macca
9th August 2014, 07:53 AM
Taken from an email from Pat Callinan
Note the tow ball was first on the list!
Recoveries can be potentially dangerous if they aren't done correctly, are quite safe if the correct tenants are followed. Here are some commonly found mistakes that are made in the bush, and how not to make them.
1. Using the towball.
This is a common mistake to those that aren't in the know. Just because you can tow a three and a half tonne trailer with the tow ball, it should never be used in a recovery situation, ever. Ever. It simply isn't strong enough to deal with the shearing, shock loads that come with snatching and winching bogged vehicles, and can become a deadly missile of things go wrong. Too many people have lost their lives to this, and it should never happen.
These anodised, billet aluminium 'Hitchlinks' from Factor 55 are a good option for replacing the towball whilst offroading.
What should you do to fix this? Get rid of the towball completely when you can, and use the hitch receiver as a recovery point. You can get recovery points that slot into the hitch and work nicely with a 4.7t shackle, or you can use the 5/8" hitch pin to secure a strap or cable.
2. Rated recovery points
Many vehicles have hooks and loops located around their car, but hardly any of them are suited to off-road recovery. Many are just tiedown points for securing the car on a trailer, and aren't strong enough for the real deal. One of the first accessories that should be fitted to any 4X4 is rated recovery points front and rear, so you know you have a strong point to tow, winch and snatch from.
What should you do to fix this? Get some rated recovery points fitted, and ensure that the rating suits the application.
3. Shackles between snatch straps
This is another Veeeeery dangerous no-no. Through misuse, overloading or gradual wear and tear, snatch straps do fail from time to time. Using a shackle in between straps turns an already dangerous whipping fabric into a potentially dangerous steel juggernaut.
Note: Don't use a copy of Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures magazine for this; find something else!
What should you do to fix this? Never use a shackle. If you need to use two straps for a recovery, loop the eyes of each strap through each other, with something in the eye of the knot (a towel, a bunch of twigs or a magazine) to prevent binding. And always use the strap in conjunction with a strap dampener.
4. Using a strap dampener
You see plenty of folk that don't use strap dampeners during a recovery, which is a shame. They take seconds to apply, and can make a botched recovery a much safer experience for all involved. You don't need a specfic damper if you don't have one; anything heavy that can lay over the strap and slow its delivery of kinetic energy in the form of flying will do the job.
Make a habit of using the dampener every time you use a strap or cable in anger.
What should you do to fix this? Use one! Almost every recovery kit comes with a strap dampener these days, but if you are missing one, look for one at all of the usual suspects. A strap dampener should be used whenever there is a cable or strap being used with any degree of force.
5. The humble shovel.
You may not realise it, but one of the most valuable pieces of recovery gear is sitting out there in the garden shed: The long handled shovel. If you are heading offroad, pack the shovel. It's uses range well beyond just that of a recovery, and is worth its price of admission many times over.
Got bogged? Get shovelling ...
What should you do to fix this? Take the shovel along. And when you do get bogged, instead of getting the recovery vehicle snatched up and stomping on the loud pedal like you're Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan, do the rational thing and think things through a little bit. Chances are, you can make the whole recovery a lot easier by just cleaing the tracks a little bit with the shovel. You'll put a lot less stress on everything (including the participants), and get out of that bog a whole lot easier.
6. Tree Trunk Protector
This is another thing that is included in the modern day recovery kit for good reason. Running a thin wire around a tree and then applying tonnes of force to it 'ringbarks' the tree. Also known as 'girdling', the removal of damage of a strip of bark can cause the tree to die over time: something that we don't want to happen.
Use protection, Tree trunk protection, that is.
What should you do to fix this? If you are anchoring off a tree, use a protector strap. It's not the tree's fault that you got bogged, so do the right thing by it.
Note the tow ball was first on the list!
Recoveries can be potentially dangerous if they aren't done correctly, are quite safe if the correct tenants are followed. Here are some commonly found mistakes that are made in the bush, and how not to make them.
1. Using the towball.
This is a common mistake to those that aren't in the know. Just because you can tow a three and a half tonne trailer with the tow ball, it should never be used in a recovery situation, ever. Ever. It simply isn't strong enough to deal with the shearing, shock loads that come with snatching and winching bogged vehicles, and can become a deadly missile of things go wrong. Too many people have lost their lives to this, and it should never happen.
These anodised, billet aluminium 'Hitchlinks' from Factor 55 are a good option for replacing the towball whilst offroading.
What should you do to fix this? Get rid of the towball completely when you can, and use the hitch receiver as a recovery point. You can get recovery points that slot into the hitch and work nicely with a 4.7t shackle, or you can use the 5/8" hitch pin to secure a strap or cable.
2. Rated recovery points
Many vehicles have hooks and loops located around their car, but hardly any of them are suited to off-road recovery. Many are just tiedown points for securing the car on a trailer, and aren't strong enough for the real deal. One of the first accessories that should be fitted to any 4X4 is rated recovery points front and rear, so you know you have a strong point to tow, winch and snatch from.
What should you do to fix this? Get some rated recovery points fitted, and ensure that the rating suits the application.
3. Shackles between snatch straps
This is another Veeeeery dangerous no-no. Through misuse, overloading or gradual wear and tear, snatch straps do fail from time to time. Using a shackle in between straps turns an already dangerous whipping fabric into a potentially dangerous steel juggernaut.
Note: Don't use a copy of Pat Callinan's 4X4 Adventures magazine for this; find something else!
What should you do to fix this? Never use a shackle. If you need to use two straps for a recovery, loop the eyes of each strap through each other, with something in the eye of the knot (a towel, a bunch of twigs or a magazine) to prevent binding. And always use the strap in conjunction with a strap dampener.
4. Using a strap dampener
You see plenty of folk that don't use strap dampeners during a recovery, which is a shame. They take seconds to apply, and can make a botched recovery a much safer experience for all involved. You don't need a specfic damper if you don't have one; anything heavy that can lay over the strap and slow its delivery of kinetic energy in the form of flying will do the job.
Make a habit of using the dampener every time you use a strap or cable in anger.
What should you do to fix this? Use one! Almost every recovery kit comes with a strap dampener these days, but if you are missing one, look for one at all of the usual suspects. A strap dampener should be used whenever there is a cable or strap being used with any degree of force.
5. The humble shovel.
You may not realise it, but one of the most valuable pieces of recovery gear is sitting out there in the garden shed: The long handled shovel. If you are heading offroad, pack the shovel. It's uses range well beyond just that of a recovery, and is worth its price of admission many times over.
Got bogged? Get shovelling ...
What should you do to fix this? Take the shovel along. And when you do get bogged, instead of getting the recovery vehicle snatched up and stomping on the loud pedal like you're Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan, do the rational thing and think things through a little bit. Chances are, you can make the whole recovery a lot easier by just cleaing the tracks a little bit with the shovel. You'll put a lot less stress on everything (including the participants), and get out of that bog a whole lot easier.
6. Tree Trunk Protector
This is another thing that is included in the modern day recovery kit for good reason. Running a thin wire around a tree and then applying tonnes of force to it 'ringbarks' the tree. Also known as 'girdling', the removal of damage of a strip of bark can cause the tree to die over time: something that we don't want to happen.
Use protection, Tree trunk protection, that is.
What should you do to fix this? If you are anchoring off a tree, use a protector strap. It's not the tree's fault that you got bogged, so do the right thing by it.