Simple Beach Recovery tool idea

[lcsodiver]

I keep thinking of trying that... if I can get my hands on a piece of aluminum plate for cheap... the problems that I see is it would be heavy and only work in snow/mud and sand but would still have to be "shoveled" in to harder surfaces, unlike a pull pal which digs in to the harder surfaces too.

Would it be possible to scale up a deadman snow anchor, a fluke, used in climbing to use in sand as a winch anchor. A fluke is pushed into the snow and the cables buried so the top one is level to the snow surface. Tension on the cable causes the fluke to dig down and the wide face of the fluke pushes against the snow holding the load. Here is a picture of a fluke and a sketch of a scaled up version. It would need to be made of stiff metal, maybe 5/16" thick and have maybe a couple of square feet of surface area but this is all supposition on my part, just throwing the idea out there.

 

[Mr. Leary]

I keep thinking of trying that... if I can get my hands on a piece of aluminum plate for cheap... the problems that I see is it would be heavy and only work in snow/mud and sand but would still have to be "shoveled" in to harder surfaces, unlike a pull pal which digs in to the harder surfaces too.

So bolt on a fence post tie and hammer it in with the back of the axe in your recovery kit. I still don't think this kind of thing would be strong enough to be used in a deep mud stuck, but it may work for a light sand stuck or snow...

There are many substitutes that you can make do with, but the testing results I have seen clearly indicate the superiority of the pull pal. It works well in most terrain types.

 

[michaelgroves]

I wouldn't bother with a winch and ground anchor, for sand. Aired down tyres and good driving will probably keep you from getting stuck, and if you do happen to get bogged down, then IMO some mats or even a big tarp, and an exahust/air jack are the best extraction tools for sand.

I just wouldn't feel comfortable going driving on a beach without some type of ground anchor, maybe I should just spring for a Lan Cor. Sheppard did a test of them and found them to be, "Must have," I guess I trust his judgement a little bit.

You do know it wasn't Tom Sheppard, right? ( I have no idea who Mike Sheppard is, but his test seemed ok).

 

[FlatBlak]

The next rich guy will be the one that invents an attachment for a Hi-Lift to use it as a pull-pal type anchor. All that is needed is a blade and support....right?

I used my old bedliner for sand ladders. Cheap and effective.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Have you guys ever buried a spare tire in the sand/ snow and used that to winch off of? I have heard of it being done in the past but never been able to try it out.

-Alex

Its like the proverbial "banging the steel wheel back into shape with a hammer" activity.

I've always heard of people using this line to justify their camel trophy style wheels, but have never seen it actually done...

 

[chimivee]

Catching up...

get the handle from yer highlift and use it as the cross handle for one of these...many lenghts..

http://www.tractorsupply.com/home-i...in-l-earth-anchor-with-6-in-dia-auger-3610927

Great idea. (and by great I mean ridiculously cheap ) Seems like it could make a worthy poor-man's Lan-cor. Any further comments on the functionality/strength of something like this? I have no experience with this or the "real" thing.

Thanks.

 

[john101477]

Catching up...

Great idea. (and by great I mean ridiculously cheap ) Seems like it could make a worthy poor-man's Lan-cor. Any further comments on the functionality/strength of something like this? I have no experience with this or the "real" thing.

Thanks.

I know it will pull a good size John Deere out so I would imagine a toyota would be fine lol. and yeah they are cheap. unfortunalty many things that people build for the expedition or 4wd crew are crazy over priced. take the mattraxx for example. $290 for a pair. it takes less than $50 to make them. put a patent on anything and as long as it has some bling and is useful people will pay for it. the difference in these 2 methods of extraction are time and sweat. Throw a mattraxx under a tire and your out in minutes or even seconds. Spin a hand auger for 5 minutes you might be out.

 

[Mof]

I thought the Lan Cor looks alot like a beefed up steel fence post.

The Lan-Cor doesnt anchor by the handle its all in the auger, the handle is actually pretty lightweight, its only there to get the auger down. you could completely remove the handle and it will still hold

Has anyone seen the pull pal vid on youtube? it doesnt look like it was holding anything

 

[seanz0rz]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI7rplrmHEM"]YouTube - PullPal Demo at 2010 Pismo Jamboree[/ame]

that is somewhat terriable video from my pullpal demo at pismo a few weeks ago.

the test was to try out the pullpal in soft sand. the first one was a little stuck, something 4wd could have solved, but i didnt want to embarass myself by getting really stuck and not having the pullpal work.

once i was confident in the pull pal, i got myself pretty stuck. this was soft beach sand. not the softest sand in the world, but definately not hard pack. i got severly stuck in this same sand when not aired down and with a heavy trailer.

i was really pleased with the performance of the pullpal, it was worth every penny. my parents bought it for me for x-mas after we had gotten stuck in nasty oregon mud in the snow the previous summer.

 

[munepit]

Great video!! Thanks for sharing it. Looked fun!!!

 

[JPK]

I've been on safari in Africa when we had to use the burried tire deadman anchor for a winch anchor. Works great but it is a lot of work and so a last resort.

JPK

 

[Hill Bill E.]

I used the buried tire Deadman anchor a few times.

The worst was while in the service, using the spare from a 5 ton! Uhhggg!

Lots of digging to fit that tire a foot+ into the ground, but it worked.


Generally speaking, if the vehicle still runs and you're not pulling 'dead weight' plus the suction of what you are stuck in, it doesn't take a whole lot extra to get out.

 

[robert]

The next rich guy will be the one that invents an attachment for a Hi-Lift to use it as a pull-pal type anchor. All that is needed is a blade and support....right?

<snip>

A buddy of mine in NC has done something similar for the Outer Banks- he has two plates that look like snow anchors that he bolts onto his Hi-lift body. He slides the lift mechanism off, bolt the two plates on with wing nuts, digs a shallow trench which he drops the contraption it, hooks his winch to it and pulls. I've never seen kit used, but he swears it works.

When I was younger we'd drive the family car onto the beach to go fishing. We'd air down the tires but we also had the bumper jack and some carpet strips in the trunk. The key is to stop as soon as you feel it loosing traction- don't let it dig in; it's a bit of an acquired feel. As soon as you stop, lift the back of the car, throw the carpet strips under the tires, make sure there's no dirt mounded in front of any of the tires, drop the car down then drive out slowly. Poor man's sand ladders.

 

[buckshot500]

Something I just saw today on cherokeeforum;
http://www.smittybilt.com/product/index/94.htm

 

[seanz0rz]

Something I just saw today on cherokeeforum;
http://www.smittybilt.com/product/index/94.htm

sierra expeditions did a test on this and the pullpal. there is a reason they dont sell the smittybilt. they said it performed very poorly and they could not sell a product they wouldnt/dont use themselves.