JJB Serenity Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 ...tow their stuck car up a snowy hill but it didn't have a towing eye! They obviously think that they won't need towing too often. Must have been a cold walk back to the Police Station Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwyll Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 They probably did have one, just didn't know where to look to find it. Either that or they haven't been "trained" in how to screw it in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 Some new cars don't have an obvious spot for the towing eye - so much plastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 Some new cars don't have an obvious spot for the towing eye - so much plastic! most new cars have a removable plastic cover of various shapes over the front/rear tow points, like this Focus for example, in the yellow ring on the pic below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Serenity Posted December 18, 2010 Author Share Posted December 18, 2010 I did see that Western and I wondered what it was! as both officers had no idea about it either I assume that they don't receive training on towing their vehicles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty_wingnut Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 some are left hand threads too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 I spent ages trying to find the cover on one of those stupid Touareg things. Very well hidden. That was a left-hand thread, I think most are. Most of the ones I've used have been anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwyll Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 As the usual residence for the towing eye is in with the spare wheel, it would have been rather amusing watching them trying to get it out from under all their junk / important items for police use only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Serenity Posted December 18, 2010 Author Share Posted December 18, 2010 As the usual residence for the towing eye is in with the spare wheel, it would have been rather amusing watching them trying to get it out from under all their junk / important items for police use only. ha ha they were pulling all sorts out the back! traffic cones, those metal things they use to break down doors (why they needed more than one was a mystery to me!), rain coats etc etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruuman Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 in the modern world of health and safety it is quite possible they were actually removed from the car. I know the traffic wombles weren't allowed to change a puncture on their vehicles, the spares are even removed. A man in a van has to come out and do it!!! (This was a few years ago, hopefully someone has seen sense now!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landroversforever Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 I can understand it slightly for the wombles... as They won't want them to be changing them on the side of the motorway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMc Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 in the modern world of health and safety it is quite possible they were actually removed from the car. I know the traffic wombles weren't allowed to change a puncture on their vehicles, the spares are even removed. A man in a van has to come out and do it!!! (This was a few years ago, hopefully someone has seen sense now!) My mate's wife is a HATO and she was told that the spare wheel/jack/toolkit isn't carried to save weight. Because of the amount of kit that they need to carry, the spare wheel, etc.. would put the vehicle over it's GVW. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outdoor_ian Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 ^^^^^^ That is the same with many EDF landrovers particularly the cherry pickers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davedef90 Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 The reason that the recovery ring thingy is a LH thread is to stop the stupid people using an understrength bold, not rated for the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Serenity Posted December 18, 2010 Author Share Posted December 18, 2010 Would have thought they'd still carry the correct part with them, or at least know where it was stored in the vehicle. They were on their way to an intruder alarm so guessing that they didn't answer it until later that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobson Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 I saw this recently, the officers were happy for me to take a few pics, it seems they need a good few more of them out and about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozsug Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 I carry a Ford, Vauxhaull, Audi, Nissan and a Peugeot one in the back of the Disco, covers most eventualities. Got them during scavanging scrapyard sesions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveturnbull Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 Rescued some old man in a brand new BMW today. Luckily he did have a towing eye, but didn't have a clue where it was or what to do with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlechorus Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 We needed to recover a bmw today as well to continue on the A44 home, nice to see people out in sensible sports coupes in these weather Also hauled a tesco artic up part of the way up another hill to get him into a side road which proved a gradual process with a single 90 though he seemed more than impressed and thankful which was nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tychoS Posted December 18, 2010 Share Posted December 18, 2010 We needed to recover a bmw today as well to continue on the A44 home, nice to see people out in sensible sports coupes in these weather Also hauled a tesco artic up part of the way up another hill to get him into a side road which proved a gradual process with a single 90 though he seemed more than impressed and thankful which was nice. I recently towed a boy-racer skoda belonging to a neighbour. The car was in a yard, but was blocked from entering the street by a pile of snow deposited across the gate by the snow plow clearing the street. The car was painted some hideous color and had a plastic aftermarket front fitted that gave it a clearance of maybe 2 inches and blocked access to any towing point on the actual car. However the car had a trailer hitch. So I backed the 90" through the pile of snow into the yard, connected boy-racer and 90" rear-to-rear with a strap and pulled the boy-racer backwards in a circle and out through the gate rear end first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nino Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 The reason that the recovery ring thingy is a LH thread is to stop the stupid people using an understrength bold, not rated for the car i was told is to stop it undooing with a rope in the way a rope is wound if u see wot i mean? the police have had to hire in a load of lr from shb hire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweetyduck Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I rescued a stuck A4 the other day as the poor guy couldn't get it off his drive as the local residents had cleared the road and made a pile of snow infront of his drive. I winched it off over/through the pile....... (did i mention the Audi is mine, it was my drive and i got to try out my winch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 would have been easier to move the snow with a shovel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweetyduck Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 You've got to be kidding. Even if i had i still wouldn't have got it off the drive. It was pretty bad up here. My wifes place, 15 out of 500 made it in. A lot tried as they don't get paid! She's got her picture in the magazine as i took her in two days in the 110, so people got paid. Rescued a couple of vans and a citroen on the way. Couldn't get passed the lorries at blyth services and they were all stranded for +3 days so had to go down a farm track and through a wood as they closed the road. My brother couldn't use his car for over a week as he couldn't get it off his drive even after trying for many hours. I had to get shopping for Mother, Gran and Brother as all had no food after a week being stuck (no bus service either). Anyhow once the audi was off the drive i could fully clear it and the get the run up i needed to get to the end of the road. The snow was past my knee and i'm 6 foot. Plus i wanted to wind the sythetic on the winch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crclifford Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Well, on the topic of helping out stuck people heres mine from last night! Coming around the corner near where i live here in burghfield, i came across a little matiz that had ended up in the ditch at a near enough 45 deg angle! Obivously i was a bit surprise and braked, which caused me to start going sideways towards him! I ended up about a foot away from him (as he was stood behind his car, with NO hazards on or anything else on (Hi Vis etc)) with both rear wheels in the ditch. Luckily i didn't hit him or his car!! So after driving out the ditch myself, i went to help him get his car out the ditch. The matiz luckily has proper tow hooks, behind the bumper rather than the screw in ones. Tried pulling him out forwards, but this just dragged him further down the ditch. Just as i was reevaluating how to go about it, had a guy come past the other way in his Disco with cumbrian rescue and H4H european rally stickers on it. Who hooked up on the rear tow eye and pulled him out backwards. So the lesson to be learnt here is...even driving sensibly on the roads a 90 can easily get sent sliding off the road! and even in this weather there are lots of other people who are happy to stop and help everyone else out! And even in our lovely cars, to take it easy!!! So many thanks to the other guy in his disco. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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