G'day,

Some questions below, and also a link to an interesting Kiwi site.

Thanks to all who have contributed here on this topic - fascinating.

I've been thinking about options for a second recovery point on the front of the Mav for a while now. It has 10R15 all terrain tyres, and rear lsd only, so will fail to proceed rather than dig humungous holes I think. At one stage I had Pirelli Dakkars on an MQ - they didn't dig holes and failed to proceed on wet grass, but were great in sand.

Anyhooo....

I have an 8000 kg breaking strain snatch strap, and an 8000kg bridle that I think is 2.5m long. thus the enclosed angle of the bridle will be a bit more than 45 degrees. with the benefit of hindsight, I could have got a longer bridle.

This Kiwi site has some interesting test results and thoughts, albeit a few years old now:

http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/viewto...051e0d27cc4221 Note they like hooks etc. that straighten rather than break.

I have decided to fit an Outer Limits plate to the inside of the LHS dumb iron that is, the chassis behind the bull/bumper bar (alloy 'factory' bar in my case). I know to use grade 8 bolts.

I was thinking of fitting a plate inside the chassis to spread the load. (there are no captive nuts on this side) I mentioned this to boilermaker mate who is keen to weld the nuts to the plate. I'll speak to the bolt shop about this as it can't help the temper of the nut, but I don't know if this is significant. It will make it easier to fit, but I don't plan on taking it off again :-)

Any views on the value of a plate over washers? Any views from experts on effect of welding the nuts?

I was not going to fit a hook to the spot on the Outer Limits plate, however if the mighty Mav is to be snatched, the snatcher has to be happy, and may insist on a hook. With that in mind I'll probably get a rated hook from a reputable outlet, and fit that to the Outer Limits plate

There are no signs of damage to the factory hook. The vehicle to date has been used to tow things, as far as I can tell, rather than off roading - and certainly I haven't belted or used it. Given I am going to use a bridle/equaliser, I am thinking of leaving the factory hook in place - would welcome your views.

Thanks in anticipation