Front recovery Disco I

[Storz]

Unfortunatly I don't have the $$ for a new front bumper right now and would like to ad some sort of front recovery points to the truck. I have been doing quite a bit of reading and it looks like my best options are...

1 - Jate rings, mount one on each side and use some sort of short strap and shackles to make it so I can pull from both of them at the same time. The cheaper option for sure.

2 - Buy a front reciever hitch and use this

 

[grobinson]

Those are the two options I used on my trucks. Jate rings are what I used last, and were strong enough with a grade 8 bolt. Plus what was nice is I had a steering guard, allowing me to bend the ring a bit to get it around it.

Front receivers are a bit more, and mount to the same spot as the rings.

 

[AndrewP]

If you just want a cheap solution, how about one of those forged recovery hooks bolted to the front of the frame? They install with two, 1/2 inch, grade 8 bolts. They usually sell for $10 and are almost ideal for most recoveries. Then you can save up for a real bumper with engineered recovery points.

 

[grobinson]

Not the safest solution, as anything attached could easily become detached.

 

[michaels]

If you just want a cheap solution, how about one of those forged recovery hooks bolted to the front of the frame? They install with two, 1/2 inch, grade 8 bolts. They usually sell for $10 and are almost ideal for most recoveries. Then you can save up for a real bumper with engineered recovery points.

horrible advice. this isn't the jeep forum.

for any recover, you want something that will always keep the strap attached to the truck, not something that can easily slip off.

 

[jcbrandon]

Not the safest solution, as anything attached could easily become detached.

horrible advice. this isn't the jeep forum.

for any recover, you want something that will always keep the strap attached to the truck, not something that can easily slip off.

Are you referring to the hook becoming detached from the truck? If so, your comment applies to anything bolted to the truck -- including an aftermarket bumper.

If you are referring to the strap becoming detached from the hook, that's easy to prevent as well. Put a mouse on the hook. You can buy those from the same supplier as the hook.

Here are some ideas:
http://www.4x4now.com/sf0100.htm

 

[grobinson]

If you are referring to the strap becoming detached from the hook, that's easy to prevent as well. Put a mouse on the hook. You can buy those from the same supplier as the hook.

Here are some ideas:
http://www.4x4now.com/sf0100.htm

"Partially on (or off) is worse! The hook could pierce the yanker (see image at left), reduce the strength and tear the line apart."

I've seen that happen a couple times, and luckily haven't seen it go right through. With the Disco, I don't think you'd be able to get two bolts through the hook. It'd only be a one bolt application, allowing the hook to swivel.

 

[computeruser]

horrible advice. this isn't the jeep forum.

for any recover, you want something that will always keep the strap attached to the truck, not something that can easily slip off.

Never had a problem with the forged hook and keeper, though anything can fail or misbehave given the right mix of bad conditions. Assuming that one is using a nicer strap where the loop is doubled-over and covered with some sort of abrasion-resistant covering, the odds of the pictured "oops" happening are slim indeed.

 

[emmodg]

Bolt on hooks aren't the best solution. If that's aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall you have then.... The hooks DO tend to pierce the strap and they WILL slip! I teach vehicle recovery for the US Military and have seen MANY of these hooks roach a strap! Sometimes that's all they have and if that's the case some duct tape and/or zip ties are used to TRY and keep the strap from slipping off. The "mouse" or stay-clip on one of these hooks is certainly better than nothing on them.

JATE rings, on the other hand, make a nice safe recovery point. You can easily affix a recovery strap "basket style" or just connect to one side with a d-shackle. The JATE ring really is the best solution. (Damn things aren't cheap though.)

 

[michaels]

Bolt on hooks aren't the best solution. If that's aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall you have then.... The hooks DO tend to pierce the strap and they WILL slip! I teach vehicle recovery for the US Military and have seen MANY of these hooks roach a strap! Sometimes that's all they have and if that's the case some duct tape and/or zip ties are used to TRY and keep the strap from slipping off. The "mouse" or stay-clip on one of these hooks is certainly better than nothing on them.

JATE rings, on the other hand, make a nice safe recovery point. You can easily affix a recovery strap "basket style" or just connect to one side with a d-shackle. The JATE ring really is the best solution. (Damn things aren't cheap though.)

just follow his advice. JB knows what he's talking about.

 

[01001010]

I Second, third, and fourth and Jate Ring suggestion

 

[superpowerdave]

I wouldn't use the hooks ... and I probably wouldn't recovery somebody using just the hooks. Too much room for error, and as light as we make them, recovery situations are dangerous from the start.

If you're going to run the Jate rings, and it looks like your best bet, I'd make a mental note when I was airing down at the trail head to hook a bridle up from the start so when you get hung up and need it the hooks aren't buried in mud or underwater or the like.

At the end of the day though, you already know the answer to this question - save your pennies, and buy a real bumper.

 

[AndrewP]

horrible advice. this isn't the jeep forum.

for any recover, you want something that will always keep the strap attached to the truck, not something that can easily slip off.

Nice! And people wonder why Rover dudes have a bad rep!

Actually for a quick and dirty recovery point, the hooks work fine. They are not ideal, but then the OP was not looking for an ideal recovery point. I don't think you can show me a recovery point that works as well for less $$. I did see one bend once after a very heavy snatch pull on a Land Cruiser.

Obviously if you plan to recover 3 people every day for 5 years, you will eventually have problems, but for occasional use they work well, especially when used with the included keeper. They are always present and easy to attach to instantly.

Assuming you are bolting to something strong like a frame, the hook will bend open long before the bolts will fail in shear, so the heavy part stays attached to the stuck Rover and doesn't go flying.

Anyway, I noticed the Jate rings cost roughly $40 EACH, so that's $160 to outfit your truck, which is a 1/4 of the way to buying a real bumper with engineered recovery points. The Jate rings do look slick on Rovers since the attachment point is already present.

 

[sinuhexavier]

Jate ring and forget about it...

 

[michaelgroves]

Nice! And people wonder why Rover dudes have a bad rep!

We do?

(Actually, I do think the comment about the Jeep forum was kinda brainless, though).

Actually for a quick and dirty recovery point, the hooks work fine. They are not ideal, but then the OP was not looking for an ideal recovery point. I don't think you can show me a recovery point that works as well for less $$. I did see one bend once after a very heavy snatch pull on a Land Cruiser.

Obviously if you plan to recover 3 people every day for 5 years, you will eventually have problems, but for occasional use they work well, especially when used with the included keeper. They are always present and easy to attach to instantly.

Assuming you are bolting to something strong like a frame, the hook will bend open long before the bolts will fail in shear, so the heavy part stays attached to the stuck Rover and doesn't go flying.

Anyway, I noticed the Jate rings cost roughly $40 EACH, so that's $160 to outfit your truck, which is a 1/4 of the way to buying a real bumper with engineered recovery points. The Jate rings do look slick on Rovers since the attachment point is already present.

Hooks do work, but I think we're all pretty much agreed that they are far from ideal. IMO, for the difference in price, Jate rings are a much better bet. The hook doesn't retain the strap securely, pulls at the bolts at a funny angle, and would be harder to fit to Land Rover dumb irons. (I'm not convinced the forging would break or bend before the bolts sheared either, given the angle of force!)

To be frank, I'm also not even convinced that a bumper is a better solution than Jate rings, if the main reason is just to provide good recovery points. I've seen a good few bumpers being ripped off of chassis...