# Getting Out of a Ditch? How? Anyone Experienced This?



## Love (Sep 13, 2017)

Copying this from HERE because I don't have an answer and want these questions to have more visibility. Can anyone speak to these questions that @David O. has asked?

Does anyone have any experience with getting their 3 or any other electric car out of a ditch. Mainly getting stuck in the snow? 
Can the front recovery hook be put and used to pull the car out of a ditch or does it being electric present a whole different set of issues in recovery?
Also does anyone know of a place to be able to attach and recover from the rear. Especially the 3
Since we live in the country there is always the possibility of getting stuck in the winter.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Set the car to "Tow Mode" and make sure the towing area is clear of anything hard enough to damage the battery below the passenger compartment. That's about it.


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## Love (Sep 13, 2017)

JasonF said:


> Set the car to "Tow Mode" and make sure the towing area is clear of anything hard enough to damage the battery below the passenger compartment. That's about it.


Does "Tow Mode" allow the car to be pushed/pulled like an ICE car in neutral?

Edit: Found this on another forum.
Neutral still requires someone in the driver's seat. It can be activated by holding the drive selector stalk for a few seconds. As soon as you leave the seat, the car transitions to "Park".

Tow mode does not require someone in the seat, but is only active for a limited amount of time. It is activated by the center console. Starting in "Park", Controls > Service > Towing. Hit the Transport Mode button until it turns blue. It times out after 20 minutes, or when you hit the brake or gear selector. It's meant for getting pulled onto a flat-bed truck.


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## Feathermerchant (Sep 17, 2018)

I don't know of any approved attach point in the rear. If you have a tow hitch that would be a pretty good place. If possible, I would get a driver in the stuck car to use its power to help with the recovery. That will reduce the tow vehicle's work and reduce the pull on the stuck car.


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## orekart (Nov 15, 2018)

Lovesword said:


> Since we live in the country there is always the possibility of getting stuck in the winter.


Model 3 dual motor gets stuck mostly due to clearances and tire profile. If you high center it in the snow and run HVAC overnight to high heat it can melt the snow and get you back on solid ground. If you high center it in mud similarly just wait for a dry day that the ground will evaporate changing shape and you're good to go.

As for recovery with a tow strap I think that would be problematic. The aftermarket hitches I've looked at are not recommended as towing recovery attachment points. That eyelet bolt attachment point is not meant to be used for dragging a 2-ton paperweight through wet aggregate. If you're in an actual ditch with stock Model 3 where a flatbed tow truck cannot get to then you should grab some popcorn, loosen your wallet, and enjoy the subsequent bad idea theatre... reflect perhaps on how it might be just about time to place your pre-order for the Bollinger while, I too, howl for the October moon and brew Tesla Truck summoning potions for good measure in solidarity of your plight!

My daily driver is a Model 3 Dual Motor with 1in taller-than-stock Yoko Geo A/T's on 17x7 BRAID rally wheels, and a 1.75in MPP lift kit installed. Ground clearance is an easy 7in and it goes right over those random gravel construction yards and pesky medians that stand between the navigation directions on the screen and where the Supercharger stalls actually are.  Efficiency is 280Wh/mi over 16,000mi on this setup and the load rating limits me to 70-75mph or else handling gets to be too weird.

While Increasing suspension travel and/or lifting is already in discussion I'd sure like to hear more about towing attachment points and modifications.


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## android04 (Sep 20, 2017)

I'm pretty sure that for a "rear" attachment point they actually pull from one of the rear wheels. I have a rear trailer hitch for possibly getting pulled from the rear if I ever need it, and only if it's NOT from a deep or steep ditch.


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## [email protected] (Oct 3, 2018)

Following, specifically for the rearward towing/pulling options.


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## Gabzqc (Oct 15, 2016)

Very interested, living in Finland where "deep snow" is a normal winter occurrence!


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## jsanford (May 24, 2016)

Our car got stuck at the top of our driveway last winter. We pulled it with the tow loop and two neighbors with 4x4 vehicles with chains (street wasn’t plowed) in tandem with each other.

i wouldn’t recommend this technique, but it worked. But next time we’ll use chains.


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