Finally getting my recovery gear together.

[housedad]

First off, thanks to all that have answered questions here and helped me on my journey to make this happen.

I have been trying for several months to get my Excursion ready for self recovery. I installed Buckstop bumpers front and rear, with a Warn 16.5ti winch. I have now gotten most of the recovery gear together and into the vehicle.


I did not want to use the steel winchline, and I decided to make my own.
Here is my completed winchline. 90 feet long, made of 7/16" Amsteel blue, splices are secured with 1/8" braided nylon/poly twine. Blueline gusseted thimbles that I painted in my favorite color. 10 foot sliding abrasion guard, and a 10 foot red warning sleeve. Started with a grade 100 clevis self locking hook, and ended with a custom termination method.

The end of most synthetic winchlines are normally terminated with a crimped on battery ring terminal, just like the wire ropes. I don't think it works very well.

The Line, Amsteel blue, is slippery, and does not crimp well. I tried it, and it did not hold more than 30 to 40lbs. I tried different glues, crimping them while still not set. The amount of holding power was still pretty low, with the best at around 70 lbs. I tried 6 different popular methods.

I thought about it for a long time and left a part of the brain to work on it. Well, after about 4 or 5 tries, I found a method that will hold more than my weight hanging on it and bouncing around. I took a peice of one inch tube webbing, cut a hole for a grommet, flamed and used thick superglue on the edges, and installed the grommet while the glue was still wet. The stuff I used, from model airplane building, gave me about 30 to 40 seconds to set the grommet.

Next draw a box and X with a pen on each side of the webing for a sewing guide. Insert the taped bitter end of the line into the webbing. Next, I used a Sewing Awl and thread from Harbor freight to sew through the web and line along the box and X. I sewed a smaller box toward the end. The results are Below:

I used 2 inch tube webbing from Northern Mountain sports to make the 10 foot abrasion guard. I cut the peice to length, and flamed and dipped each end in plasti-dip twice to seal the ends. It slides along the rope very well and will go all the way to the thimble with ease to protect the line from UV during storage on the winch.

The Winch end of the line needed something to identify when it would be getting close to the end of what you can pull out. I used Red one inch tube webbing, sealed the ends, and slid it on the line. Not a tight fit, and it can be moved along the line, but not real easily. It has to be put far enough out to stay off the first 10 wraps or so on the drum.

The hook end. The hook and link are grade 100. Way stronger than the line.

Installation of the winchline end and the line fully installed:

 

[housedad]

Here is almost all of the recovery gear I have so far. In the pic below it is packed and ready to put in the truck.

A Hi-lift Jack. Not much more to be said.

Bag one: Hi-Lift off road kit with a Lift Mate Accessory and spares kit

Bag two: ARB tire repair kit, two Expedition Exchanege heavy duty tree straps, a role of security wire, Warn receiver shackle, and a grade 100 3/4" Master link.

Bag three: Two heavy duty 33000lb+ snatch blocks.

Bag four: 3/4" 7 ton shackles with a bag, Estwing hatchet, hand pick/maddox, 3 pairs work gloves, Hex key set for winch, and a 60' Extension line with a 10' abrasion guard made just like the winchline.

Bag five and six: TWO 20 foot grade 100 3/8" chains with chain hook on one end and grade 100 clevis snap hook on the other.

Shovel and Axe:

Here is everything layed out:

How it fits in the Excursion. The long pieces on the right will be strapped down to the cargo hold downs on the floor. I need to get some closed loop carpet to go under them to keep from denting the rug. The bags will get some friction straps to hold them down to the hold downs on the left side.

 

[The Adam Blaster]

That is a lot of recovery gear, it's good that you have an Excursion, most other vehicles you would be out of storage space with all of that! :xxrotflma


On a serious note, have you thought of putting in a drawer or two in the cargo area? It would probably make it easier to access your gear.

 

[Gear]

Looks good! I like what you did with the winch line. By chance did you weight it all. :coffeedrink:

 

[timber]

The way you terminated the winchline at the winch end is great! I went thru the same thing with the crimps but I am still not satisfied. I think I will re do it when I add some more chafe protection. Man all that gear must be heavy, Hope you never need it all at once :sombrero:!!

 

[housedad]

That is a lot of recovery gear, it's good that you have an Excursion, most other vehicles you would be out of storage space with all of that! :xxrotflma

On a serious note, have you thought of putting in a drawer or two in the cargo area? It would probably make it easier to access your gear.

Yeah, the Excursion is a cave with wheels. Tons of room.
It would be nice to have drawers, but that would make removing the rear seat a major pain. I like to keep it flexible.

Looks good! I like what you did with the winch line. By chance did you weight it all. :coffeedrink:

No, I did not. That is a good idea, though. Probably 200 to 250 lbs. I would guess.

The way you terminated the winchline at the winch end is great! I went thru the same thing with the crimps but I am still not satisfied. I think I will re do it when I add some more chafe protection. Man all that gear must be heavy, Hope you never need it all at once :sombrero:!!

Glad you like it. I have a feeling that we may find commercial synthetic lines terminated this way in the future if the companies test it and like it. But what the heck, It made me happy!
I think if I need all that gear at once, I will literally and figuratively be between a rock and a hard place. Just thinking about a stuation like that gives me goosebumps!!!

 

[AndrewP]

Looking at your truck and the state you live in, didn't you go just a little overboard on the recovery gear?:Wow1: I like overkill too, but I'm seeing a street truck on street tires, and recovery gear more appropriate for heavy offroad use for a whole group of off-roaders. I don't take half that much gear on the Rubicon trail or to Moab.

Are there any jack points on your Excursion for using the hi-lift? Have you tried to jack it up yet when it's loaded? That's a huge heavy vehicle, and the hi-lift is going to be borderline for raising it safely.

I might recommend some time making your truck more capable(sliders, some lift, better tires), and maybe spend some $$ on a Bill Burke recovery clinic and stop spending money on duplicates of things you don't need at all.

Where did you say you planned to go with that truck and all that gear?


A couple of other comments...

While the ax is kind of sexy, a Sven folding saw is far more useful and much safer to use and easier to carry. And then there is a hatchet and a hand mattock! That's a lot of digging and chopping tools!

I can understand 1 chain, but why 3?

Same with the 3 tree straps.

Your tree straps look undersized for that much truck and winch. Hard to tell from the pics.

I did not see a specific recovery strap but a 40,000 pound strap 30 feet long would be appropriate for that size truck.

That special edition hi-lift has tons of powder coat on it and won't work smoothly with a load until you use it in anger a few times-so do that before you go anywhere. Add a can of spray lube to your gear-you will want to lube the hi-lift pins every time before you actually use it. Boeshield works the best but wd-40 works in a pinch.

I would invest in a 10-20 ton hydraulic jack and jack up under the axle unless that is not accessible.

You did a nice job with the end of the synthetic winch line. the 7/16 size was a good choice as well as was that particular winch for that kind of a vehicle.

 

[oO_Rogue_Oo]

Nice work on the end of the winch line; shows exceptional attention to detail. When I did mine I just took about 6 foot of duct tape and wrapped the first 3 feet of line with it length wise then started a wrap on my winch drum (with the tape) and just spooled it on the drum. Not nearly as neat as your solution but every bit as effective. FYI I run a Superwinch so I don't have to worry about drum heat.

The only thing I can say about all the recovery gear is that is a lot of very heavy stuff to have floating around the inside of your rig unsecured. Hope it doesn't hit you in the back of the head one day.

 

[Stumpalump]

Andrew, He lives in New Jersey. One bad day in the Jersey Pine Barrens could make him use all that stuff. You can sink up to the axles really fast. I just hope the "friction straps" he plans on using can hold that gear down in the event of a bad rollover. I was in a nasty rollover in a JK. The chainsaw we had in the back riped right thru the softop but if it would have been trapped inside it could have knocked me in the head. Tie that stuff down really well.

 

[housedad]

Andrew-

Thanks for the critique!.

I see I need to let you guys know what the truck is for. First off, it is not a recreational off road vehicle or bogger the way most folks see it. I try my absolute best to stay away from deep mud, soft dirt, and large rocks. That is what makes it so interesting for me. Just getting there with major restrictions along the way.

We, as a family, like to camp with our travel trailer, and it is not a small one. About half the time we are in campgrounds, and other times we like to try to get away from everybody. That means we go to state and Fed parks in Pennsylvania and New York state. We take gravel roads, then dirt roads, and then overland to some nice spots. It is called boondocking, where you have no other stuff than your trailer and you can be miles from the nearest dirt road. You carry your water, food, and everything else you need for a week or more. The trailer does the rest. It is pretty plush compared to how the wife and I did it for our first 15 years together, which was with a tent. Given the size of the trailer, I have heard several times that I can't take that there or it will never work. We still get there.

Anyway, towing a somewhat heavy trailer (about 6500lbs or so) overland can be a interesting experience. Sometimes we go somewhere that we have never been, and the terrain is unknown. Scouting in front of the truck by foot is a family experience. Even at places that we have been to before, the soil will change from year to year. Getting stuck happens. Before now, the only alternative that I have had if we get stuck is to call a tow truck. Needless to say, that gets very expensive. The tow operators know they have you over a barrel with the trailer, and they will charge astronomical pricees. In the last 8 years we have been stuck in the woods only twice and once in a mud bog dirt road on a campground. After the last time paying to get out of the woods, we swore we would do everything we could to keep from having to pay 500 to 750 dollars again, even if it cost a mint. Anything is better than being stuck for a day and night and plain 4X4 just wasn't cutting it.

So the idea is to create a off road tow vehicle that has more power to the wheels, (regearing) Is more than self sufficient, (on board air systems, dual batteries, alternator, larger tires, lifted for clearance, tools and spares) and is capable of self recovery. Buckstop Bumpers front and rear with shackle points, winch, lights, and many other items. Since we go alone, we really need to take it all.


The Excursion currently has a 5 inch lift, and the tires were carefully chosen as a compromise for street/overland towing performance. There is on board air with dual Viair 450C's, airbags in the rear, extra battery underneath, and a replacement valve body in the trans for better performance.

I have ARB air lockers, 4.56 gears, and other parts for both axles sitting in my garage waiting for me to put them in, hopefully starting in the next two weeks. That will include a complete rebuild of the front with new and stronger shafts and U joints, brakes, and lines. The rear is also getting a ARB and aftermarket shafts.

I have shackle points for front and rear bumpers. That Alone is enough to allow me to lift the truck with the Hi-lift. However, I also have a T-lift to go with it. http://www.tliftonline.com/
So far, I have test jacked at all four points, and all four wheels with the Hi-lift Lift Mate and have had no problems.

I am much more comfortable with a Axe. I've used them all my life. I find that with a properly sharpened and balanced axe I can go through the average log just as fast, and I have no size limitations like a bowsaw does. The only other way for me is with a chainsaw, and that is not needed for this kind of use.

If you look, I have 2 chains and 2 tree straps, not 3. 3/8" Grade 100 chains are just as strong as the winchline and I would prefer using them in the mud whenever possible to protect the line. Two chains and the master link allow me to create a two chain harness for the front of the truck or for winching out the trailer. They also afford a additonal 40 foot winchline extension if needed.

A 12 ton bottle jack is already part of the standard gear in the trailer.

A tow strap is not needed as there is noone to pull me out with it, especially with a trailer. for me, they are useless.

Each tree strap http://www.expeditionexchange.com/cart/product.php?productid=18482&cat=0&page=1 is sufficient for a wiinch pull to stall using a pully. Two pulleys can easily need two tree straps. When I asked, the company tech said it will handle a max of 33000lb load each.

Thanks to everyone for reading this long post, and thanks again for the info!

 

[housedad]

BTW, here is a pick of my rear bumper:

 

[housedad]

Andrew, He lives in New Jersey. One bad day in the Jersey Pine Barrens could make him use all that stuff. You can sink up to the axles really fast. I just hope the "friction straps" he plans on using can hold that gear down in the event of a bad rollover. I was in a nasty rollover in a JK. The chainsaw we had in the back riped right thru the softop but if it would have been trapped inside it could have knocked me in the head. Tie that stuff down really well.

I will definately keep that chainsaw incident in mind. I am working on ideas now...

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[john101477]

I think your recovery gear weighs a bit more than you think. those 2 monster snatch blocks are dang near 60lbs themselves. I have to agree that you are carrying a bit much in recovery gear. while it is all very nice stuff and maybe even a little blingy, there is not a chance in hell of having to use it all. having gone through some of the nastiest crap on earth in florida, sugar sand that will dang near swallow your truck faster than you can blink, I can honestly say i have never seen that much recovery gear. As a trailer toter your adding dead weight behind you which sucks but even then there is only so many directions you can pull from and only so far you can pull before actually getting out and resetting.

BTW love the work you did to the winch rope.

 

[kjp98TJ]

only thing i can offer is, being in rust country, that type of hook can be difficult to operate if left for a while.

 

[AndrewP]

I have ARB air lockers, 4.56 gears, and other parts for both axles sitting in my garage waiting for me to put them in, hopefully starting in the next two weeks. That will include a complete rebuild of the front with new and stronger shafts and U joints, brakes, and lines. The rear is also getting a ARB and aftermarket shafts.

That's pretty cool for an excursion.^^^

All I can say is that I feel sorry for you if you really need all that stuff at one time. That would be a very bad day. I still strongly recommend you get a tow strap of the appropriate size.

I must say, that I always sort of wanted an Excursion. Huge and Suburban like, only with an available Diesel. Infinite towing possibilities.

When you have all that stuff in play, at one time, please post a picture!