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SAFE recovery explained

22K views 113 replies 48 participants last post by  GMKLR50 
#1 · (Edited)
This thread is being put together by request . For those that do not know me i am a 30 year veteran of the towing ind . I am wreckmaster level 23 certified operator .

The following information and photos are here to help the occasional user of winches and recovery equimpent for safe use of said items .

First and formost , do NOT underestimate what your doing . Lets use a 4,000 lb rig as a base . Because the rig weighs 4,000 lbs does not mean that a recovery strap rated for 4,000 will recovery this vehicle when it is stuck .

If using a winch the winch should be rated for a minimum of 8,000 lbs to recover a 4,000 lb rig . The reason is the pull required to free a stuck vehicle will far exceed the weight . Twice the weight is recommended as a minimum , a winch supplies a stead even pull unlike a recovery strap .

If this same rig is to be freed with a recovery strap 16,000 lb strap would be bare minimum . The reasoning here is that a jerk rather then a steady pull will be applied there for creating a much larger amount of force then a winch .

I personally do not recommend purchasing any thing less then a 3 " quality recovery strap . 3" strap will be rated at or near 30,000lb depending on there quality . This is the maximum for that strap when new . Continued use will reduce its strenght over time there for i highly recommend this as a minimum .

If you wheel a full size rig that can easily weigh 6,000 + lbs then do your self a favor , purchase a 6" strap 48,000 to 55,000 lb rating . Common price is less then $100.00 It will last much longer then a 3 " , it will not break when you need it most and it will save lives when used .

Clevis is an important item to carry , DO NOT use a pin style clevis . Use a thread in clevis like the one in the photo 3/4 inch minimum on this item .

Threaded shackle and 3" strap



proper connection , make sure you and the rig you hook to have a solid hook point , do not turst the other person that there bumper is solid , tow hook and so on . 2 bolts grade 8 3/8 or larger thread size are minimum to secure a tow point for a lite weight rig .



Do not connect 2 straps together with a shackle , this is death waiting to happen . The schakle is a lethal weapon if ether strap breaks .

THIS PHOTO IS A NO NO do not use this method nor be around any one that does use it .



2 straps may be hooked together to gain lenght if needed . this can be done with an ordinary stick creating a solid connection and a much safer method . this stick weighs less then the bolt in the clevis let alone the clevis its self . The purpose of the stick is simple to get the straps back apart .




Winching . I strongly recommend synthetic rope , i have used synthtic and broken it as well . It is much lighter to work with , does not bur and injure your hands and # 1 thing , it does not fly when broken . It falls quickly and safely to the ground . If you are using wire rope aka cable then place a blanket , coat or floor mat over the cable near the center of its lenght before winching . This will reduce the potential of a broken wire rope causing injury or vehicle damage . They can be very deadly .

The point , or open end of the hook on your winch line should point up , this will force the hook downward if a tree saver of hook fails .

winch blanket



Unless you have a hell of a lot of experience please do not argue this post . Please feel free to add " good " information as i certainly have not covered every thing here . There are several injuries and some times death every year from the lack of knowledge in this matter . If you wish to argue with me please show your credentials or source of information. I am not the king of recovery and would be glad to see new ideas . Above all lets NOT lead new people in an unsafe direction .

Bigger is better when it comes to recovery , your better to over estimate then to come up short .



If your new to this sport , or recovery please take some good advise . With 30 years under my belt i still learn every day . I hope this information saves some one a hard lesson in life .

M L Farley aka Grandman
Wreck master ceritifed
Operator ID # 97496
 
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#3 ·
Ebs said:
Never seen two straps connected like that using a stick, does it ever snap the stick?
I've always interlooped the two straps and used a small stick at the joint so its easier to seperate them.
thanks for pointing out what i had done , wrestling 3 grand kids while i was trying to get this done . Ill repost a proper photo when i get time .
 
#5 ·
I've never had to use a winch to pull out a vehicle before but I have rigged pipework and motors and cooler endbells and such. For my Jeep I started with el-cheap-o recovery points and homemade brackets and such but worried if I ever had to use them for anything more than flat towing (only 3 times have I used them to flat tow). So I finally went out and bought the proper gear to use with my el-cheap-o $145 8000# winch. Piecing it together cost me only slightly less than if I'd bought the winch accessory kits that are available (and I didn't get a bag). So here is my recommendation: Pay the big bucks and buy the correct gear if you are going to use a winch on your vehicle!

I really appreciate the tips G-Man. When I actually have to use my winch I will try to do things right. Looks like I need to put a blanket of some sort in the back of my rig. When I was in the navy my maneuvering watch station was "man in charge of line 2" for the USS Billfish. They showed us videos of the lines seperating and cutting people in half. And that was with nylon rope under tension. Imagine if you had a chunk of steel attached to the end...like a bad recovery point that removed itself from the vehicle.
 
#6 ·
jeepfreak81 said:
g-man PMing you with a question...

edit nm Ebs caught it too... I wanted to be sure as I didnt want to question your knowledge on it in public in a thread that said don't question it :sonicjay:
It says " dont argue " question every one at all times you will live much longer . Yes i screwed up the set up , trying to get it done in 2 minutes seems no ones life was at stake and it was just for photos . Ill get a correct photo of 2 straps together and repost .

Wise guy ( ME ) looking for a dumb shit award :tonka:
 
#7 ·
Please explain the use of a chain,( i.e. anchor or pivot point) and if you have a link, the ways of identifying grades of chains.
For example; the chain that came with the Warn recovery accessory kit.

Some explanation of the differences in straps; i.e. a "jerk" strap vs "tow" strap vs air "sling" strap.

I witnessed an incident where a chrome front tow hook literally snapped in the middle of the bend from it's front bumper mount and rocketed through the back end of the pulling CJ, and a spare battery in the rear, into the rear seat.
 
#8 ·
Grandman said:
thanks for pointing out what i had done , wrestling 3 grand kids while i was trying to get this done . Ill repost a proper photo when i get time .

Sure thing, I wasn't sure if that was maybe another way of doing it or not. I saw the picture and thought maybe the picture was from a trail ride or whatnot, not just for this thread.

You can also connect two straps by passing one strap thru the loop of the other then doubling it back to the same vehicle giving you 1.5 the length of the two combined straps.
 
#9 ·
Hey there G man. I am not here to agrue, but I have some info that would help if you want me to post it. I actually have a chart(s) in my wrecker driver certification book that give tables for resistance while doing recovery. its some pretty good stuff, so I hope you would like more info. if everything goes smoothly tommorow I will be a Certifed Wrecker Driver to go with my many other licences.
 
#10 ·
RICK said:
Please explain the use of a chain,( i.e. anchor or pivot point) and if you have a link, the ways of identifying grades of chains.
For example; the chain that came with the Warn recovery accessory kit.

Some explanation of the differences in straps; i.e. a "jerk" strap vs "tow" strap vs air "sling" strap.

I witnessed an incident where a chrome front tow hook literally snapped in the middle of the bend from it's front bumper mount and rocketed through the back end of the pulling CJ, and a spare battery in the rear, into the rear seat.
Rick you make a boat load of good points , lets start with chain . In the tow trucks i will not use some one elses chain , i dont know what they have . All chain is NOT the same grade . Like bolts theres cheap shit and then theres grade 70 or grade 80 chain . If you are buying a chain the store will know what is what . If your looking at a chain you all ready have or some one elses check the links they may say on them 70 or 80 right on the link then you know you have good quality grade .

HOOKS , well chrome is a good indicator that its more show then work . unfortunately there is no gurantee some times . Look at there tow hook , if appears to be bent , dont pull on it . check that atleast 2 bolts secure it .

My knowledge between different types of straps is not good enough to explain them . I purchase a strap for its intended use , i do not know of a way to indentify a straps intended use and have not seen that information on the strap other then military straps which often state " not for lift operations " and i do think that has more to do with the " certification " of the strap then its actual strength . Jerk strap and tow strap to me are one in the same so long as it DOES NOT have attached hooks . Rating of the strap is the larger concern to me .
 
#11 ·
Yetti please do post them .

When i ask every one not to argue i simple mean dont tell me that a rachet strap is fine to jerk a jeep with . Feel free to add any helpful info to this post . If said info disputes what i have said post it any way . Just show the source of this information to be credible .

I assume your talking about the pull calculator such as wheel depth and how much resistence that creates ? that would be good to post .
 
#13 ·
Icebreaker88 said:
G-man,

What about using Items like tree savers and shackles.
I read somewhere about always put the hook of the cable on the pin of the shackle.

Correct me if im wrong
Notice the 2nd photo , the clevis is set inline , other words your not pulling it apart by pulling on the two sides . You sould be pulling against the screw in pin and the center of the horse shoe of the clevis .
 
#14 ·
RICK said:
Please explain the use of a chain,( i.e. anchor or pivot point) and if you have a link, the ways of identifying grades of chains.
For example; the chain that came with the Warn recovery accessory kit.

Some explanation of the differences in straps; i.e. a "jerk" strap vs "tow" strap vs air "sling" strap.

I witnessed an incident where a chrome front tow hook literally snapped in the middle of the bend from it's front bumper mount and rocketed through the back end of the pulling CJ, and a spare battery in the rear, into the rear seat.
Chrome plating because it is so brittle will weaken an otherwise strong fixture. This may explain the failure you witnessed. But that is a good point; I would never chrome anything that will see forces of the magnitude involved in recovery, or something that will see high frequency low amplituded (think vibration) stresses applied.
 
#16 ·
Here is an EXCELLENT article on offroad recovery. It is from Bill Vista over at pirate4x4. This has many excerpts from the military recovery manual and other quality sources of information like wire and strap suppliers.

Also has the charts that were mentioned above.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Recovery/
 
#17 ·
Ebs said:
Never seen two straps connected like that using a stick, does it ever snap the stick?
I've always interlooped the two straps and used a small stick at the joint so its easier to seperate them.

Here's an illustration:
I just noticed your illustration is different and appears more simple then what i have used in the past . It would provied just as safe of a connection as well .

NOTE this is not somthing we would use in the towing business but i have set it up on the trail .
 
#19 ·
Kawierider said:
Grandman,
Do you insist on the screw type shackles for fear of the cotter pin shearing out of the pin type if the load gets offset?
its easy for the cotter pin to fall out , all so easy for a shackle to turn and put a load on the sides of it . then your trusting that cotter pin with your life . a threaded clevis is simple much stronger and safer .


Mike , i know of no reason that hook must be on the pin rather then the center of the clevis . Main point is not to pull on the sides .
 
#21 ·
Kawierider said:
Here is an EXCELLENT article on offroad recovery. It is from Bill Vista over at pirate4x4. This has many excerpts from the military recovery manual and other quality sources of information like wire and strap suppliers.

Also has the charts that were mentioned above.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Recovery/
well damn that would of saved alot of time . Very well done post . Thanks for the link .
 
#22 ·
Here is a work sheet chart to help with calculations to over come resitance in a pull. you have to observe each axle to know how to figure load. use the chart to give each axle a % of resitance and then you can gauge the pull base on it and the axles estimated weight. add the axles on the second page which is the work sheet with an example to help you figure restance load


use the center section of the above chart to start out with. just assmue the car is on a level surface to figure out how to use it.


I'll check back later to see if you figured out how to use this chart.
 
#26 ·
Grandman said:
proper connection , make sure you and the rig you hook to have a solid hook point , do not turst the other person that there bumper is solid , tow hook and so on . 2 bolts grade 8 3/8 or larger thread size are minimum to secure a tow point for a lite weight rig .

Then does this mean that you do not recomend weld on d-rings? I ask becuase I need to upgrade my front bumper and want to do it right.
 
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