First post here: horrible story
 

So...I have been reading this forum for about a year. I learned a lot here. I am not very into posting on forums. However, I must share my story here tonight.

http://i.imgur.com/E6WOyqV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uAQSCOW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bahgU0E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eywE3If.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wHMfYYx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KOhLkZN.jpg

I feel very bad. I could have got the tow truck driver and myself killed because of my reluctance. I knew that I shouldn't be using that for an angled tow... I had a bad day at work, and I did not think about it at all when the truck driver asked if he should use that Raceseng tow hook to tow the car. Luckily, both me and the truck driver were standing by the side of the car when the car rolled down. He was brave and tried to grab my car when it was rolling. If he didn't do that, my car would have rolled into my housemate's 350Z. I gave this man the biggest tip I have ever given in my life afterwards.

I do baby my car, and I am definitely heartbroken. I have 2 scratched rims and my exhaust tip has a very slight dent at the bottom. Yet, thanks god, I guess I am already very lucky to be alive. Anyways folks, stay safe and use the stock tow hook when you need to tow your car from an angle.

Ahhhhh bummer man!

I don't think those tow hooks are for pulling angled though? More for small pit pull/looks. I'm sure it would work if your on an even pavement ground or say at the track and got stuck in mud/sand.

Good think your exhaust and rims can be fixed/replaced easily and you didn't get hurt. 2700lbs-ish on top of human body= bad.

Somehow I'd forgotten that. It's written in the manual that it's not designed to be towed at an angle; nothing else to blame except for my stupidity. I will never forget this ever again.

That being said, the Cusco tow hook looks more sturdy, and I think this would not have happened if I had the Cusco instead of the Raceseng...

I've always been really skeptical about those pricey tow hooks, guess they really are just for looks. :/
(although they weren't meant for towing at an angle)

@Raceseng is a honest and great guy to work with. His products are second to none given the pricepoint. It's a bit unfair to start playing a "what if" scenario with the Cusco versus the Raceseng without some hard pact data to back that up

Thanks for sharing, glad no one is hurt

I am going to look around the room and ask "Who was the professional in the room"?

The operator should have known better and I bet if his boss found out he will get in shit. Any situation that involves moving heavy weight requires that the operator be trained in proper rigging procedures.

Yes I realize that wisdom comes from experience and experience form a lack of wisdom, so I am going to bet both you and the driver are a little wiser this morning.

Use a Clevis on on tow hooks/bolts...ALWAYS... No matter who makes it.

Why was it necessary to tow the car?

The tow hook (any tow hook) is for pulling your car out of the gravel trap or out of a wall to a point that you can get a real connection on the car, not for actual towing. That doesn't mean that Raceseng makes a bad product, because they don't. You were using the equipment incorrectly.

This....

The towing company is legally responsible for damage to a vehicle they are towing that can be shown to be due to their negligence.

I once had a tow company have to replace most of the rear suspension in a Lumina LTZ because the tow truck driver inadvertently looped the chain over a support and bent several pieces. It cost them about $1200 as I recall.

If this was through AAA or some other towing service like that you should report it, particularly since you have pictures of them doing it wrong, with or without your permission it is still technically their fault.

Well, I just installed rear LCAs. The alignment is seriously off, and I couldn't drive my car faster than 20. I am busy this week and I am going to hit the track this Saturday, so I thought to myself let's just tow the car to the alignment shop to avoid headache. It's ironic that this happened.

I started to wonder about this too. Shouldn't the tow truck driver be educated enough to know that the tow hook would not withstand the pull? For future reference, could you guys please educate me what is the right way to tow the car?

My car is sitting in the alignment shop right now; I did not have a chance to inspect the underbody / internals of my car. If the damage is really just the 2 wheels and the exhaust, then I will pay for the repair. If the damage is more than that, I might give my insurance company a call.

The problem was not that the tow hook was used.

The problem was that the TT operator continued to run the winch with the cable at a 45 degree angle!
The very last pic before the pic of the broken tow hook tells it all.
The second the rear tires were on the truck bed, he should have stopped the winch and tipped the bed up.
With a straight pull, it should only take a couple hundred pounds to "tow" the car.
At the angle the winch was at, the cable was probably under more than 1000 lbs tension and was putting a torque on the tow hook.

This, this and this!^^^^^
The operator should never even considered winching any further once the cable even started to get to that angle.

OP don't go through insurance as this is 100% operator error on the wrecker driver. I would even go after them for the rim damage as that pic says it all.

http://www.raceseng.com/tug-front-to...ubaru-brz-2013
**DISCLAIMER**
The Tug View is not intended for all towing situations, it can only be used in a straight pull with no angle or side pulling. Doing so can result in damage to the Tug View or the vehicle. If the vehicle is in an unfavorable situation, please use the OEM tow hook.

Not exactly clear what they mean by "no angle"
What about 1 degree? that is still angle no?
These things are for show. What is wrong with the stock one that is free?

By angle, they mean not straight, 1 degree won't make a difference. They can still be used to pull the car out of the gravel, just not by a flatbed at a 45 degrees angle.

They are not clear. The disclaimer says no angle which pretty much means zero. It broke at about ~45, which is more than zero. Any angle(even 1 degree) is more than no(zero) angle. I guess liabilities and disclaimers must be very broad to cover all angles :lol:

That was acute joke!

If they said no more than +/- 15 degrees vertical axis, +/- 10 degrees horizontal axis, then that opens them up to unprovable claims. "I was only at 7 degrees and it broke! Give me a new one!" When in reality the guy was using it as a jack point. It's easier to say straight pulls only.

srsly swarb splitting hairs a little aren't ya lool

Honestly I can't blame OP for expecting a tow hook to be capable of towing.

Tow hooks should be able to work at any angle while pulling racecars out of sand traps, tire walls, or trees. The fact it's incapable of supporting a car being pulled onto a flatbed shows that it's just a crappy part.

They should really include some fine print "for show use only"

All horrible stories end with a hook!

Good form.

we all live and learn, glad the car is pretty okay. it was going to get scratched inevitably!

Well he held the cable at that angle for more than 30secs before the tow hook snapped. He was putting some hooks onto my new RLCAs. I guess he is really an idiot.

Let us know what you're gunna do.. so glad he stopped it before it might've hit your neighbor's car.

Do you need to drive the car faster than 20mph to get it up a ramp? Why did you tow it at all?

As others have said, why didn't you use the OEM tow hook? It looks bland and therefore is probably stronger for it.

:laughabove:

Sort of the bottom line right there.

You know the answer to that. Nobody will take you seriously if you don't have a race tow hook.

"Give your ride a high end race-bred look with the Tug."

You are right. I just followed the instructions from the tow truck guy and... I could never imagine this could happen.

Tow operator error - combined with a non-oem part which wasn't up to the abuse.

As soon as the whole car was on the truck, you lift the bed flat.

Since the car was drivable, you could pick your spot to load it too - so no cars should have been near you ideally.

Its the tow operator's fault but since the part was not oem, I can see them giving you trouble over it.

Thanks for posting. I never gave much thought to towing and what the tow hook was designed for.

A little analysis: The OP was feeling worried about getting his baby on the flat-bed. The operator seems to know what he is doing and hooks up to the tow hook.. worried about the obvious danger from the ramp... looking right at the cable angle... you can't see the force vectors at work.. The OP is worried about his car and the ramp! That situation doesn't make for good decisions.

Vector math gives you some crazy results about forces. You would think "It CANT be that much force! All we are doing is pulling at an angle!" But yes, it is that much force.

Even knowing all the theories, real life experience counts for a lot too.

Thanks for posting your experience. No lives lost. If I have a vehicle towed I am going to stop, look, think back and remember "now.. what is that thing about tow hooks again?" I find that when there is a situation involving fear, excitement or danger extra F###ups happen.

Great post.

Both parties are at fault, lesson learned and move on. Maybe you can ask back the fat tip that you praised him with.