Pulling Vehicles out of a Ditch in the Snow

k0ua · Feb 15, 2021

Since we are all telling stories now, I would like to tell one about my family and a "stuck scenario". It was a deteriorating weather condition when our 16 year old daughter wanted to go out to visit her friend at her house. Her mother and I advised that it was not a good idea as sleet and snow were expected. But of course she knew better and went anyway, promising to be back home before the roads got bad. OK.

She had a 1975 or so Pontiac Grand Prix. A heavy two wheel drive car without posi-trac or anything else. When she started for home she backed down her friends driveway and managed to dump the rear end of the car partially in the ditch and hung up on the culvert sticking out. Of course by now the roads are really getting bad. The wife and I were summoned to her aid and bringing a tow cable and our 4 wheel drive Ford Explorer.

I hooked up to the old Pontiac and I felt the best way out was the way it went in as pulling it the other way did NOT look promising. Even though that put the explorer uphill with an uphill pull.

I also felt it best to put my wife behind the Pontiacs wheel instead of the daughter. I told her to very gently give it some gas, just enough to barely turn over the wheels to assist if the tires on the Pontiac could get any purchase at all. I figured a little bit of help was better than none. So the signal was given and I started the pull.

I knew this wasn't going to be an easy pull as everything was against me. The car I was attempting weighed at least as much as my small 4 wheel drive and the fact I was pulling uphill was a severe disadvantage.

I was able to move the car a little bit but it was like an anchor back there. My progress was in inches. I stopped the pull and went back to the car. "You have the car in gear and are spinning the tires right?" She even showed me. I heard the engine rev up, but saw no tire movement. I went to the passenger side, nope no tire movement there either. Is the brake on? uh.....clunk. Yes it was. The daughter had made sure to put the brake on before she left the car, just like she had always been taught. never mind it was hung on that culvert.

So an attempt was made again, and the little 4wd pulled the big "hoopti" right up and out and got the big hulk back on to the driveway where the mother backed it out back into the street and followed me home. The return trip was pretty uneventful and the daughter learned a lesson or two. I guess we all did.

MoKelly · Feb 15, 2021

k0ua said:
Since we are all telling stories now, I would like to tell one about my family and a "stuck scenario". It was a deteriorating weather condition when our 16 year old daughter wanted to go out to visit her friend at her house. Her mother and I advised that it was not a good idea as sleet and snow were expected. But of course she knew better and went anyway, promising to be back home before the roads got bad. OK.

She had a 1975 or so Pontiac Grand Prix. A heavy two wheel drive car without posi-trac or anything else. When she started for home she backed down her friends driveway and managed to dump the rear end of the car partially in the ditch and hung up on the culvert sticking out. Of course by now the roads are really getting bad. The wife and I were summoned to her aid and bringing a tow cable and our 4 wheel drive Ford Explorer.

I hooked up to the old Pontiac and I felt the best way out was the way it went in as pulling it the other way did NOT look promising. Even though that put the explorer uphill with an uphill pull.

I also felt it best to put my wife behind the Pontiacs wheel instead of the daughter. I told her to very gently give it some gas, just enough to barely turn over the wheels to assist if the tires on the Pontiac could get any purchase at all. I figured a little bit of help was better than none. So the signal was given and I started the pull.

I knew this wasn't going to be an easy pull as everything was against me. The car I was attempting weighed at least as much as my small 4 wheel drive and the fact I was pulling uphill was a severe disadvantage.

I was able to move the car a little bit but it was like an anchor back there. My progress was in inches. I stopped the pull and went back to the car. "You have the car in gear and are spinning the tires right?" She even showed me. I heard the engine rev up, but saw no tire movement. I went to the passenger side, nope no tire movement there either. Is the brake on? uh.....clunk. Yes it was. The daughter had made sure to put the brake on before she left the car, just like she had always been taught. never mind it was hung on that culvert.

So an attempt was made again, and the little 4wd pulled the big "hoopti" right up and out and got the big hulk back on to the driveway where the mother backed it out back into the street and followed me home. The return trip was pretty uneventful and the daughter learned a lesson or two. I guess we all did.

Good story. Good parents. I had 2 boys go thru their teen years and yes - they always thought they knew better.

The old saying is true - the older they got, the smarter I became.

MoKelly

airbiscuit · Feb 15, 2021

I am also amazed at how often the stuck driver is clueless about how to point the wheels. Sometimes, even if you get them oriented properly to start, they proceed to crank them once the car starts moving.

airbiscuit · Feb 15, 2021

I have also been on the other side of this situation. I had taken a shortcut on the way home from work and ran into some drifted snow 100 yards from the well plowed county road. I had a 1988 Ford Thunderbird with RWD. I walked up the the farmhouse to see if they could help. Everyone was gone but a farm girl and I was set to call a tow truck, but she said let's see if we can push you out. We walked back to my car, and I said "you drive, and I'll push'. She said "I don't know how to drive an automatic" (she was a farm girl). I felt sheepish about driving and having a girl push, but oh well. I put it in gear, and I swear she threw the car forward. I easily made it to the main road. She refused to take any money.

mred2 · Feb 15, 2021

I have to tell this story, but not about snow. My son purchase a new jeep, fully loaded. Went out down a dirt road. It had rained a lot. On one side of this road was water. Not knowing how deep, he drove into the water, thinking that his 4x4 would go right thru it and thinking it is only a few inches deep. STUCK! Calls friend and comes to my house to borrow my pickup, F150 4x4. I go in my truck. They had tried to pull it out forward with his friends car. It could not move it. I tied up to the rear hitch of it to the hitch on my truck with a strap. I was on the road but not a straight pull. His new jeep almost had water up to the doors. (nice carpet) After the 3rd try, I moved him back about 3 foot. At that time, his wheel got traction. The jeep had been setting on solid ground under the water, but with the tires in ruts. When it got traction, it backed out by it self. NEVER DRIVE IN TO A HOLE, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IS IN IT.

k0ua · Feb 15, 2021

MoKelly said:
Good story. Good parents. I had 2 boys go thru their teen years and yes - they always thought they knew better.

The old saying is true - the older they got, the smarter I became.

MoKelly

Yep, we got a lot smarter when she hit about 25 or so. She turned out to be a very good safe and effective driver. As a nurse she often has to navigate icy snowy roads. Of course she drives a Jeep with 4wd now, but still she know how to drive in winter and her skills are probably better than mine now due to greater experience facing adverse road conditions.

k0ua · Feb 15, 2021

airbiscuit said:
I am also amazed at how often the stuck driver is clueless about how to point the wheels. Sometimes, even if you get them oriented properly to start, they proceed to crank them once the car starts moving.

Yep, seen that a bunch of times.

MoKelly · Feb 15, 2021

airbiscuit said:
I have also been on the other side of this situation. I had taken a shortcut on the way home from work and ran into some drifted snow 100 yards from the well plowed county road. I had a 1988 Ford Thunderbird with RWD. I walked up the the farmhouse to see if they could help. Everyone was gone but a farm girl and I was set to call a tow truck, but she said let's see if we can push you out. We walked back to my car, and I said "you drive, and I'll push'. She said "I don't know how to drive an automatic" (she was a farm girl). I felt sheepish about driving and having a girl push, but oh well. I put it in gear, and I swear she threw the car forward. I easily made it to the main road. She refused to take any money.

Well - I hate to say it, but once you mentioned the only one home was the farmers daughter, I was kind of expecting a different ending to the story.

MoKelly

4570Man · Feb 15, 2021

k0ua said:
Yep, seen that a bunch of times.

I learned quick from an early age from driving a forklift on gravel about the importance of the wheel position. It was a pneumatic tire lift but not an all terrain one. A forklift can turn the wheels close to 90 degrees and they’ll burry up in gravel in a hurry.