off road gear

[rsc]

The axle seal protector tool is a good thing to keep with your spares

 

[digglesworth]

I got a pack of 5 when I got em so I will definitely throw 1 or 2 in the kit. Thanks. Adding it to the list.

 

[digglesworth]

Has anyone looked at the trail duty HD strap. 3x30 30,000lb. Says it's a recovery, tow and snatch.

 

[digglesworth]

So let me try and understand this... A tow strap is a static load... You hook up both vehicles and ease tension on the strap... There's no jerking.. a snatch strap is for a very stuck vehicle that needs to be yanked on to pull it up and out... The shear pin on my hi-lift is rated at 7k lbs so anything I use for hi-lift winching doesn't need to exceed 7k lbs theoretically... I guess the same is true for tow straps/snatch straps...? What's the point of a 30,000lb strap if the shackles are only rated at 10,000lbs...? I'm just trying to understand vehicle recovery as a whole. This is all new to me.

 

[rsc]

You are correct. Thats one of the reasons you hear of snatch straps becoming missiles when the clevis breaks. The rubber band, slingshot way that a snatch strap works means that the gradual increase of force instead of a single hard shock is more gentle on the clevises. Sometimes that hides the fact that they are operating beyond their limits. But they still will fail when pushed beyond their limits.

 

[digglesworth]

So I should find the highest rated clevis' (1or 2) to use with the snatch strap? And they'd be plenty strong enough for the tow strap... So what's the factory d-rings rated for? Should I use the old hitch pin in the reciever trick to attach a strap?

 

[twinmill28]

Better to find out in the driveway that your 3/4 open wrench is too long or thick than on the trail.

Oh, I've found out that my 3/4 wrench wasn't long OR thick enough---just ask my wife!!

As for carrying gear--my buddy was an expert at having everything you could need and it was stuffed nicely in the back of his Jeep. He actually won best equipped trail rig at one of the off road events we entered. As for me, I'm a hot mess and can't seem to sort out neccessary from "man, this is a really cool tool, I'll take it 'cause I like it alot".

I will say that hand-in-hand with carrying any of this crap is to SECURE IT in your rig. Any kind of survival gear/tools will be useless when they mash your noggin when you flip your ride on the trial. That scares me alot more than actually being stranded.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

So let me try and understand this... A tow strap is a static load... You hook up both vehicles and ease tension on the strap... There's no jerking.. a snatch strap is for a very stuck vehicle that needs to be yanked on to pull it up and out... The shear pin on my hi-lift is rated at 7k lbs so anything I use for hi-lift winching doesn't need to exceed 7k lbs theoretically... I guess the same is true for tow straps/snatch straps...? What's the point of a 30,000lb strap if the shackles are only rated at 10,000lbs...? I'm just trying to understand vehicle recovery as a whole. This is all new to me.

a 10k tow rope works well for towing your buddy home; an snatch strap works well for getting his broke Jeep out of a hole. The right way to use a snatch strap is to stretch the strap until the Jeep comes out... problem comes in when it's a CJ5 trying to pull out a full-size truck, in order to get the weight necessary to get the truck out - you need to take a run at it.

as for the 10k shackles - don't use them if you need 30k of pulling force. On my H3, I have a solid bar and forged shackle for popping vehicles out in my receiver hitch.... and with that said, I've used the snatch strap once; the winch, countless times.

twinmill is right - make sure everything is stowed properly.

and this is what my gear load looks like



top is a backpack with gear to survive 3 days, bottom is tools, chains, winch stuff, extra food... the only thing that isn't in there is the 5 gallon water container



*also there is my gym gear - you never know when a racquetball game is going to break out in the woods

 

[digglesworth]

Do you have a picture of that bar and shackle for the hitch?
Would you recommend using a bridle to connect 2 tow points together to distribute the pulling force...?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Do you have a picture of that bar and shackle for the hitch?
Would you recommend using a bridle to connect 2 tow points together to distribute the pulling force...?

Honestly, I've never had trouble with the hooks on the front pulling - so (YMMV) I wouldn't bother unless it's pulling you off-line because you're not pulling from the center....
http://www.4wd.com/Jeep-Winches-Jeep-Winch-Accessories/D-Ring-Receiver.aspx?t_c=18&t_s=190&t_pt=8404&t_pn=s%2fb29312b&utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=product&emlprox=out&ppcfon=1&gclid=CMSypMDNybsCFRGCfgodZRwAoA

 

[digglesworth]

Is there a particular reciever shackle thats a better choice than others? Do I need something with like a 1" pin or larger?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Is there a particular reciever shackle thats a better choice than others? Do I need something with like a 1" pin or larger?

other than being solid core, I can't imagine any reason why you'd need better. After all, the limit then becomes the point where steel tears

 

[digglesworth]

I dunno if I'm misunderstanding this or not but I can't seem to find anything rated for more than 10-13k lbs... I dunno how you could pull 30k lbs worth of force using a snatch strap with 10k lb clevises....

 

[kflips]

snatch straps minimum breaking strength (mbs) should be between two and three times the vehicles gross vehicle mass (gvm). arb and other vendors carry 18k and higher snatch straps.

 

[digglesworth]

So I see there's a lot of "recovery" straps. The only dedicated snatch strap I've seen is the ARB.... 17k, 24k and 33k or something like that. Given the F=M*A equation, the 33k would be the choice there since snatching the H3 at 5mph would generate a little less than 30k lbs of force.

 

[poncho1965]

Last snatch recovery I remember was when my buddy and I buried his Dads 70's Ford pickup in a mud hole in the 80's. My dad came and yanked him out with his 71' Scout with a couple of yanks so my buddy wouldn't get in deep doodoo with is dad. Don't think straps had ratings then LOL. It just worked

 

[digglesworth]

Well there seems to be 2 thought processes when it comes to this stuff.... Either just go out and buy some stuff and hope it works (it may or may not depending on your luck that day) or go out and buy the latest and greatest stuff that has all the ratings and use it properly... I'm honestly quite confused.

I guess a 30k lb "recovery" strap would do fine. Probably a 30 footer. Then a 20' 20k lb "tow" strap. 2-4 clevises. A tree strap or two in a couple sizes (8-12')... 25' of 3/8 grade70 transport chain to use with the hi-lift winch kit. I'd like to have a few tree straps in case i need to use one as an extension for the 25' chain (in case the anchors further than 25')... I'm just not sure of the clevises... What's the point of a 30k lb strap if the clevises are only rated for 10k...? Do they make some that are rated that high?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I think, after you see the size of the 10k clevis', you'll understand why I don't think you'll have a problem. But, if you need more, they make ones that will lift ships.

 

[poncho1965]

My 7/8's are rated at 17k.


Mike

 

[digglesworth]

I found some rugged ridge clevis' that were 13.5k.
How are they measured? Ive seen some deignated by pin size and others designated by the size of the U...

 

[poncho1965]

Both ways, pin size or on the d ring. Not sure why...


Mike

 

[Big Mike]

Anybody mention road flares yet ?? I can see them working well to signal for help at night and maybe even as a fire starter..

I added a LED flashlight app to my phone last night it also has a strobe feature which would be good for signaling for help..

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

No flares - they start forest fires... we use glow sticks in SAR (and, during long, boring missions we can start a techno rave)

.... buy glow sticks with strings, so you can tie them to the branch of trees (if applicable) - they're a lot easier to see.

 

[rsc]

Or just carry some 550 cord that you can pull strings out of for your chemlights. You do carry 550 cord, right?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Or just carry some 550 cord that you can pull strings out of for your chemlights. You do carry 550 cord, right?

we do, and environmentally sensitive duct tape