Questions on Recovering Soft Roaders

How do you know they are actually rated? Are they stamped? I'm told by a new model Hilux SR owner that the tie down hook on the front of his 4B is rated for recovery. It looked solid for a hood that is welded on but how do I know for sure? (This is not a Toyota bash it's just one of several brands. It's the back of my head the hook will hit if he's wrong and it all goes pear shaped. I'm getting wary of stopping to provide assistance to people in soft sand. I'm not to keen to get into an argument if I am not sure and refuse them a snatch.
Regards Monkey.

I would think that even if you did make it quite clear that it was the owners responsibility for all damage etc, that they could still sue you for breaking their car. Unless yu are going to have a legal team and contract for recovery with a signed waiver its unlikely that just a chat will remove any liability on your part.

That said it would be a very low likelihood that someone would go you as you are helping them out, they would have to prove negligence on your part anyway, and thats unlikely to be easy unless youo have done a very silly thing and we wouldnt do that would we?

If you were at all concerned then get them to fasten the pulling apparatus to wherever they reckon you need to pull them from, even then I dont think its an out.

Totally agree with Bonz here,
Unfortunately we have come to a stage where there is no way out, I believe as most of us do that we are slowly following Uncle Sam's insurance debarkle (hope Sadie is asleep LOL) I read in a paper SWMBO had sent over to her by her parents of a couple of guys out in the woods (Bush) in the States and they came across a Jeep bogged to its sills in thick snow. This was in Northern area in the States. They offered to winch him and his family out and this was excepted, as they started to winch the point the owner of the Jeep had attached the cable to was so low that body work got caught in the cable and damaged the rear sill, Jeep owner went off his nut, so the rescuers decided fine and exited stage left, leaving them with their pride and joy still bogged. Seems no one else came past that afternoon or evening and the couple in the Jeep had an 8mth old child with them. By the time they were rescued the next day the youngin had hypothermia, and original guys who had stopped to help were charged with attempted manslaughter, of course no sane court system would find them guilty of that....Nope they finally did 8 mths in the slammer for endangering human life...

Seems you’re dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.

I forgot to add, I would have pulled them out even it ripped the asssse end out of the Jeep and they could have sued me later... But I can understand the rescuers decision.

"he got bogged to the arrrse (pasha bulked)"

Thanks Hairy for the excellent use in a sentence.

Kind regards

Or use what is available and drive accordingly.
I've only ever seen one vehicle with a marked " recovery point" and towed heaps.
I wouldn't be very popular or hospitable if I offered them all a phone, considering it wouldn't have worked and 90% of them were interstate 4wd enthusiasts.
Cheers

Hi Hairy,

Up around Alice, thats a no brainer.

Down at our local beaches its a different story. Theres people getting stuck every day of the week at Goolwa, Coorong, Robe, Beachport, Carpenter Rocks etc . Often within a short distance of a town that has a towing service just for those occasions.

Cheers
phil

Gday,
"If someone is stupid enough to take a vehicle that is obviously not capable of handling the terrain Blah Blah Blah...."
Not everyone was born with absolute brilliance and learning to drive different vehicles in all types of terrain is learnt some times by misadventure.
Obviously you were one of the luck ones who was born knowing it all and have never done anything remotely silly and I must br one of the stupid ones.
Sorry. LOL

Cheers