THE MAGIC ROPE

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You'll most likely have a jack with you anyway. . . and if yours is a bumper model, of better quality than those the big three include with their new cars, it can be used in a pinch to get your vehicle out of mud. Set the jack on a wide, flat plank or rock—to keep it from disappearing into the mire—and hoist the auto up enough to get boards, stones, or whatever under the tires. Always expect the jack to slip while you're doing this (that is, stay clear of the support and try not to keep your hands under the automobile or truck wheels any longer than necessary). Be aware, too, that the planks, etc., may be shot backward when you get the stuck car rolling . . . which means that your helpers should grasp the door handles and push from the sides rather than the back.

Also—if you've run off the road, but not too far off—you can use the bumper jack to correct matters, by hoisting the vehicle and pushing it off the support sideways in the proper direction. I don't like to do this because it's slow and dangerous and may damage the auto. If you must try, though, you'll find it advisable to push with a long sapling shoved under the frame or bumper to act as a lever. This not only gives you a little more thrust, but serves to put some distance between you and the jack (which can move very rapidly on occasion).

Incidentally, I've heard that you can winch a stuck vehicle out of a bad spot by means of a length of chain and the jack placed horizontally. Could be. I tried it once, and decided that my life was worth more than a towing charge.

Actually, the jack—in any position—is my least favorite means of coming unstuck. I know two other ways (apart from human or vehicular brute force) to accomplish the same purpose, and both work so well it's a joy to write about them.

First, if you live in the country, I'd strongly advise spending about $35.00 on a come-along (Fig. 1) . . . a compact manually operated winch. (The two-ton model is only slightly more expensive than the smaller sizes, and is well worth the difference.) I'd need an entire article to describe all the uses for this little wonder (even if I knew them all), so I'll merely point out that it can get a vehicle out of almost any drift, ditch, or mudhole.

The operation of the come-along is simple. The winch has a grab-hook on the back of its frame and a hook and length of cable on its spool. (Check the line for wear periodically, and make sure all connections are secure.) When in trouble, one fastens the towline to the auto's frame or some other solid portion of its anatomy and the winch-hook to a piece of chain moored to a sturdy rock or tree. (If possible, protect the trunk of alive tree with an old inner tube, piece of cardboard, etc., to prevent damage to the bark.) These hookup positions can be reversed, depending on where it's convenient for the winch operator to stand.

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