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______ 2017 D-Max _______
I don't have a short temper. I just have a quick reaction to bullshit
WARNING: Towballs used for recoveries can, and do kill people and damage property.
$50 sounds like a bargain 👌🏻
Im a certified advanced rigger /dogman. What we are taught as a certified rigger in Australia is to attach a shackle hand tight then back it off 1/4 to half turn. This is done regardless of the size of the shackle. The reason for this was explained by an old rigger with 40 yrs experience who taught me was to stop the threads binding under load and not being able to release the pin at all.
All gear is to be inspected before use obviously. This includes the shackle itself. It should not be warped/ bent or elongated in any way. The pin should be straight and threads in good condition.
It is also good practice for the shackle pins to be moused. To prevent the pin either coming undone or in result of a catastrophic failure bits flying all over the joint.
Yes i have seen them fail but its extremely rare. However i have started to see many eye bolts pop up lately on bull bars and rear bars. No way in hell would i use them. Any kind of side load and they ping off. Even the wide base ones. Think about it.... whats a tow ball shaped like? Looks kinda like an eye bolt without a hole though the guts of it huh.
Like the evil twin said and i agree with him. Its one of my pet hates seeing a couple of 4.7 ton shackles hanging off the recovery points. What are they there for in suburbia? Do you know how much damage it will cause if one come off and slid across the road and got kicked up by a tyre?
Personally i hate D shackles and will never use them. I always use a bow shackle. They are a bit wider to fit your slings on and can disperse the load over a slightly wider area of the shackle itself. D shackle should only be pulled in 1 direction which is straight.
When i first started getting into 4x4 i was appalled by the practices that many people are guilty of. Some have no clue, some have no care to learn and some just dont have common sense or an interest in self preservation.
I would love to know how many people throw their snatch strap in the bin after 4 or 5 recoveries too as that is what is usually recommended from what i have read.
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2002 GUIII Ti 4.8
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DX grunt (25th June 2017), GQtdauto (6th June 2019), MB (23rd June 2017), MudRunnerTD (23rd June 2017), PeeBee (23rd June 2017)
Oh my god...
Hi all,
Just north of Penrith here in Western Sydney, we have a area know as The Drop Zone, a RAAF Cargo Air Drop Training Area that is well know for unauthorised use by 4WD'ers and Trail Bike Rides. There is a local 4WD Assistance Facebook page where 4WD'ers can request assistance, there are usually several request each week for assistance at various areas around Sydney, and usually 1 or 2 request each month for the Drop Zone.
The last serious incident I know off at the Drop Zone was back in 2018 I think, when we had a young fella hit with the Tow Ball while recovering a bogged vehicle, I can't recall what his outcome was, but know a it was a large response from Emergency Services including the CareFlight Rescue Helicopter for him, but on the night it was stated the Tow Ball was the culprit.
There are heaps of YouTube video's showing the bad outcomes of using tow balls, most by people who have no idea just how unsafe it is. In my 16 years or so Covering Off-road Racing as a Recovery Team Member or 4WD Challange Events as a Event Medic, most of the incidents I have seen, has been the failure of poor engineered recovery points, old equipment . . . or inferior equipment . . . . not many incidents are from incorrect use of equipment, but at these Event's the Event Staff and participants are very Safety Aware and proactive . . .
I consider myself somewhat lucky, I spent 9 years in the Army Reserves driving M113 APC's and Land Rovers, consider myself to have been well trained in 4WD and Recovery Operations and have a very health respect for recovery equipment. I have run a number of Remote Area First Aid Courses with 4WD Clubs, and it's not that uncommon to come across people who don't know a Tow Ball is unsafe as a Tow Point in recoveries.
I believe those who are seriously injured or killed by flying tow ball are those who are new to 4WD'ing, or who really don't know any better, thinking if the Tow Ball can tow a heavy Trailer or Caravan, then it should be fine to tow a car out of a bog. In a couple of attempted recoveries I have come across, most of those who are doing things unsafely, generally have no idea.
Someone in the first couple of reply post of this thread, asked where 4x4 Victoria got their Statistics from. All vehicle incidents that Cause Serious Injuries or Fatal become a Police Matter, doesn't have to be on a Public Road, and due to Police involvement it become a recordable statistics.
Last edited by Grant209; 12th July 2020 at 01:04 PM.
Grant
Penrith Region
Sydney NSW.
This guy constantly uses towballs to snatch with. Look around the six minute mark. He has different sizes for recovery of customers trailers fitted on the bar. Maybe they're super hardened? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVPNHINEDyU
I think hes old school with very bad habits,
Its worked once why wouldnt it work twice.
Everyone one should regard recovery points , straps
and older winch cable as throw away items. They were
never meant to last forever regarless of how good you look after them.
Story I heard a few years ago two mates retired about the same time
kitted up for the big LAP. Two new Landcruiers fully kitted what could go wrong.
Up north on a secondary track one gets bogged , you see whats coming eh.
Out with the strap , over the tow ball low two and off we go. Ball snaps off
through the windscreen ,driver ,head rest , back window and inbeds in a tree.
A simple 4x4 course would have made that a trouble free recovery and a great lap
NEVER USE A TOWBALL EVER
04 ST 3lt auto, not enough Mods to keep me happy, but getting there
mudnut (23rd July 2020)
This idiot is supposed to be a professional! This is what he does for a living. He'll tell you he's done hundreds of these and never had a problem - until he does.
All he really had to do was let a bit of air out of the tyres and he could have easily driven it out.