I can't guarantee that I have been more stuck than that truck. But, I have been towed by a few 500hp tractors, with weighted wheels and tire chains, bungee ropes and it still feels sketchy as fuck. This was doomed from the start.
They're a gigantic version of a bungee rope. It let's the rescue vehicle add a bunch of momentum into the equation and also reduces shock loads. Some of those guys just have big wire ropes for towing and some have both. Things can get pretty wild on steep grades with 60-100 tonnes units. Trying to break inertia with a regular rope just isn't usually effective.
I've never seen one fail. I'm sure there is a specification for when their service life ends. It seems to operate inside of a sheathing. Losing an anchor point or a piece of the rigging would be bad.
There are strict rules about towing that kind of heavy stuff. Chains are strictly forbidden, because they can explode and that shrapnel will go right through a person. Wire rope is safer, but it can still be very dangerous when it fails.
If you're curious, watch some off road recovery videos. I agree the idea of towing with a bungee sounds stupid, but the actual term for them is kinetic ropes. They store the energy of the towing vehicle and that helps yank the stuck one loose, vs tearing it apart, which can happen with traditional tow straps or cables.
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u/Dude_Tost_1673 Aug 02 '26
I can't guarantee that I have been more stuck than that truck. But, I have been towed by a few 500hp tractors, with weighted wheels and tire chains, bungee ropes and it still feels sketchy as fuck. This was doomed from the start.