Jeep 2008 Patriot - Manual (Page 275)

CAUTION!
Damage can occur when spinning your tires at an
excessive high speed. Do not spin your tires faster
than an indicated 30 mph (48 km/h). Do not spin the
wheels continuously for more than 30 seconds.
• Using The Tow Hooks With A Tow Strap – Tow straps
are a quick and easy way to recover your vehicle from
minor situations if you have a secondary vehicle which
is not stuck. The tow hooks on your vehicle are de-
signed to take the abusive force generated during
vehicle recovery. Do not use the bumper or any other
vehicle component as an attachment point. Using tow
straps requires coordination between the two drivers.
Good communication and line of sight are required for
a safe recovery. First connect the tow strap to the correct
attachment points on both vehicles. There should be a
least 20 to 30 ft (6 to 9 m) between the vehicles to allow
for a safe recovery. If necessary join two tow straps
together using a 1 1/2 in (4 cm) hard wood dowel. This
will keep the straps from becoming knotted and is safer
than using a clevis pin if the strap breaks. Next have the
tow vehicle backup, leaving 2 to 3 ft (61 to 91 cm) worth
of slack in the strap. Then the tow vehicle, using light
throttle, should accelerate tightening the strap provid-
ing the pulling force needed to free the vehicle. The
vehicle being recovered should assist in the recovery, at
the time of the snap, by slowly spinning the tires in the
same direction as the pulling vehicle. After the vehicle
becomes free, the driver of the previously stuck vehicle
should signal they are free and should hit their brakes
stopping both vehicles. The driver of the pulling vehicle
should let off the throttle without using the brakes, once
signaled by the other driver. This sequence is important
to avoid having the recovered vehicle hit the pulling
vehicle.
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