Full Size Expedition Vehicle Recovery Gear

[gregmchugh]

Saw these for sale at the Kenworth dealer in Fairbanks when we got towed there from the park road inside Denali NP and bought a set last week to use with the chains...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BTAREA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[waveslider]

I suppose this fits within the realm of "recovery gear"......

In researching equipment for our new vehicle I came across these new fangled fire extinguishers. The form factor (and lack of pressurized tank) gives them a major leg up in my book. I already know I'm going to buy a couple for our workshop and reloading room.

I haven't dug deep enough to know if they are certified or allowed as a replacement in places that require a fire ext. (RVIA or whatever it is) but I thought I would share. Apologies if this has been shared previously.

Lots of info and media on the website.

https://elementfire.com/

 

[warrantchief]

Anyone have any comments on using a dynamic strap as part of the winch rigging? That seems like it would add some excitement if something was to snap... Isn't one of the big advantages of a synthetic winch line that they don't stretch and thus have less dangerous failure modes?

Chris Cole, of Safe-xtract sent these recommendations to me for my 23k pound vehicle with a 16.5k winch on it(I followed his recomendations):
3) Here is what I would recommend:
a) You get a 1/5" diameter 20 'Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope [KERR] with a MTS of 74,000 lbs. [or even better a 2" at 131,500 lbs.] This is a really great tool, if used properly, to pull out stuck vehicles using a bit of momentum. But you have to be careful about that though. It's also a great piece of equipment to include in your recovery chain when winching - it takes out the shock load and safes your rigging.
....

 

[gregmchugh]

Anyone have any comments on using a dynamic strap as part of the winch rigging? That seems like it would add some excitement if something was to snap... Isn't one of the big advantages of a synthetic winch line that they don't stretch and thus have less dangerous failure modes?

I have not seen anything but recommendations to not use a kinetic recovery rope in any configuration with a winch line, for example,

https://vikingoffroad.com/blog/how-to-do-kinetic-recovery/

 

[waveslider]

Agreed. I don’t think that the passage you quoted implied that the kinetic rope would be used in conjunction with the winch - although upon rereading it I can see how one could make that mistake. (Assuming that was what you meant)

 

[warrantchief]

Yeah, I've never heard of anyone recommending it either, which is I why I asked. The way it's written, I'm not sure how else you would interpret it.

 

[foxhunter]

So I recently buried my U1400 in a creek. It weighs 10k. I buried it up to the axles(portal) and had the front fender ensnared in tree roots. I had to run over three hundred feet of line including the dynamic strap and use my 23000 lb U500 with 16.5 ton winch and doubled it with a snatch block and it would not budge the 1400. Then I got a 45,000 lb 8 tire tractor with forward assist to pull it. I used the app from safeXtract and it told me I needed at least 30k pounds to get it out, but the app does not take into account tree roots snagging your bumper. We added two 3/8 inch 50 foot chains to the synthetic lines and pulled. U1400 didn’t move. My synthetic lines held but the chains broke twice. Got a backhoe and dug out rear tires. Front of motor on u1400 had been in ice water for 24 hours and the belt was slipping on the air compressor leaving me unable to shift or to shut off the motor due to no air pressure. Also my brakes were locked because I couldn’t build air pressure. With the rear tires dug out of the mud by the backhoe,the tractor drug the u1400 out, locked brakes and all. My synthetic lines,etc performed great. Chains not so much. I also broke a strap rated for 30k lb that was new in this process.
And the u1400 was as good as new once I cleaned it. Differential fluid, etc all good. I think they are built better than a tank. My take away is from now on all my recovery lines will be correctly rated synthetic lines. No more in line straps, no more chain, no more cable(too heavy).

 

[waveslider]

Wow, thanks for sharing Foxhunter. I don't know why but chains have always scared me. The farmers around here swear by them but whenever someone is stuck and needs to get unstuck, its almost always the synthetic stuff that does it.

I suppose the biggest benefit of chains (and cable to a certain extent) in an Ag environment is that they can be thrown in the back of a pickup and weather/mud/manure is less damaging to them. Which is likely why they all use them.

Pertinent to the comments immediately above, I'm curious what your experience was putting the dynamic strap in the mix to extend your lines. Did you have a lot of take-up to get it stretched out? I always assumed it would be like trying to use a come-a-long on a climbing rope.

 

[foxhunter]

Wow, thanks for sharing Foxhunter. I don't know why but chains have always scared me. The farmers around here swear by them but whenever someone is stuck and needs to get unstuck, its almost always the synthetic stuff that does it.

I suppose the biggest benefit of chains (and cable to a certain extent) in an Ag environment is that they can be thrown in the back of a pickup and weather/mud/manure is less damaging to them. Which is likely why they all use them.

Pertinent to the comments immediately above, I'm curious what your experience was putting the dynamic strap in the mix to extend your lines. Did you have a lot of take-up to get it stretched out? I always assumed it would be like trying to use a come-a-long on a climbing rope.

It stretched to its max, then acted like a regular synthetic line. Worked well

 

[waveslider]

As expected. Good deal and glad things worked out well.

 

[s.e.charles]

So I recently buried my U1400 …

so . . . when heading off-road, it might also be prudent to tow a backhoe ?