never jerk a stuck truck with a chain

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

kleedus

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2012
Posts
1,726
Reaction score
162
Location
wyo
First Name
Ray
Truck Year
1960 threw 91
Truck Model
c10 to k30
Engine Size
350 threw 454
I got a call from an old friend today to help pull out a stuck ford.

I got there and watched a num nut in a duramax backing up 15 feet and hitting the chain hard to jerk the ford out. it was violent and scary I am surprised the duramax did not set off the air bags. the chain broke and flew under the truck lucky.

I was ducking behind another truck waiting for the chain to snap and kill someone.

you should never hit a chain like that it is extremely dangerous

I ended up pulling it out with my wrecker
 

PrairieDrifter

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Posts
3,855
Reaction score
5,648
Location
North Dakota
First Name
Mason
Truck Year
84,79,77,76,70,48
Truck Model
Suburban k10, bonanza k10, k30, k20, c10, gmc 1/2ton
Engine Size
350, 350, 350, 350, 350, 350
That's why I roll with a 6x30 recovery strap..
 

CSFJ

-----------------
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
Posts
6,160
Reaction score
5,170
Location
------
First Name
-------------
Truck Year
-------
Truck Model
-------
Engine Size
-------
I got a call from an old friend today to help pull out a stuck ford.

I got there and watched a num nut in a duramax backing up 15 feet and hitting the chain hard to jerk the ford out. it was violent and scary I am surprised the duramax did not set off the air bags. the chain broke and flew under the truck lucky.

I was ducking behind another truck waiting for the chain to snap and kill someone.

you should never hit a chain like that it is extremely dangerous

I ended up pulling it out with my wrecker

A few years back, I got to see a group of morons in 2 jeeps using a winch line in the same manor. I don't know if the winch broke after they unspooled it, or they didn't know how to use it, but it was scary to see.
 

firebane

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2014
Posts
1,732
Reaction score
30
Location
Calgary, AB
First Name
Curtis
Truck Year
1974
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
I got a call from an old friend today to help pull out a stuck ford.

I got there and watched a num nut in a duramax backing up 15 feet and hitting the chain hard to jerk the ford out. it was violent and scary I am surprised the duramax did not set off the air bags. the chain broke and flew under the truck lucky.

I was ducking behind another truck waiting for the chain to snap and kill someone.

you should never hit a chain like that it is extremely dangerous

I ended up pulling it out with my wrecker

You should never be using a chain to pull ANYTHING stuck. Recovery ropes are there for a reason.
 

crazy4offroad

Equal Opportunity Destroyer
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Posts
8,479
Reaction score
1,109
Location
West BY-GOD Virginia
First Name
Curt
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
K-10
Engine Size
350/SM465/NP205
If it's a mild stuck I'll use a chain, like a granny in a ditch. Swamped down to the frame like vacuum sealed I use the strap. You can use a chain with a strap and still have that anti-shock factor if you needed some length. A hi-lift jack sure helps break that seal to the earth and get the front tires starting out if possible. Usually have to have a piece of wood for the foot or the jack will sink to oblivion in the muck. But yeah chains and cables can store an enormous amount of energy, like many tons, and release it violently.
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
44
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
Always use a strap. I have a half ton 2wd, and i was able to pull out a 2500 4wd that had about 3000# on me simply because i was able to just yank with everything i had without breaking ****. I was on damp gumbo pulling him out of an actual mud hole. There's no way i had enough ass or traction to move that truck without 15mph of inertia.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 

Nasty-LSX

TogetherforeverCovid19
Joined
Nov 22, 2014
Posts
1,395
Reaction score
1,737
Location
HOUSTON TX
First Name
Mi Hung Lo
Truck Year
85/86/87
Truck Model
c10/k10/k20
Engine Size
LSX
thats the most stupidest thing to do.
 

towjoe

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Posts
695
Reaction score
137
Location
Lafayette,IN
First Name
joe
Truck Year
78,80,81,81,86,88,89
Truck Model
K30's or V3500's
Engine Size
6.2, 454
we had a local guy killed last winter pulling out a stuck car in snow. he jerked chain and it broke sending a peace of chain through back window into his head. his 4 year old daughter was setting beside him and luckly she wasn't hurt. I'll stick to using my winch on wrecker personally
 

rumblebox

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2015
Posts
164
Reaction score
44
Location
Victoria, TX
First Name
Carlton
Truck Year
74
Truck Model
K20
Engine Size
468
I keep the lid of my toolbox up as a shield if I'm doing something like that

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 

MOguy

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
58
Reaction score
13
Location
Missouri
First Name
Ross
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
K30
Engine Size
350
If it's a mild stuck I'll use a chain, like a granny in a ditch. Swamped down to the frame like vacuum sealed I use the strap. You can use a chain with a strap and still have that anti-shock factor if you needed some length. A hi-lift jack sure helps break that seal to the earth and get the front tires starting out if possible. Usually have to have a piece of wood for the foot or the jack will sink to oblivion in the muck. But yeah chains and cables can store an enormous amount of energy, like many tons, and release it violently.

I broke a fairly heavy logging chain and than a 3" recovery strap pulling a 2wd one ton with my jeep. It was a slight incline and real slick (but hard ground, a little wet and frozen). Other that nothing to hold up even a two wheel drive car. The truck was loaded with wood. It was the guy's strap and chain I broke. I may have jerked a little but nothing that hard.

I have a back pack I keep all my recovery gear in. I have a few shackle's and a pulley I carry. I slip my recovery strap (and the chain this day) through the arms of the back pack. Even when I broke the chain and the strap I heard some noise but the strap and chain just fell straight to the ground. Pretty uneventful other than the noise.

Eventually he decided to unload the truck and I pulled him out with my strap. Chains are great for dragging things around esp in the mud or water. But if something is stuck a chains in not a good choice for recovery. It is always a good idea to but some weight and it doesn't need to be much, on your strap when you are doing recovery. It can keep things from flying.
 
Last edited:

hatzie

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2011
Posts
567
Reaction score
459
Location
NH
First Name
David
Truck Year
1976
Truck Model
k20
Engine Size
6.5
I keep the lid of my toolbox up as a shield if I'm doing something like that

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Chain can go right through that. You might get lucky but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

I did an experiment many years ago on a car that was going to scrap...
It settled an argument about how ridiculous it is for the movie good or bad guys to hide behind a car door in a gun fight. The newspaper pictures of the Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow car wasn't sufficient proof... I dragged the dead rig to the bottom of a sand pit and shot at it with various rifles and a 12ga shotgun from a fair distance...
A rimfire .22 long rifle will go through two doors and two panes of safety glass, the windows were down, from 800 feet. A 12ga slug will blow through both doors from 250ft and 12ga 00Buck will make it almost through the second door. The subsonic 45ACP will blow through one door at around the same distance.

You ain't hiding behind sheet metal from a projectile with sufficient velocity.
The only useful function a car door or that toolbox lid provides is cover as you get out of Dodge.
 

1986ChrisK10

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2016
Posts
73
Reaction score
1
Location
Mississippi
First Name
Chris
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
K10
Engine Size
350
When I was young and dumb and thought i knew everything as a teen a few of my friends and I went to the local mud trail area. Well anyway we barried a dodge 4x4, old square body gmc and a older 80's ford. I witnessed first had the carnage of a chain breaking and taking the legs of one of the guys that was with us. Needless to say lesson learned and very seldom use chain for anything. I have old lifting slings from work that they deem unsafe to lift loads with. I have various lengths from 15' 2" sling to a 40' 8" sling. And a various assortment of shackles if I have to tie them together.

Back to chain, my dad always put a old rubber floor mat on the chain/cable. He always said that if it would pop, it would weigh the chain/cable down and make it hug the ground in its travel.
 

mr heavy-chevy

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Posts
98
Reaction score
11
Location
WA state
First Name
fox
Truck Year
1987
Truck Model
k10
Engine Size
4.3
also, never use a trailer hitch ball.

the sheer on them is often less way than 4,000lbs
so if youre sunk to the frame in suction like mud or sand... and your vehicle weighs 4,000lbs, STOCK and EMPTY..... there is a very strong chance that 2" piece of steel will become a small cannon ball.
vehicle powered slingshot of death

fyi
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
44,192
Posts
951,209
Members
36,314
Latest member
adz372
Top