Russell wrote:

In many of the videos for snatch rescue there are several vehicles about so why not daisy chain. I saw this method used out in a dessert to recover fully ladden artic lorries which had got stuck in sand up to their chassis.
Vehicle stuck is hooked up to first tow vehicle with tow rope, second tow vehicle then attaches tow rope to first tow vehicle, third tow vehicle then attaches tow rope to second tow vehicle, all three then set of steadily forwards as if towing normally, each and every time they recovered the stuck artic with no problems or damage. On some occasions three/four tow vehicles were used.

+1

KevinTDV6SE wrote:

This is probably a stupid question but what is the difference between snatch and just towing someone out?

If some one is stuck in a hedge or ditch due to the crap winter conditions, is it safe for me to just put a rope over my detachable tow bar and just pull them out? I want to be able to help people but dont want to if it is actually dangerous.

Also what rope or strap is best?

As above use the tow point behind the tow electrics cover, not the towbar. You don't want to be pulling people out with a kinetic rope, just a normal tow strap or rope with a decent load rating. Just get a decent length so they don't run in the back of you when they regain traction. If it won't come out with that then leave it to the professionals. I wouldn't snatch/kinetic it - if their tow point isn't up to it either you or your car is going to take the impact. If it won't budge there is probably a good reason.

Two examples - drunk driver lost it and crashed into a road name sign on a residential street. They hit it so hard the sump was impaled on the remains of one of the uprights. No amount of pulling would remove it, even with a Shogun. It had to be lifted vertically to get it off. Btw the road nameplate had been hit so hard it flew off and took a chunk out of a house 20 yards away.

Another bloke lost a low slung saloon on a roundabout and ended up beached on a newly installed granite effect 18" kerb (and swore blind he was only doing 15-20mph 8) ). Recovery agent struggled to drag it off, took a few proper goes and in doing so ripped a huge lump of the kerb off and a significant part of the underside of the car. Big bill for the insurers just to repair the kerb (very big as main trunk road!) and write off the car. I did tell the driver to listen for the graunching noise as it came off, initially the first metre just slid, so he tld me it was fine and I was wrong. Then it caught on something between the middle of the car and the engine (gearbox?) and the recovery agent went for it. Whatever it was caught it on managed to rip a 3 foot square lump of fake granite out of the kerbing and drag the car over the top of it. Made a noise then......

Just suggesting if it won't budge better to leave it someone else