Rear Recovery Point in Tow Hitch

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Originally Posted by Chappa

And if you have a heavy duty strap such as ARB 11000Lb they wont fit staight into a reciever anyway.

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And there is the crux of the problem, a snatch strap rated to fail at 11000lb.......... hmmmmm, thought that was going to be 11 000 kg :-) Anyhooo, that is the crux of the problem. Snatch straps used to be rated to fail at 2000kg. Now the common ones are rated to fail at 5,000 or 8,000 kgs. Some are 11 tonnes or more.

Snatch straps are relatively light and relatively soft. They are probably pretty dangerous by themselves. They can be very dangerous launching something else that is heavy and hard.

If something has to fail I'd rather it be the strap, and not a shackle, a tow point, a bullbar, a tow bar, a recovery point or a chassis.

Just my opinion. My practical solution is to fit after market front points to our GQ in place of the factory single front hook, to spread the load to both rails (important in my view), and to buy the billet and shackle, as well as a plain steel pin. I only intend to do moderate snatches as either snatcher or snatchee, otherwise more digging and maybe some winching.

My set up is intended to make the other party happy. Likewise if I am recovering someone else, I will be happy that:
-I am not going to wear any part of their vehicle
-there is a clear understanding of who pays if either vehicle or the gear gets damaged
-they have some genuine understanding of the risks.

I fully expect that this will mean some people I meet that have failed to proceed will be paying for a commercial recovery. It has not been my experience so far, but evidence on this forum and elsewhere is that the ill prepared are also the ill inclined to put their hand in their pocket or help pack and clean up, when something gets broken recovering their vehicle.

As I said, grumpy tonight :-)

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Originally Posted by the ferret

NUP, forget that one mate, a young bloke was killed not too long ago, he was snatching off the towball,(deadly idea) but the tongue came away from the box section and the poor bloke wore the tongue AND towball combined.( weld broke on genuine Toyota towbar)
There is no way I would let anyone snatch me with that method. (shackle to tongue)
My advice to you as an experienced bushman who has seen most of it, would be to outlay a lousy $50, it may just save your life or someone elses one day. GET ONE!!

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G'day ferret, 04OFF isn't using the ball, just the removable tongue. One of those removable tongues failed in Tasmania a couple of years ago and killed a young bloke in a third vehicle. Rust in the weld between tube and tongue. That bloke was killed by the tow ball and the tongue part of the removable hitch - Crikey, I've just realised we agree :-)

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Originally Posted by BillsGU

One point you are missing is that the HR bar is not rated for snatching. It is generally accepted in the 4WD world that a properly fitted HR bar (with high tensile rated bolts) is suitable for recovery - but you will never get it on paper from Hayman Reece.

The fact is that every time you introduce another link in the recovery chain you are introducing another place where something can go wrong. These adaptors (the ones I have seen) are well made, but they are welded (which can let go) and you are then also introducing a shackle (is it rated or a cheapie from China / India?).

When using this adaptor the force of the recovery is not spread over the entire length of the pin - it is focused on the holes in the HR bar and the holes in the adaptor (much like a shearing action happening on the pin).

I have never used an adaptor - I always feed the loop of the strap into the HR hole and feed the pin through it.

I have done dozens (maybe hundreds?!) of snatches in the course of the Off Road Training and Recovery courses that I have conducted and I have never seen a pin bend or break. I have however seen a couple of shackles distort to the point where they are difficult to undo.

Lastly - the adaptor is another heavy lump of metal floating around in the back of the car.

Just my two bobs worth.

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The pin will bend before it sheers.
Anything as heavy as an adaptor should not be "floating around in the back of a car" end of story.

I know how to solve or eliminate every single issue mentioned so far... Don't use a Snatch Strap. :animierte-smilies-f

Very old school thinking on my part I know but... Pffft... has worked for me to date. I reckon of all the Snatch Recoveries I have witnessed at least 90% did not , indeed should not have involved using a Snatch Strap.

Probably 50% of the time the dude could drive the mired vehicle out if they got their fat butt outa the drivers seat and grabbed a shovel.

E.T. dons flame suit and heads for... uuummmm... Argentina might be just far enough :smile:

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Originally Posted by the ferret

NUP, forget that one mate, a young bloke was killed not too long ago, he was snatching off the towball,(deadly idea) but the tongue came away from the box section and the poor bloke wore the tongue AND towball combined.( weld broke on genuine Toyota towbar)
There is no way I would let anyone snatch me with that method. (shackle to tongue)
My advice to you as an experienced bushman who has seen most of it, would be to outlay a lousy $50, it may just save your life or someone elses one day. GET ONE!!

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I assume you are talking about Josh Stein ?


The Coroner reported.........






Even though The towbar as marked on the identification plate is a genuine Toyota accessory.


The ball coupling that failed is regarded as being NON-GENUINE. The design is vulnerable to corrosion and fatigue. There is some indication of poor quality welding. The internal services of the RHS appear to have had no protective coating.







Who knows what or where the bit that failed was made, and looks like not a tested Toyota bit that failed, but yes $50 is not that much to spend, but are you going to keep a spare to fit into other peoples cars so bits dont come flying your way ?

We all go on about ratings.....


I just wonder (and i dont really know) but how many of these aftermarket hitch recievers actually have a visable tagged/stamped rating ?, anyone can machine up a bit of metal and shove in a rated shackle, sure they may know it wont break, but does that really make it a "rated" reciever ?

The Bow shackle itself is clearly a seperatly "rated" item, but surley without a embossed or stamped rating on the reciever bit, its just a hunk of metal with a unknown load tested rating ?



Perhaps those that have one , could look to see if the metal block is actually "rated" on these type of aftermarket recievers ?

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Originally Posted by the evil twin

I know how to solve or eliminate every single issue mentioned so far... Don't use a Snatch Strap. :animierte-smilies-f

Very old school thinking on my part I know but... Pffft... has worked for me to date. I reckon of all the Snatch Recoveries I have witnessed at least 90% did not , indeed should not have involved using a Snatch Strap.

Probably 50% of the time the dude could drive the mired vehicle out if they got their fat butt outa the drivers seat and grabbed a shovel.

E.T. dons flame suit and heads for... uuummmm... Argentina might be just far enough :smile:

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i AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS EVIL.
I ALSO CARRY A DRAG CHAIN WHICH I USE IN PREFERENCE TO A SNATCH STRAP.
IF ANYTHING BREAKS(WHICH HAS NOT HAPPENED SO FAR) THE CHAIN WILL JUST FALL TO THE GROUND WITH THE PART THAT HAS BROKEN OFF.

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Originally Posted by Silver

agree that is your opinion nowoolies, but not necessarily with your opinion :-) But I do have one of those billet and shackle jobs

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sorry mate
i would`nt touch one with a barge pole (billet and shackle)
all my shackle gear is auzzie made and ....stamped
iv`e seen a couple of failures no one hurt but vehicles damaged
just my 2 cents

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Originally Posted by the ferret

And ya can forget this one too, anyone who sells these has no concience, this can rip the towball off and send that and the shackle at 300ks/hr in one side of your head and out the other, through the back window and another 60 meters, then it will stop, hit the ground and then others will see some of your BRAINS fall off.
I suggest anyone looking at recovery hooks, shackles, straps and towing eyes, to do some research on this forum and any others where you can find the info needed to make a safe purchase.
http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/t...allshackle.jpg

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this is one of the pieces of crap i have seen fail , and go right through the rear door and back seat finally to lodge in the back of the passerger seat
no one was in the passerger seat ....thank god

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Originally Posted by 04OFF

I assume you are talking about Josh Stein ?


The Coroner reported.........






Even though The towbar as marked on the identification plate is a genuine Toyota accessory.


The ball coupling that failed is regarded as being NON-GENUINE. The design is vulnerable to corrosion and fatigue. There is some indication of poor quality welding. The internal services of the RHS appear to have had no protective coating.







Who knows what or where the bit that failed was made, and looks like not a tested Toyota bit that failed, but yes $50 is not that much to spend, but are you going to keep a spare to fit into other peoples cars so bits dont come flying your way ?

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Yep, that's the one.
But not the only one, there have been many deaths caused by similar hook ups.