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I have had my 2002 Jeep Liberty for 2 winters now and I always keep a tow strap in back because I have pulled a number of cars and trucks out of the snow. The first real test came in February, 2002 when Oakland County Michigan got close to a foot of snow overnight.

After pulling out several stuck cars and pickup trucks that I passed on my way to work, I came across a double trailer semi-truck stuck in the right lane of Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills. He was unable to even rock the truck. The tires just spun and the vehicle did not move. I pulled over in front of him and told him I was willing to try pulling him out if he thought it would do any good. He told me that if I did get him out I would need to pull him to the top of the small hill about 1/4 of a mile away because he would just get stuck again. I didn't have a problem with that so I put the Liberty in 4-wheel Low and backed up to his truck. We hooked the tow strap to the towing pin on the front of his semi. I eased the tow strap tight and accelerated slowly. All four wheels on the Liberty were spinning slowly in the snow but sure enough the truck started moving. At that point the light turned red and we had to stop. When it turned green we started off again with the truck in tow slowly accelerating to about 10 mph. We got quite a few amazed looks from other motorists. At the top of the hill we stopped and unhooked. The truck driver was very amazed. He told me that he had his truck in neutral and the Liberty still had enough traction to pull both vehicles up the hill through deep snow. He said he was going to trade his Ford truck in for a Jeep vehicle.

The second Liberty "rescue" of a semi-truck occurred during a snow and ice storm this past April. Traffic on Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills was at a crawl because of vehicles having trouble making it up the ice-covered hill. A semi-truck had become stuck in the middle lane halfway up the hill. I pulled over in front of him and offered him a tow. He was a little surprised but accepted. I put the Liberty in 4-wheel Low and we hooked the tow strap to his towing pin. The road was so slippery we had to be careful not to fall while walking between the vehicles. I kept the wheels spinning slowly on the ice and at first, nothing seemed to be happening but then I looked at the pavement and realized we were moving slowly up the hill, accelerating as we went. The drivers of the other trucks were quite amazed to see the Liberty pulling the truck up the hill, especially those who were stuck. We eventually crested the hill and he hit his horn to stop. He was very impressed. There were three additional trucks stuck on the other side of the road but I decided one truck was enough since I was already running late for work.

This may not be a heart-stopping rescue but it certainly demonstrates the capabilities of the Liberty when the going gets tough.

Brian H

Waterford, MI

Another story from Jeep.com Site.

Possible?

I find it tough to swallow as well but I dont believe it would be impossible. The rig would have to be right at the threshold of having enough traction to move. So the KJ would just give the little extra boost to move. Once a rig spins a tire on snow or is it can be tough to get moving again with all that weight behind you. Once moving the weight can help to move the drive wheels across patches with little traction.

I would try it with my KJ just for fun

Yeah, but he says the semi was in neutral!?!? That would be REALLY impressive.