Heavy Truck Recovery Thoughts?

[timeforcamping]

Hey folks,
Newbie here who is about to be finishing a build on an Isuzu/GMC t7500. I already have winches and was wondering where to look and what y'all would recommend to have in my recovery kit beyond shovel and chainsaw.

Are any recovery boards, tree savers, ropes, pulleys, shackles, straps or any other ideas rated for 25,000 lbs?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[mog]

There is the old standby of PSP (Perforated Steel Plank) aka- Marston Mat. I don't know if you can find that surplus anymore. The new stuff seems to be all lighter-duty aluminum made for 4x4 recovery, not heavy steel for landing your B-29 on Tinian. You might check local smaller airports in your area as some will still have a stack off in some obscure corner of the field.

One of your biggest challenges will be an anchor point for recovery. There is a reason elephants travel in herds, so travel with a BIG friend.

 

[Ultimark]

MaxTrax for recovery boards.

We have 4 MaxTrax Mk II full size boards, needed to use them twice. First time was in very hot deep sand, second time was in slimy mud then almost immediately after, a rocky ledge type of bridging situation where we doubled them up to traverse a rock crack. Just some feint skid marks, no deformation marks, no stress bits from being twisted; but you can tell they've been used.

We are running an NPS 300 around the 6,000 Kg mark, super singles. MaxTrax recovery tracks, just work.

If for any reason these units failed, and it really would be extreme, then I would replace them with the newer MaxTrax Extreme. I don't think there is anything better than them.

I've watched a 10,000 Kg MAN use a set of MaxTrax Mk II recovery boards to get forward motion in hot deep sand, not a scratch, nor buckle or anything one could visually see, except where one of the boards had tyre marks from a prior recovery.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Fibre glass catwalk. Any width and length that you want.
There is a little under 2T on this piece.
Can be used for bridging which is beyond the capability of most other options.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[timeforcamping]

There is the old standby of PSP (Perforated Steel Plank) aka- Marston Mat. I don't know if you can find that surplus anymore. The new stuff seems to be all lighter-duty aluminum made for 4x4 recovery, not heavy steel for landing your B-29 on Tinian. You might check local smaller airports in your area as some will still have a stack off in some obscure corner of the field.

One of your biggest challenges will be an anchor point for recovery. There is a reason elephants travel in herds, so travel with a BIG friend.

Ah, anchor points... another thing I didn't think of in that way. I'm now picturing trees and boulders flying at me near light speed.

Elephants for sale? Anyone?

MaxTrax for recovery boards.

We have 4 MaxTrax Mk II full size boards, needed to use them twice. First time was in very hot deep sand, second time was in slimy mud then almost immediately after, a rocky ledge type of bridging situation where we doubled them up to traverse a rock crack. Just some feint skid marks, no deformation marks, no stress bits from being twisted; but you can tell they've been used.

We are running an NPS 300 around the 6,000 Kg mark, super singles. MaxTrax recovery tracks, just work.

If for any reason these units failed, and it really would be extreme, then I would replace them with the newer MaxTrax Extreme. I don't think there is anything better than them.

I've watched a 10,000 Kg MAN use a set of MaxTrax Mk II recovery boards to get forward motion in hot deep sand, not a scratch, nor buckle or anything one could visually see, except where one of the boards had tyre marks from a prior recovery.

But they're not rated anywhere near that? Same with Treds, right? Am I overthinking here where I'm coming in around 12,000 KG?

View attachment 827910
Fibre glass catwalk. Any width and length that you want.
There is a little under 2T on this piece.
Can be used for bridging which is beyond the capability of most other options.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

I looked and saw this on the internet and was wondering where to get this cut to size and what price and if in fact they could withstand the weight of our buggy.

Fiberglass Grating - Molded and Pultruded - Unicomposite

Unicomposite can supply two kinds of fiberglass grating, FRP Molded Grating and FRP Pultruded Grating. Molded Grating is made from polyester resin and continuous fiberglass roving, heat cured in a mold, in a hand-crafted layer-by-layer operation to produce the desired thickness and panel size...

www.unicomposite.com

Would this be the place to start?

Thanks y'all so much! More Qs incoming.

 

[mog]

Outback Accessories used to sell a set of large recovery tracks that were 60 inches (1500cm) long and 15.75 inches (40cm) wide, designed for heavy trucks at 2.5 inches (6cm) thick.
You might contact them and see if they are available.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

looked and saw this on the internet and was wondering where to get this cut to size and what price and if in fact they could withstand the weight of our buggy.

I found some in a construction recycle junk store. Bought a few pieces 1.5m x 1m and cut it up with a friction saw.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[BigSkyBrad]

If you have the space, carry a tractor with you...

 

[SkiFreak]

Gives you a good reason why a winch on the back of the vehicle is something that should be considered in your build plans.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

My Warn 16.5Ti can pull frontways, rearways or sideways.
And it always points directly to the anchor point so the cable lays up evenly on the drum instead of bunching up on one side.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome