You said dont hook it to the ball, then where you hooking the strap to on the back of the truck?

 

I missed the part about tying it... that doesn't sound right to me.

Ok on one end you would put the... wait this will be easier w/ a picture. I'll be right back.

 

Ok nobody make fun of my crude picture... it only took like 30 seconds to make.

 

thats a good picture.

 

Oh and one more precaution. If you use thiis method at the hitch end, make sure you have a good quality hitch pin preferably made of stainless steel. Definately don't use the cheap pins that are a smaller diameter, but include the larger sleeve in the package to make it bigger. Spend the extra $2 on the full size pin.

Sleeved pins to increase diameter = parts breaking and flying around and hitting you in the head and killing you.

 

Baja150's drawing is exactly how you want to hook up, correctly. I know this isn't the best idea but I have had to hook up a shackle to my safety hook on my hitch, its always an option especially when your using a tug boat rope. However, I can tell you from pulling someone out once with a few good yanks that safety hook is pretty bent up. Im going to try to find the website that sells the BEST recovery straps and they arn't too expensive when you think about how much a new tailgate is going to cost or even worse, a hospital bill.

 

No kidding! I haven't found a tailgate for under $400 and that's unpainted!

For the time being I think I'm going to get some of those fake bullet hole stickers and put them all over the dents in my tailgate so it looks like I got shot up by a machine gun. I know this is ghetto, but ahh whatever...

 

Just buy mine for cheaper, and have it repainted

 

 

I have a Shackle Hitch as I mentioned above, usually is good for more strength but I've never seen a hook bend either, so I have nothing against them.

 

The shackle is unquestionably a better choice than the hook for more than 1 reason.

 

I hate sounding like someone who glorifies everything they have, but I really haven't seen any bend although it's clear they're not as durable. I have seen hooks have very high break strengths.

 

True, but if your going to spend the money the shackle is where you should put your money. Theres no way the rope can break free during the recoil like a hook, just my 2 cents.

 

I use the receiver pin, or, if they are really stuck, the rear axle. I've seen the rear bumper get pulled off an old f150 before so I don't like to risk it.

The best stuck I've ever seen was '79 f150 4x4 on a narrow, muddy, rutted road back in the woods. We tried a jeep and a tractor and couldn't do it. Finally we "borrowed" a log skidder that was parked for the evening and used the skid winch to pull the truck out. If you've ever seen a log skidder, you'll know that we'd either pull the truck out or pull it apart!

Grim

 

The rear bumper has nothing to do with the receiver unless the receiver somehow knocked the bumper off when it broke loose (not sure what you mean here). And the axle is a bad place to be pulling from, people get axle wrap from rough acceleration, that should be enough to let you know it's not a good tow point.

What the hell is a log skidder.