The Power of the Ridge Compels Me

When I bought my Honda Ridgeline 3 1/2 years ago I didn’t really realize how much they were looked down on by owners of full-size trucks. I wasn’t buying a truck to be cool; I actually have a need to haul equipment around. At the same time I didn’t want the poor gas mileage of something bigger, and I trust Honda’s reliability, so Ridgeline fit the bill quite nicely.

Honda really did their research when they designed this truck. The 4-wheel drive system on it is quite advanced, with the truck having the ability to essentially control each wheel independently, so if one wheel starts to slip the truck automatically sends power to the wheels that have traction. So it does amazingly well in snow. Most 4WD vehicles are designed so the same amount of energy is transferred to the road by each of the tires on an axle, so if one tire spins, the other tire on that axle does precisely nothing but sit there like a bump on a log. (4WD is really 2WD, and 2WD is really 1WD; this is done so the tires on an axle can move at different speeds as you go around a corner.) But mine is designed differently.

That withstanding, the general consensus about the Ridgeline among owners of full-size trucks, both domestic and foreign, is that they are soccer mom vehicles, not really designed to handle any of the big heavy jobs that their trucks can. If they did any research with an open mind, though, they’d realize that the Ridgeline is much more rugged than it at first appears. But that doesn’t keep them from making disrespectful comments to me and other RL owners. Granted, I wouldn’t try and tow a houseboat with mine, but they are better equipped than most people think.

Tonight I had an opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Ridgeline to the owners of not just one but two full size trucks. I had gone over to the church to pick up some equipment and as I pulled in there were what looked like a couple of trucks stuck in the snow in the back part of the parking lot. The lot had been plowed a while before, but another 3-4 inches had fallen since then. I guess the combination of packed snow and loose snow on top of it was enough to make it pretty hard for most people to get around. Anyway, the smaller of the two trucks had gotten himself really stuck, and the bigger truck came to help, and got himself even more stuck in the process.

I figured I’d let them try to get out for a couple minutes while I went inside to pick up the stuff I came for. When I came out neither one had moved, so it was pretty obvious they had a dilemma on their hands. So I walked over and asked if they were stuck and needed some help. They did. I told them I’d help if they didn’t feel too insulted by being pulled out by a Honda Ridgeline. The driver of the larger truck (it was a pretty large Heavy Duty Chevy Duramax, complete with lift, big tires, etc) admitted that he felt a little silly (especially with his girlfriend sitting in the passenger seat), but agreed to let me help. I didn’t have my tow strap with me so I told them I’d go home to get it and return in a few minutes.

When I pulled back into the parking lot neither truck had moved an inch. So I pulled in front of the larger truck, with the intent to just pull him far enough to one side that he could move under his own power. So I hooked my tow strap to his front tow hook, and hopped in my truck to start to pull him out, almost straight to his left.

What happened actually surprised everyone. It started with the monster truck being pulled right out of its ruts, and at that point I had some good momentum so I just kept going. I was pulling him almost sideways across the parking lot. But because he was tied to the second truck behind him, it came along too. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched in my mirror as the second truck came loose and was sliding across the parking lot. I was literally dragging both trucks across the parking lot! My little V6 Honda Ridgeline. And I wasn’t on dry pavement, I was driving on the same snow that they had gotten stuck in. I just have a better 4WD system than they do, so I can get traction when they can’t.

I didn’t want to rub it in their faces too much that my “little" “weak” truck was able to do what they couldn’t (they were obviously already uncomfortable with the idea), so I pretty much just gathered up my stuff and left. But I could tell that everybody was surprised at what had just happened. But among their surprise was a little gratitude, too.

I try not to take pride in showing off, but sometimes I just can’t help but do it just a little bit to try to shatter a stereotype. Or maybe it’s an attempt to teach them that they aren’t invincible. I don’t know. But it was kind of fun nonetheless.

This wasn’t the first time this has happened, either. Last year two friends got their trucks stuck in the empty lot down the street from me (at the same time), and roughly the same thing happened, though I pulled them out and dragged them across the field one at a time instead of both at once.

The lesson learned for me is that I need to carry my towing equipment with me at all times, just in case of situations like this. Inevitably I end up pulling at least a few vehicles out of tough spots each winter, so it's probably a good idea to actually be prepared ahead of time.