I pulled a semi out of the median

[JKloppe]

Traffic was backed up and people were going through the median to get to the frontage road. Well this truck driver thought he could make it too. He got all twisted up and lifted his left side tires off the ground. I pulled up and said to my self "man would it be cool if I could say I pulled a stuck semi out of the ditch. " I put it in 4-lo and lut her rip, black and white smoke filled the air.



P. S. The trailer was full!

 

[work2muchplay2little]

That's pretty awesome! That must be one heck of a tow chain too!

 

[RHARVEY]

Where is the camera when you need it



Rick

 

[tntway]

HOLY S%$#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[swamp rat]

Beware of log chains!

Nylon straps tend to put a lot less stress on the drivetrain especially when you are unsticking a much heavier vehicle.

When a chain reaches its full length it doesn't give very much which tends to relay the shock to the recovery vehicle and drivetrain.



Straps on the other hand, are much more elastic and actually use the energy that would have resullted in the shock, to a much more usable form that actually helps recover the stuck vehicle. Just make sure it is attached to something that won't give way before the strap breaks.



One recommendation is not to use straps with metal hooks attached. I saw a pic in Pickup, Van, and 4WD magazine years ago in which a fella was unsticking a Jeep with a JeepCJ7 and hooked strap. The strap came loose from the stuck vehicle and proceeded to launch itself through the back glass window, rear seat, drivers, seat, and finally through the windshield where the hook lay on the hood. BTW, the driver lost the lower lobe of his right ear as the hook proceeded through the seat. Just another half inch to the left and the hook would have taken his head off.



Safety first, last and always!

 

[Amianthus]

I try not to jerk chains. Yes, I have done it in the past, but it's not good for you, the truck or the chain. You can really break stuff bad that way. I will use a chain if I am just going to try to grunt something out or if I need wear resistance of some sort. Recovery of stuck vehicles usually gets my strap, and I wrap my unsecured chain around it in case it lets go.

 

[pcorssmit]

Originally posted by JKloppe

"I... said to my self "man would it be cool if I could say I pulled a stuck semi out of the ditch. ""

Pete

 

[Okie-Go]

It should be on Amazing home videos but we all know there is nothing amazing about our trucks. I be a lot of people will tell that story for a while.

 

[GeneA]

One time at a rest stop in the boonies of NM an 18 wheeler driver asked me if I had jumpers. I said "Yeah" . it seems his batteries died during the night, so I gave him a jump and got him started. He wanted to pay me but I said"No way". I figure leaving a big rig friend was nore than worth it.

 

[swamp rat]

Would anyone believe me if I said I pulled a fully loaded FedEx 14 wheeler out of a mudpit up a short incline into a parking lot with a Toyota 4Runner R-22/5speed 4. 10 gears w/12. 50-15's? I do have at least 25 witnesses but no photos!

 

[Dr.Evil]

Neighbor was pouring concrete many years ago. It had rained hard the night before. The cement truck got stuck getting back into place, probably about 40,000# truck. The Ready-mix truck had a heavy steel cable with Him. Neighbor's friend hooked His '79 Bronco onto the readymix truck. Bronco finally got Him out. He had ALL 4 35" tall tires smoking for a couple minutes trying to get the readymix truck over the curb! THAT's a lot of torque for a Ford 9" and a DANA 44! The Bronco was sitting on a freshly paved concrete road that had a brushed finish. Talk about excellent footing!

DENNY... ... ... ... ... .

 

[BBean]

I pulled a large tour bus, that weighs around 30,000 lbs. off of a curb that he had high centered himself on. The rear wheels were off of the ground about 4 ". The ol Dodge kinds hunkered down in 4 lo and pulled him off. I used a large logging chain, with a slow steady pull. had to pull him about 20 feet.

 

[JTBMC]

My brother Roy & I have pulled his Western Star And Mack Gravel haulers many times with a 4 inch nylon strap with 40,000 plus pounds of gravel or sand after break downs, twisted drive shafts and the likes. Of course they arn't reallY bogged down either. Roy's truck is a 96 3/4 ton 4x4 and naturally its a Dodge 12v. I've never seen a Ford or Chevy that can pull like our trucks

 

[DHatfield]

Wow that must of been pretty cool. Its always nice to be a samaritain.

 

[Mr. Brewski]

Everyone seems to have a story...



quite a few years ago my neibor was a truck driver (A rental house next door). He usually kept his Pete' cabover with a 400 big cam in front of the house. One day he decided to park it in the grass on the side of his house. Needless to say he got it stuck. Along comes me in my K5 Blazer 6. 2 Banks turbo Cheby..... Locked the hubs, put it in 4 low and chained it up. I easily pulled him out (No trailer behind him). When he hit the pavement, he hit the binders on his three axles... . I didnt know it and poured the coals to the Blazer - lit the 33X12. 50X15's up on both ends... His kid was standing next to me, and I can still see the look on his face... . Not even my Dodge could pull him with his Bendix Airbrakes locked up...

 

[Chipstien]

COOL

I pulled a 777 fully loaded up a mountain pass with a 2. 3 L Ford Mustang















P. S. Just Kidding... ... ...

 

[BK]

Yup everyone has one. .

Honestly the three best I have are



Two with my worked 'yota. .

Pulled a fully load six wheel (6x4?) dump truck out of a sand pit.

Pulled a loaded 30' or so box truck out of a sand pit.



With my Dodge, not as impressive as the 18wheeler, but my wife made it funny...

A Ford 250 4x4 was blocking the get-em-off ramp, with an enclosed trailer attached, truck bed full of dirt. . trailer full of landscaping stuff. Seems his transfer case locked up and clutch blew. All his wheels were locked up via the transfer case, drove on the dry road in 4wheel drive.

I hooked him up to my truck, jumped in and started dragging him with his 33x12 screaming...

My wife says "I thought you were gonna help him?? What are we gonna do?"... I said do you hear that noise, . . she said ya. . ?? I informed her that thats the Ford's tires locked up and we're dragging him off of the ramp and onto the medium...

She thought we were just driving away. .

Now thats low end ground pounding grunt.



Bob

 

[Midnite]

About 10 years ago a friend of mine with the Anchorage Police Department described a vehicle accident she worked, involving a loaded big rig and I forget what kind of passenger vehicle.



She had a 1987 Chevy Caprice with a generic police-package 350 v8, and pulled the rig about a block to get it to a safe spot out of the intersection.



It sounded to me like she basically ripped the transmission apart, but the story was impressive nonetheless.



Mike

 

[TBrown]

Few years ago got stuck with a 76 IHC Paystar Tri-axle dump truck with a full load of dirt in loose sugar sand, axles were sitting on the ground and the tag tires were sunk in the ground even fully raised. I called home and told my brother and cousin to bring my uncles and my truck down. This was in a subdivision on memorial day. My truck at the time was a 94 auto with a TST kit in, and his is a 91 auto, both diesels. We hooked both trucks side by side with straps to the dump, since it was only 20 feet to the street they were on dry pavement. After a lot of smoke we got the truck out, both trucks were in low range fourwheel drive and it just about didn't go. But we got her out. Had a lot of curious onlookers, but thankfully no cops

 

[FFL8N]

"one time, at band camp". The space shuttle discovery on top of a 747 was broke down... . so I hooked up the onlything I had... . I took my moms yarn and tied in back and forth until I thought it would hold..... I towed it from the desert in California all the way back to Florida... . Next time I think I will use the truck though... My arms and legs got tired after a while!!!!