Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

Basic Recovery Gear Advice

Sam, Damar offer a pretty good service. What you might need should be dictated by your intended usage - or you could follow the trend of most of the club and buy a ton of goodies that you're unlikely ever to use :clap: If you're only likely to need to give the odd tow/recovery, then you need a suitably long (6-10m) strap of appropriate strength. A 2m bridle is useful but only if you have 2 chassis or bullbar-mounted recovery points. A couple of 3-4t rated shackles will complete the bare minimum.

Obviously if you're going in for winching then more items are required. For self-recovery on a solo overland trip for example, you might want some ratchet straps and maybe a couple of supplementary tow straps to increase the distance from which you can recover (remember you might be getting recovered by a 30 yr old Peugeot 504 whose wily driver is only prepared to drive on the hardened road and won't venture off to recover your stricken LC 30m off the road in the sand.) If you're into off-roading and the prospect of getting very stuck becomes real, then kinetic straps and heavy duty equipment becomes relevant.
Also keep in mind that a huge kit with all the goodies is not much use sitting at home when you need it, so a small basic kit that lives permanently in your truck and doesn't take up too much space could be optimum. Depends on your expected usage.

SimonD said:
No worries Chris :thumbup: My 10% cactus rule is if you have a 10m kinetic strap and it now measures 10.1m you may as well replace it given 10.2m is the 20% maximum stretch in a typical kinetic strap.
Simon, can you run us through your (cactus?) maths please? :lol: 10% of 10m =? and 20% of 10m=?
10.1m may well indicate that the bloke making the strap didn't get his measurements quite right but I wouldn't take it as a sign that your KR is knackered - it's only 1% different to 10m, not 10%. :ugeek:

20% permanent stretch on your 10m KR would result in a 12m strap which is pretty significant. I'm guessing your strap would be obviously u/s at that point as the thickness of the material would be noticeably thinner, especially compared with the loops.
 
I find the kinetic straps are a lot easier to stow than a kinetic rope.
 
SimonD said:
Simon, can you run us through your (cactus?) maths please? :lol: 10% of 10m =? and 20% of 10m=?
10.1m may well indicate that the bloke making the strap didn't get his measurements quite right but I wouldn't take it as a sign that your KR is knackered - it's only 1% different to 10m, not 10%. :ugeek:
:D yes 11m and 12m - memo to self: avoid late night posts :lol:
Ignoring the numbers - back of the fag example and I don't even smoke :lol:
What I was saying was that straps DO stretch after being overloaded and if it got up to say 11m in my poor example ie 10% etc the strap is rooted [another word for cactus]. 20% is the max stretch for a strap in this case.
Many have seen no indication of this stretching - my point is simply: if you don't have an indicator on the strap then measuring can help determine its health too.

As i'm in the thread here's another video on recovery gear which some may like:
[youtube:f8sksbi6]Q2NTiniZcrQ[/youtube:f8sksbi6]
 
Thanks for that explanation Simon. Completely with you now. I have a strap too, rather than a rope.

In terms of my personal experience I still haven't seen evidence of this. I don't doubt you for a second, but I haven't seen it. I think that if a strap stretched and stayed stretched, it's wouldn't be US in my view. It would just become a static strap. I have to say that part of this might be that I haven't abused my kinetic products.

I like the sound of the sewn in indicator. Clever. Mine certainly don't have that. Next time I drop into Damar, I am going to ask them for their view.

Chris
 
Thanks for the time and advice chaps - helps a lot :thumbup:
 
I've found over the years that Dave Bowyers Goodwinch.com web site is filled with all the info that one requires regarding the kind of topic that you have here. If you follow this link http://www.dborc.co.uk/goodwinch/ then look down the list on the left hand side you'll find all you need to know by following the 'Learn with Dave' link :)

As others have already said you'll find Damar Webbing very easy to deal with http://www.slingsandstraps.co.uk/
 
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
Thanks again fellas... got myself a couple of strong straps and shackles from Damar - job done for now :thumbup:

Course, if I need to use them for anything more than peace of mind I'll be kicking myself for not putting some proper recovery points on! Just had a quick look at my front [strike:1fempbty]recovery[/strike:1fempbty] [strike:1fempbty]towing[/strike:1fempbty] rings - looks a little bit flaky under there :shock:

Have to have a proper look when it goes into Mr T for the pre-launch service (next week hopefully)... here's hoping it's nothing :pray:
 
http://www.masterpull.com/cpage.cfm?cpid=425
this is the only retrieval rope i recommend to anyone. worth every penny. used in the oil fields for recovery of HUGE equipment.
as someone else aluded to "use the right tool for the job" and this IS the right tool.
i have been using them for decades to recover Land Cruisers and NO they do not fade with each tug.
a lifting sling is not designed for sudden application of pull. they are designed for lifting.
straps are one step above using a chain or cable.
kentic straps are one step above a strap.

these are leaps and bounds above anything else.

but i was ridiculed last time i posted these up. <shrug>
 
Moving on slightly from the strap to the recovery point - just as, if not more, importantly ...

I've taken off my towbar, and my custom receiver hasn't (yet) materialised - in any event, I'd prefer to spread any load across the chassis in a recovery scenario, so was wanting to fit one of these to each chasis rail:

b4v-WarnBlkHook.JPG


Or:
Bushranger_Tow___4d4d371a11991.jpg


Question is - should this lot not have a spreader plate on top as well - otherwise is there not a danger of damaging the chassis box section - or am I missing some basic engineering knowledge like 'moments' and such (I think I'm having one now ... :D )

Are two bolts through the chassis rail on their own like this adequate to prevent any 'shear' damage - especially with an off-centre pull (even with a bridle)?

Should I not consider 2 of these instead:
1239724626-ba2682.jpg


which would swivel also to point the shackle in the right direction ...

Quite a bit more ££ but seem to be more flexible in application?

:? :?: :?

Or am I getting too anal about all this, and just use some chewing gum and sticky tape :lol:


Cheers
 
i have installed many of those hooks over the decades.
they are decent quality, the pull should be straight out and to rip the frame then the frame had issues to begin with.
most of the older Land Cruisers have the holes already in the front frame horns to recieve the hooks although usually the bolts that come in the kit are standard thread pitch and the factory welded nuts are fine spline metric.
 
those hooks will be fine in terms of chassis loading, I wouldn't worry about that. Bet those are not cheap though, can't you just put the hitch back on until your receiver is sorted?
 
Thanks folks. Crushers - these will be for the back, but your point is noted. The front has the ARB Sahara [strike:3u6xkar2]bar[/strike:3u6xkar2] winch bumper, and there's been a lot of debate about the recovery points on those - whether they're actually recovery points or tow eyes ;) ARB has said they're fine for recovery, but won't issue a rating certificate. No surprise there - they have no control over what people do once purchase is made.

Jon - the tow bar hangs as low as Khubu's wotsit's on a warm day so I'd prefer not to have to go back to that - will if I need to though.

Maybe I'll take the pastic 'bumper' part off - means no rear fog lights, but that's no big deal at this time of year :whistle: :whistle: :shifty: and fit the tow-bar direct to the cross-member... or cut a hole in the plastic for direct access.

The hooks run to about £17 EACH :shock:
 
I fitted two of those hooks = Warn, at front and two at back. In hindsight i would have got the ones you show with the metal clip. Since a few times when using them to recover other vehicles, the strop has fallen off the hook when slack...
i keep meaning to make my own clips out of some flexible steel bar, but havent got round to it yet
 
Jon Wildsmith said:
you need to nag the receiver man some more :lol:

Hmm - BTDT. He claims he's 'too busy at the moment, re-inventing British manufacturing' :violin: :think: :lol:

No - just kidding - he is pretty busy, and it's not (yet) the end of the world for that. Hoping to get the receiver from him soon-ish.

May go with some 75 x 50 x 10mm angle-iron attached to the chassis rails with a nice slot milled in it for the shackle - seems easier and probably cheaper.
 
I prefer the angle and big hole option to hooks. I think I saved myself a set of pigtails so I'll be ok at the front and at the rear I'll make do with the tow bar but if I ever decide I need something better then I'd just chop up some angle :)
 
Only a little, Gav. If you like, I can set SWMBO on to you - wait, that's not really fair, is it - you know a coffee-shop soon sorts that out :D :clap: :clap:

Jon / Gav / Chris / any other fabricator dude :lol: - will round holes be any better or worse than oval 'slots'? I can drill the round holes with my super-duper new pillar-drill, just can't mill the slots. Suppose I could drill two holes and file it out :? Also - will 6mm angle be OK, or should it be at least 8mm (or even 10mm??). And should I put a spreader plate on top??
 
Not sure why a slotted hole would be beneficial for putting a pull point on... Big F.O. hole would be fine I'd have thought...

Go as thick as you can find easily - I'm sure the ones on the Colorado were only 6mm but...
 
:text-threadjacked: OP asked about recovery gear and you're debating the finer points of oval vs round holes? :naughty:
:laughing-rolling:
 
Back
Top