Hello. Have an 08' H3 ALPHA - last winter in an attempt to "show my friend" who was stuck in a ditch on the side of the road, due to a snow storm that... "I could pull out just about ANY vehicle with my HUMMER H3 ALPHA"...found myself with the transfer case locked into 4low and the tires spinning on ice, and the engine "zinged" past 6000 rpm in an attempt to gain some traction. To make a long story short (with a very sad endinging), the front end jerked-maybe twice, then made a painful snap sound. After that "snap sound" the HUMMER could barely muster enough strength/traction to get out of its own way! It was completely USELESS, no traction AT ALL!!!! The "repair" was a new front axle shaft and replacement of the front ring and pinion (warranty covered).

This winter, I would like to be a little more "prepared" for any road side emergencies. My thought was to lower the tire pressure to gain some much needed traction in a slippery condition. But what would be an acceptible tire pressure? 25lbs? 20lbs? Or more/less?

I know the day is coming when I will need to help someone out again, and would like to hear from someone who has experience with this type of recovery.

Thank you for your time.

Kent

 

I suggest buying a strap with some elasticity in it and rather than trying to spin your way out, jerk them out. Either that or purchase a front winch. Either one is cheaper than front differential replacements.

 

lower gears spin easier with torque to spare!years ago advice was to keep the highest gear possible to prevent spinning. course that wont pull a car out of a ditch.

i watched a "pro" do what was suggested,jerk with a strap that stretches to pop it out without hard connections that break.

first, i would not go in with a big EGO because i got an h3, ive laughed in the past at 4 wheelers stuck in a field where no one should have gone. so chains would be in order, and a LONG,STRONG nylon strap.

mine is 4 in wide, by 40 feet and i hope i never need to use it!!

in blizzards have hot coffee you can treat with as u drive them home!, and call the tow truck.

tom

 

Man, I agree with DrTom. I like to help others, but not at the expense of my much needed vehicle.
I do on occasion operate a tow truck, and we mostly use recovery straps to pull cars out of mud. We've also used two tow trucks to pull out vehicles, the first tow truck would go in and hook the car and the 2nd stayed on dry pavement and helped pull both out.
These tow trucks can do what my H3 can not.

There are warnings about using tow straps where you should use a recovery strap.
I know this is probably not answering your question about how to tow.

http://www.fototime.com/92BB7AFD37A1753/standard.jpg

 

You have recieved pretty good answers from everyone so far... You will gain traction by airing down, how much really depends on how much ice, just because you have a larger contact patch doesn't defeat ice. There is also the issue of driving around at the lower psi... dont, tire wear will be way too much to see a benifit. Rather, invest in some Staun tyre deflators and a quick portable mini compressor, or go with an onboard air setup... if you want to minimize your outside time, pick up some tire chains, they help the most for traction on ice. Tow strap or winch would be the way to go, winch would be best...

 

I helped my buddy get his Ranger out of his stuck driveway with a few "tugs" from the 3 and got her going in 4 lock. It wasn't all snow and ice though, some was rocks and even a little bit of pavement. It also depends on the conditions you are pulling. There are some circumstances where it is better to leave it up to a Tow Truck

 

The nylon ****** strap is usually your best bet in the conditions you're describing. The winch is practically useless unless you can get the pulling rig anchored better than the stuck rig is stuck, otherwise you just pull the pulling rig to the stuck one. Hooking onto the stuck rig and just trying to use your available traction to pull is pretty useless also unless you can get the towing rig on a good traction surface (ie pavement). I have used all of these techniques a bunch and I can say that in most conditions the ****** strap works the best if used right. That is don't tighten the strap up and then try to pull, put a little slack in the strap and get a run at it. Start out with just a little and if you don't get results keep adding slack until you start moving the stuck vehical. I can't even begin to guess how many times I've done this in the last 20+ years and trust me it works well. Just don't hook the strap onto anything that will cut the strap or pull off. Things that pull off become projectiles that can damage vehicals and injure or kill people. Speaking of people make sure that all bystanders are well back away from the rigs when this is going on.

BTW too heavy of a strap is not good either, as, if it won't stretch it won't have the desired affect. About a 30,000 lb capacity strap is about right for an H3.

 

What tires are you running on your truck Backn68?

 

i have seen others do what you describe, using slack

THEN THE WEIGHT OF YOUR H3 DOES THE WORK, NOT THE TRACTION, RIGHT?

because if you get traction with great tires and dry pavement you are putting ALL THE STRESS ON YOUR TRANNY AND TC AND DIFFS and when they get trashed on site or miles later i dont think the guy you pulled out will pay for them!!!

its great to help, i years ago got my van running at -20 and with a friend and a bottle of brandy went around jumpind others. it was fun, BUT I NEVER HOOK MY BATT TO YOUR DEAD ONE WITH MY VAN RUNNING. why?,

because the jolt (its like a dead short at first)from a dead batt can kill a running alternator!! best let the dead batt come up for a while then restart your veh.

just some comments from someone who has had enuf time to make all those mistakes once already!!

happy winter, i guess we have just appx 67 days till spring!!

tom

 

I grew up in on a farm in Iowa close to the Minnesota border and I had a girl friend with a very long driveway, so I've had lots of experience getting cars, trucks, tractors and even Cat bulldozers unstuck from mud, ice and snow.

First you never want to spin your tires! The static coefficient of friction is always higher that the kenotic coefficient, so you have the most traction when your not spinning. Use 4 wheel low lock and lock the differentials.

Second, you get the same pull no matter how fast you spin, so the only advantage of spinning faster is it makes easier to break things when the tires finally burn through the ice and get a bite of dry payment.

Your best option is to use the recovery winch if you have one. If you're on a slippery surface you will need to secure you rear to an an movable object or chock your tires. Tire chocks are a good thing to keep in your vehicle in the winter. You can buy fancy store bought chocks or grab some blocks of wood or firewood. Blocks of 2x4 and 4x6 or firewood work great placed crosswise in front of the tires. The best firewood is split wood not round. If you need more pull from the winch use a pully at the stuck vehicle end and attach the tow line to your recovery hook.

If you're going to use a tow line, I never recommend jerking the tow line unless you don't mind damaging your vehicle.

If you use a tow line and start slipping then stop and apply the gas slower. If slow acceleration doesn't work then you will need to augment your traction. I have seen some amazing things used to augment traction in desperation! The most amazing I can remember is paper towels! I like to keep a bag of sand in the cab or a bucket of DRY sand or a sand and salt mixture in the bed. If that isn't enough, then install the snow chains.

Regards;
Mike (aka portager)