OK folks. On my last trip I came upon a stranded group of people ( two adults and 3 young men) on Hwy 1 . Their mini van was stuck on the hwy as you
all know there's not a shoulder so the van was taking up most of the lane. They were frantically trying to flag someone down, so I did stop to see if
I could help.
Ends up what they need is a tow to a mechanic. They have a tow strap but it is made up of many old seat belt straps all tied together. ( quite
ingenious ).
I ask then how far they need to be towed and they say "um poco" So I say OK and we get hooked up. Although their strap isn't vary long so I dig mine
out and we install it.
We just get started going ( less than a mile) and I see a guy, by some houses that we are passing, running and waving at us . I pull over and it is
the owner that had gone ahead to try and find a mechanic. Ends up the closest mechanic is at Catavina , which is about 35 km away. A lot farther than
I wanted to tow but I'm kinda trapped at this point. So off we go, luckily the driver in the other van knew how to be towed and we didn't crash
together. That was my worry as IF we did crash, I doubt my insurance would cover me and I'm sure they had no money.
I was lucky and everything went fine but in the future I will only use my tow strap for pulling someone out of being stuck.
Talking to others I was told that the Federal Police can ticket you for that type of towing also ?
Another thing that was interesting was that I asked how long they were trying to flag down help? Almost 4 hours !
Anyone else have any towing stories or want to comment ?AguaDulce - 7-3-2019 at 07:23 AM
I owe someone a tow. I was towed last week with my tow strap 20 or so miles to San Felipe.The man then let me keep the car in his yard. I then got a
trailer in California and returned a few days later. Great guy.4x4abc - 7-3-2019 at 07:56 AM
I have done it many timesDavid K - 7-3-2019 at 07:59 AM
I towed a friend in a VW from San Felipe to San Ysidro back in 1983. A fun story, that I will share later!amigobaja - 7-3-2019 at 08:14 AM
I stopped for a stranded guy about 40 miles north of Loreto and neither of us had a tow rope. He climbed in his car and came out with one seat belt
strap. Towed him all the way thru the hills and vados to Loreto without a problem. Love telling the story because it proved that at least one local in
Mexico did use a seat belt.
I personally would never drive past anyone on Mex 1 that needed a tow.Archie - 7-3-2019 at 08:23 AM
I like better the method the Angeles Verdes use... they put an old tire in their front bumper and push the vehicle.
AKgringo - 7-3-2019 at 08:23 AM
Over the last couple of years, I have pulled two Baja drivers out of holes (one of them a produce truck) and I have towed a broken down pick up far
enough to get off a dangerous stretch of highway.
None of those were a great distance, so Karma dictates that I still owe for the time I was rescued in Alaska. A guy headed north to Fairbanks turned
around and pulled me 50 miles to a place where I could get my truck fixed!
He wouldn't even take gas money for his hundred mile detour!mjs - 7-3-2019 at 08:59 AM
Towed a few four wheeled vehicles over the years.
Once towed a motorcycle with my motorcycle from Gonzaga to BoLA. But my longest motorcycle tow was from Mazatlan to Tucson. Two days and 800 miles or
so IIRC.
fishbuck - 7-3-2019 at 10:35 AM
I'm might drag them off the hiway... and send a tow truck when I get to town...
Unless we are part off a caravan... in that case...
"Never (ever) leave your wingman..."fishbuck - 7-3-2019 at 10:37 AM
