Where to attach tow strap to rear of Airstream 25FC

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

...no way...you may end up with a frame not parallel..trapezoidal...not strong enough to pull pickup..this has up and down strength...hook to pickup hitch..

If the pull is done carefully, with the main tow vehicle getting good traction going backwards, this would be safe, assuming equal tension on the two new recovery straps rigged to the axle mounting plates IMO. Requires good judgment and skill from both drivers and all riggers.

Preferred method is still Post #10 with one single hawser rigged to the primary tow vehicle's hitch IMO.

Bowing out of further discussion . . . in view of the OP's recent post:

Originally Posted by rlhendren

Excellent ideas. Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. I'll update in a few weeks to let you know how it went.

[james.mileur]

A good hawser and bowlin knot has never failed this old Sailor. Start with a spinach salad.

[Bill2535]

Buy a set of snow chains. You may have to jack uo the rear of truck to get chains on.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

I've been doing it wrong!

I read my post twice more after seeing this post and still did not understand...it was supposed to be a "winch" not a "wench"...you were probably doing it right the first time! But, if the tow guy has the right "wench", that might do it too!

[rmkrum]

Assuming a large enough, strong enough 'wench' with a long reach.....

[Doc Foster]

I personally would be very hesitant to winch or tow even from the frame from the rear - the cable or tow strap would most likely put a lot of stress on the rear bumper if pulling straight back.
I would invest in some recovery tracks, something like these:

https://www.mainlineoverland.com/products/maxtrax-mkii

https://www.quadratec.com/products/9...saAoN1EALw_wcB

I keep these in the back of my truck as I usually do some fourwheeling in pretty remote areas and setting up the Airstream as a basecamp. They are pricey, but would help you now in getting traction for your truck to pull out your trailer (when the ground is frozen), then they could potentially be of assistance in the future if your get stuck again. Good luck

[PKI]

Originally Posted by rlhendren

Excellent ideas. Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. I'll update in a few weeks to let you know how it went.

http://www.okieweb.com/tulsa4wheelers/home.htm

You might contact these folks. They seem friendly and at least in the past, their hard core members spent a lot of time getting stuck in the mud and pulling each other out. They used to spend the winter snow storms helping people recover from captive ditches. Might just have a rigger in the group or they may have lost the touch. Worth talking to them and you might make a new friend.

Go slow - rigging requires force management - keep it safe. Pat

[Foiled Again]

Second the ideas for Frozen ground overnight, plywood rather than 2 x 8 and don't forget to use 4 WD LOW setting presuming that your truck has 4 WD. (always surprises me to find people who have never used theirs or don't even know where the control is located.)

[Adventure.AS]

Good article on 'Mud Recovery'. Off-road drivers often let down the air pressure in the tires for better traction.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Second the ideas for Frozen ground overnight, plywood rather than 2 x 8 and don't forget to use 4 WD LOW setting presuming that your truck has 4 WD. (always surprises me to find people who have never used theirs or don't even know where the control is located.)

I know what you mean. Years ago in the parking area for a drag race a guy in a Ford Explorer got stuck and his driving looked way to dangerous to trust getting close enough to help. When he asked for more help my brother asked why he didn't have it in 4 WD and he claimed it didn't have 4 WD. After he got out we could clearly see the front and rear differentials when he crested a hill.

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Second the ideas for Frozen ground overnight, plywood rather than 2 x 8 and don't forget to use 4 WD LOW setting presuming that your truck has 4 WD. (always surprises me to find people who have never used theirs or don't even know where the control is located.)

OK, so frozen ground idea didn't work. It was 17 degrees yesterday morning and the ground was solid as I walked on it. I decided to unhook the trailer and see if I could just drive the truck forward a few feet and then do a 15-point turn to get it out (it's sort of trapped between the AS and a fence in front, with about 5 feet of room between the front bumper and the fence). But the truck wouldn't budge.

I've decided to take everybody's advice and not pull on the trailer from the rear.

So my next attempt will be either the 2x4's strapped to the tires, waiting for the ground to dry out some more AND for freezing temps OR to jack it up and put wood under all 4 drive tires, again on a day with freezing temps.

After I get the truck out, I'll reposition and hook up the trailer and try to get it out.

This has been frustrating to say the least. I knew my back yard was soft, but I've only lived here for 1 year. I had no idea that there would be months-long stretches of wet ground.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the update.

Originally Posted by rlhendren

. . .
So my next attempt will be either the 2x4's strapped to the tires . . .

Maybe experienced off-roaders get away with that solution, but unless it is done absolutely perfectly, it might create more new problems IMO. [See Post #12]

What about the long hawser under the trailer suggestion in Post #10? Pretty simple if you can rig it up. Worth a try, especially if the second tow vehicle on the paved pad is 4WD and gets good traction IMO.

Good luck,

Peter

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Thanks for the update.


Maybe experienced off-roaders get away with that solution, but unless it is done absolutely perfectly, it might create more new problems IMO. [See Post #12]

What about the long hawser under the trailer suggestion in Post #10? Pretty simple if you can rig it up. Worth a try, especially if the second tow vehicle on the paved pad is 4WD and gets good traction IMO.

Good luck,

Peter

The 2x4's strapped to the wheels worked like a charm. You do need to be really careful and pay attention to what obstructions there are as the wheel turns, but it's pretty simple to keep everything out of the way so that it doesn't do damage. But it did work really well. It took about 5 minutes to get the boards strapped up to just the rear wheels. Then with the truck in 4-low, I just drove right out of the holes. The truck is now sitting on top of the ground. The trailer is unhooked but behind the truck still. The front of the truck is about 4 feet from the fence. And the rest of the yard is still too soft and wet to get either the truck or the trailer all the way out. But for now, the truck is unstuck.

Thanks everyone for your help.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the update -- good to know that trick.

I guess your tow vehicle wheels have voids in the casting, so that you can run the ratchet cinch through the voids? What if your wheels were old-fashioned solid steel wheels?

Thanks,

Peter

[Foiled Again]

Egyptian Pharaoh Method

Mothership tour showed me that Airstreams are moved down the production line by two or three people. Of course they arent loaded with 1000 lbs of your stuff and the floor is level concrete.

A review of "The Ten Commandments" shows the big stones being pushed as well as pulled... so get much beer and a roasted pig, 8 to 10 hefty men (skip the loincloths in February, brr), and 4 to 6 sheets of plywood, 3 2x4 studs and one 2x6 by 10 ft. Tie the 2x6 to the tongue after removing the.propane tanks, wedge the 2x4s behind the wheels, digging down if needed to create an upslope for the tires to get on the plywood. Put plywood behind the trailer tires and at the front of the trailer so the crew can get traction. Have someone lead the oh-eeh-oh.chant and start pushing using the 2x6. Stop to move the plywood as needed until you get the trailer on gravel. Celebrate by eating roast pig, drinking beer and making rude digestive noises.

Once the trailer is safely out of the way, move the truck.

[OTRA15]

That seems like a complicated solution, Foiled. [IMO]

Not sure why the single large hawser suggestion [Post #10] hasn't sparked any interest, except for James Mileur's Post #22 quoted below.

The "second truck" described in the original post would have tons of pulling power in 4WD, and could pull the AS and TV out easily! [with some minimal power from the first TV, and other details in Post #10]

Originally Posted by rlhendren

. . .
. . . I'm certain that another truck pulling the AS backward would be sufficient to get us out. The second truck would be on the gravel parking pad, so sinking isn't an issue there.
. . .

Originally Posted by james.mileur

A good hawser and bowlin knot has never failed this old Sailor.
. . .

"Given a long enough stick, and a place to rest it, we can move the world!"

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

-----------------snip-----------------

"Given a long enough stick, and a place to rest it, we can move the world!"

Also better known as a fulcrum, or in my case, a "Full Krum" makes it possible to get faster movement after a nice meal...

[Foiled Again]

Grew up in Amish country. Barn raisings are beautiful things. More for the fellowship even than for the barn. Aging has trained me to see that having help keeps me from injuring myself and making the initial problem worse than it was in the first place... and truthfully I just have a keen sense of the ridiculous. I'd love to see a YouTube video of the great mud rescue.

Or how about tying a big come along to the tongue, seciring the other end to a phone pole 200 ft. Away in the front yard and going for it one ratchet at a time. Which will give, the chain, the trailer or the phone pole? Larry, Curly and Moe please report for duty.

[Bbelk]

I agree with OTRA15's first post. Use a long, stout rope and tie to the hitch on the stuck tow vehicle. I would run it under the axles to help it clear the plumbing underneath the trailer. The upwards force on the axles will be a much lower force than if you tried pulling on them directly. If there is any side to side issues with the tow, use a short rope with a loop tied in the middle of it and tie it to the axle plates shown in OTRA15's second post. Run the tow rope through the loop, but not attached to the loop. The short rope should only have side to side tension and little or no front to back.

I had to rescue a boat on a trailer this way once.

[OTRA15]

Thanks Bbelk, I was wondering if anyone other than James Mileur saw the elegant simplicity of the hawser solution!



Peter

Originally Posted by OTRA15

. . .
Not sure why the single large hawser suggestion [Post #10] hasn't sparked any interest, except for James Mileur's Post #22 quoted below.
. . .