add: Didn't find the tutorial, but did find pictures of mine.
Front and rear 10,000# farm store tow hooks.
Front:
20170525_203827-jpg.jpg

Rear:
20170525_203851-jpg.jpg
 
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ohiopatriot said:
Always remember....No good deed goes unpunished.

You bought a Jeep, not a tow truck, offer them a warm place to wait for help.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Offering to extract a car from a ditch just opens yourself up to potentially serious and/or expensive problems that could easily make you regret trying to be a good samaritan.

And if you buy 1/2" bolts to secure tow hooks onto your TJ, the thread size is 13 so they'd have a 1/2x13 thread. Make sure too that they have a Grade 8 strength rating. Up front those bolts would replace the two pair of bumper bolts on top.

In the rear you can attach them like this... one of those bolt holes is already present, you would only need to drill one. Make sure NOT to drill through both sides of the frame at the rear. Just ONE side. The washers and nuts go inside the frame, there is an existing slot under the frame at that point you can fish the nuts and washers up inside through. You do NOT want the tow hook bolt passing through both sides of the frame where it would start pulling the frame sides in toward each other.

Those six 'tic' marks on the below bolts indicate they are rated Grade 8.

Tow Hook.jpg
 
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ohiopatriot said:
Always remember....No good deed goes unpunished.

You bought a Jeep, not a tow truck, offer them a warm place to wait for help.
Click to expand...
Jerry Bransford said:
Exactly. Offering to extract a car from a ditch just opens yourself up to potentially serious and/or expensive problems that could easily make you regret trying to be a good samaritan.
Click to expand...
I may have to rethink my attitude. I always stop. Just to make sure everyone is OK. Some I help, some I just shine on. If it's one of my buddies, I'll flick them the maximum amount of garbage whilst extracting them from their predicament. If there's no good place to attach a snatch strap, in my estimation, I'll tell them to call a tow truck. If they have a bad attitude, I'll tell them "Oh man, that just sucks" and mutter dumb ass under my breath while driving off.

Used to make beer money pulling people out of the sand or snow with the Chevy and the XJs.
 
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I usually stop. I will make them hook up to their car...and tell them I'm not responsible for any damage. I will tell them to find something solid, not the bumper, axle, control arm etc.
 
Reminds me of my 95 that I turned into my plow vehicle when I moved to snow country. I got her stuck out front in the ditch. I had a heavy c-channel rear bumper with welded on d-rings. One good yank with my e350 diesel service van and when it didn’t move the Jeep I got out and the gas tank and rear frame section was still attached to tow strap! The rear leafs were not attached any more in the back. I did get 2 more seasons of duty out of her with a ratchet strap to hold up gas tank. Moral of the story..... given the rusty nature of these TJ’s be careful on your yanking!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ranger_b0b said:
I usually stop. I will make them hook up to their car...and tell them I'm not responsible for any damage. I will tell them to find something solid, not the bumper, axle, control arm etc.
Click to expand...
My boss used to take that same approach, until one guy didn't attach it very well, and the strap and hook came flying through the back window of my boss' Bronco. Now he just suggests AAA as a better alternative... :)
 
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Squatch said:
My boss used to take that same approach, until one guy didn't attach it very well, and the strap and hook came flying through the back window of my boss' Bronco. Now he just suggests AAA as a better alternative... :)
Click to expand...
Yeah, I make suggestions...and its still up to me to actually pull on the strap....More than once, I've said, "Sorry, there just isn't a solid place to pull from...I'll let you call a wrecker and sit with you, but I'm not pulling you out." I've also pulled out my fair share of cars...I'm just returning the favor from turning 16 in october, and learning to drive in my first Michigan winter with a Olds Cutlass Supreme (the RWD model for you youngsters). I stuffed that thing in the snowbanks so many times that first winter....
 
Ranger_b0b said:
Yeah, I make suggestions...and its still up to me to actually pull on the strap....More than once, I've said, "Sorry, there just isn't a solid place to pull from...I'll let you call a wrecker and sit with you, but I'm not pulling you out." I've also pulled out my fair share of cars...I'm just returning the favor from turning 16 in october, and learning to drive in my first Michigan winter with a Olds Cutlass Supreme (the RWD model for you youngsters). I stuffed that thing in the snowbanks so many times that first winter....
Click to expand...

That post put a smile on my face. Good times, @Ranger_b0b. Good times!
 
Jerry Bransford said:
Exactly. Offering to extract a car from a ditch just opens yourself up to potentially serious and/or expensive problems that could easily make you regret trying to be a good samaritan.

And if you buy 1/2" bolts to secure tow hooks onto your TJ, the thread size is 13 so they'd have a 1/2x13 thread. Make sure too that they have a Grade 8 strength rating. Up front those bolts would replace the two pair of bumper bolts on top.

In the rear you can attach them like this... one of those bolt holes is already present, you would only need to drill one. Make sure NOT to drill through both sides of the frame at the rear. Just ONE side. The washers and nuts go inside the frame, there is an existing slot under the frame at that point you can fish the nuts and washers up inside through. You do NOT want the tow hook bolt passing through both sides of the frame where it would start pulling the frame sides in toward each other.

Those six 'tic' marks on the below bolts indicate they are rated Grade 8.

View attachment 26622
Click to expand...
I followed Jerry’s advice here and put these tow hooks on the rear. They work great and it’s a solid stay. Thanks @Jerry Bransford for that solid advice back in March.
 
dallasdig said:
As snow is starting to fall across our country, I am interested in learning how to tow (or more specifically pull other vehicles out of ditches) with my TJ. This is my first year owning one and I need to know what equipment I would need (tow straps, etc.) and where to attach straps to the jeep and to other vehicles. I don't have a winch so not interested in winching people out. Figured the experts here could clue me in.
Click to expand...
Best piece of advice is to leave that crap to the folks that know what they are doing. Oddball recovery of folks who don't know how to drive and wind up in the ditch is not the place to be learning how to keep them safe, you safe, and not tear up both vehicles. That and just because it is a Jeep, doesn't mean it is good at recovery.
 
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