akirby Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Again - it's not a tow hook, it's a ditch extraction hook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSchicago Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Yep, just a matter of finding the "good" tow drivers out there. Not much say in the matter when you call Ford roadside assistance unfortunately. Can't believe they didn't want you to wait to tow that Lambo when it wasn't raining! He already waited 2 days when another company couldn't do the job. The Lambo dealer washes all cars before owner pickup too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Again - it's not a tow hook, it's a ditch extraction hook. Correct, and it's a more desirable way (even better with two hooks) to load the car on to a flat bed rather than having someone who doesn't care try to find a good place to hook underneath. It usually states in the fine print or on the side of the truck "not responsible for damage". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svtenthusiast Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 (edited) Again - it's not a tow hook, it's a ditch extraction hook. It's a tow point according to the owner's manual. TOWING POINTS (IF EQUIPPED) Towing Eye Location The screw-in towing eye is located in the spare wheel well. The towing eye must always be carried in the vehicle. Installing the Towing Eye The screw-in towing eye has a left-hand thread. Turn it counterclockwise to install it. Make sure that the towing eye is fully tightened. E146284 Insert a suitable object to pry open the cover (1). Use recessed/notched portion of the cover. Screw in the towing eye (2). Edited July 14, 2012 by svtenthusiast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Huh, very interesting. Did you locate a towing eye in your Escape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 It's a tow point according to the owner's manual. TOWING POINTS (IF EQUIPPED) Towing Eye Location The screw-in towing eye is located in the spare wheel well. The towing eye must always be carried in the vehicle. Installing the Towing Eye The screw-in towing eye has a left-hand thread. Turn it counterclockwise to install it. Make sure that the towing eye is fully tightened. E146284 Insert a suitable object to pry open the cover (1). Use recessed/notched portion of the cover. Screw in the towing eye (2). Semantics. It's designed to get the car out of a ditch and is mandated by European standards. U.S. drivers won't understand "ditch extractor" so they call it a "tow hook". It's not meant to tow the car on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svtenthusiast Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 Huh, very interesting. Did you locate a towing eye in your Escape? I looked in the cargo area and best I could without taking the spare tire out. Unless it's buried deep under the spare, I don't see one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svtenthusiast Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 Semantics. It's designed to get the car out of a ditch and is mandated by European standards. U.S. drivers won't understand "ditch extractor" so they call it a "tow hook". It's not meant to tow the car on the road. Whatever. If it's strong enough to extract the vehicle out of a ditch, it's strong enough to tow the vehicle down the road as once you get the momentum there is hardly any load on it. The owner's manual goes on right after this discription on flat towing the vehicle with it's wheels on the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Whatever. If it's strong enough to extract the vehicle out of a ditch, it's strong enough to tow the vehicle down the road as once you get the momentum there is hardly any load on it. The owner's manual goes on right after this discription on flat towing the vehicle with it's wheels on the ground. Flat towing requires a tow bar and is usually reserved for RV towing, etc. - not something you'd do with a single tow hook. I wasn't implying that it wasn't strong enough, but it's only meant to be used with one hook on one side at a time to pull the car out of a ditch. You should never tow a vehicle on the road with a hook and a chain or rope - it just isn't safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 (edited) We've probably all towed a car with tow straps when we were younger. akirby, you're right, it's not the safe way to do it. The mission has to rely on the vehicle being towed to brake just right to keep the strap tight and to slow down the towing vehicle so it doesn't snap the strap, which always has the potential of causing damage. Also there's the risk of going too fast and walking that fine line of danger, or too slow and pissing off the cars behind you. And of course there's always the chance you come across a cop who is probably going to put a stop to the whole operation and possibly issue a ticket. Now that we're older and much wiser, we wouldn't risk that, right? The tow hook is not for towing the car down the road, because that's illegal and dangerous. svtenthusiast is also right, in an emergency, you could do it for short distances with two hooks if you absolutely had to. You can also use two hooks to pull the car on to a flat bed truck, but not one, because that will pull it off at an angle and possible off the side of the truck, unless you were to keep stopping and moving the hook from side to side. The primary purpose is for pulling the car out of a ditch or snowbank, and for that you would only need one tow hook. I don't recall what the actual procedure states in the manual, but I believe RV towing requires a trailer or front wheels up. It may include a tow bar, but that wouldn't be my preferred method. OK... Now we dance. Edited July 15, 2012 by transitman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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