Hi-Lift Off Road Kit ORK

[Wavephf]

Took the dogs out for a ride hoping to find some hunting spots. I knew the trail I was going on would have snow on it so I made sure to bring some tire chains. Before I hit the deep snow I put the tire chains on the front of my truck because the last time I was in the snow I couldn't get the chains on after I got stuck. I made it almost to the top of trail but couldn't make the last 200 feet so I decided to turn around and head back down. The problem is I had to back down the trail and find a flat spot to turn around. The flat spot I found wasn't as flat as I thought and when I started to drive back forward my truck slip down next to a tree.


So I check what gear I have and decide what my options are.
1. Use my spot messenger to call for help
2. Go hunting for food (the only animals I have seen are my dogs)
3. Use my hi-lift and week old Off Road Kit ORK to attempt self recovery



My dogs found a deer antler and don't seem to care much about leaving this place.



ORK setup one. Short strap attached to bumper support on one end and the hi-lift on the other. ORK attached to 10' chain attached to 20' chain attached to 20' strap attached to large tree on uphill side of trail. Second strap added to help center the chain on the trail.




The first setup was very slow because the jack handle hits the bumper on the truck.

ORK setup two. Used 2 straps and 20' chain to bridge the gap between two trees, one on each side of the road. Hooked the hi-lift to the chain in the center of the road and the ORK to the 10' chain-strap-truck.



The second setup work alot faster. Pulled myself about three feet away from tree. I left the ORK and straps hooked up to the back of the truck and started driving down the trail. This help slide the rear end further away from the tree.




Back down the trail and on clear ground to remove the tire chains.




I still had some time to kill before heading home so I setup my hammock to take a break and enjoy the view.

 

[LR Max]

I condone the use of hammocks.

Nice work getting out of that bind.

 

[A3M0N]

Thanks for showing a Hi-Lift winching operation!

 

[conifers4]

Refreshing to see a different kind of post. I enjoyed it.

 

[Elwyn]

A friend of mine (now overlanding in their D2 through Europe) has stressed upon me the importance of rated strops. The two I have at the moment have a breaking strain of 5,000lb. For me and most situations I think that will be fine and I just need the rest of my gear up to that standard too.

But I'm also now in a better situation to afford better equipment that lasts a good long time as I also like looking after my gear so it also looks after me later on...

 

[Wavephf]

The chain are 5/16 G70 rated at 4700lb, the straps are tow straps not sure of the rating, the smaller D-ring came with the Off Road Kit so I'm sure it can handle the load and the dogs would probably just lay there instead of help. I don't have a snatch strap yet but I think it would have been useless in this situation. Having to stretch a snatch strap with the jack would have taken a while. I did realize that I was standing in the middle of my chain setup and didn't have anything on the chains to dampen them in case of breakage but the truck was sliding on top of the snow and I didn't have that much force on any of the components.

 

[I Leak Oil]

You may want to look at getting 3/8" Gr70 chain instead. Oh, and a chainsaw would save you LOTS of time.:ylsmoke:

 

[Kmrtnsn]

For the "Hi-lift jacks are soooooo dangerous" hysterical crowd; try that with your bottle jack! Bravo OP, bravo!

 

[emmodg]

Not a fan of the HiLift "kit" they sell as a come-a-long. I've worked with 2 different schools and we've avoided that kit like the plague. (3/8 G70 chain is minimum)

Straps (properly rated - rough rule of thumb= 10k per inch of width) a couple of 3/4" bow shackles (7/8" -pinned shackles average around 41/4 to 4 3/4 ton SWL, Van Beest shackles give a 6X SF) and a good jack can do wonders without chain and all that metal. If you can afford it, using a winch extension will really let you reach out and touch something! (Adjust it via knot sinnet or "daisy chain" and use a good toggle.

Line dampers or "parachutes" on a HiLift come-along scenario? Jury is still out on the efficacy there. If you have chain in the rig then yeah..maybe a good idea. Straps with no more than 5% stretch and/or poly line with less than .0-something% stretch....hmmmmm. I've witnessed many-a poly line and strap failure (when used in a STATIC recovery scenario!!!!) and have yet to see any "violence" - with or without a line dampner. (I wouldn't DARE go without one when using steel cable!!!!)

 

[Wavephf]

(Adjust it via knot sinnet or "daisy chain" and use a good toggle.

Can you expand on this a little bit. Ive heard mention of this before and spent last night searching allover the web for a way to do this. How do you use a knot sinnet without it self tightening the last loop or all the loops leaving you with a useless rope? most people use a knot sinnet for storing rope and extension cords. What is a Toggle?
Thanks Emmodg

I'm planning on buying a ARB recovery kit or similar in the next 3 or 4 months but I currently use the equipment I have. I don't think I was applying much force on the components as the tires were on slick snow and I wasn't caught on a rock/stump/hill/mud. Was there better ways to use my equipment? Yes. I could have used both straps on on uphill tree and used a shorter chain but it would have required repositioning equipment more than once. I could have used my hatchet to chop down the tree but don't like doing that kind of stuff unless necessary.

I admit I'm an amateur when it comes to vehicle recovery. I have never been professionally trained or instructed. Most instructors have ended up stuck somewhere when they didn't have the equipment needed to get out the same way they instruct there students. So do you give up? I think most would look at the situation and figure a way out with the equipment they have nearby or on board. I don't have a winch on the front of my truck either but I don't think It would have been much help. I would have needed multiple winch extensions, snatch blocks and anchor points to achieve the same goal.

Perhaps in the future I will take a recovery class when I have the funds and the time to do so.

Thanks for the positive and helpful replys
Chad

 

[Trav0302]

Thanks for the post! I think its important for people to see the use what you have tech.

 

[emmodg]

Chad,

Sorry I'm just seeing your question.

A daisy chain is simply a series of bites made in a line to adjust length. The last bite you take in the line is "choked" or "locked" within the previous bite with a toggle (pin from a shackle, GREEN piece of wood).

The picture is very crude - its 550 cord and a pencil - but it shows you how the the last bite has been "choked" within the previous bite with the pencil.

Please remember - I'm not a big fan of using a chain sinnet with a winch extension being used in a winching rig as there is just too much force going on there. I don't care what others do, it's just a bad idea. Each of those bites creates friction against the line which creates heat which poly doesn't like! Using a Hi Lift for a come-a-long USUALLY doesn't create as much friction and heat in the line. (I've yet to see a man able to develop as much force as a winch!) Also, be careful with what you choose as a toggle - obviously a pencil is a bad idea - screw pins work very well as they're round so there is no edge to cut on line. Again, a good green piece of wood works well. I've seen a multi-tool used but it's got sharp edges on it and its a good way to crush the tool. Your toggle can very easily become the weakest point in your rig so choose carefully!

Oh yeah - don't EVER use a daisy chain in ANYTHING that's going to be used in a kinetic recovery!!!!

 

[stioc]

^ that's a perfect example of the daisy-chain loops. Bill Burke's 'Getting Unstuck' DVD shows it and has a fair amount of hilift usage covered in it.

In my Hilift ORK I carry a 10ft length of grade 70 chain (any more and it's too heavy) and a 25-30ft Amsteel Blue winch extension. Most self recoveries only need about 6 to 10ft of movement so it's manageable with a hilift. Of course if you're trying to rock crawl your way through a difficult trail then that's not self-recovery IMHO and a hilift won't work due to the manual effort required.

 

[SiliconTi]

Nice job using what you had. I've been in that situation a few times - the reason I have a rear winch now. Kudos and thanks for sharing.

 

[emmodg]

"If you get 10 instructors, teachers or educators teaching recovery you could get 10 different ways to get the same results (that is unstuck). The important thing to remember is to take your time, make a plan, and ask yourself (What if?). As long as the recovery is safe do it. Some ways may use less manual labor then others."

Therein lies the rub.

There are certain organizations at large now trying to codify certain "rules" and "formulas" and "factors" borrowed from little more than a group of would-be adventurers and or "long-time wheelers" with short-time goals other than to hang a shingle out and call themselves "certified". "Send us $30 bucks, pass a "test" and we'll certify you." A whole "industry" and business has been created around little more than ego and questionable experience. Unlike sports car schools provenance and "pedigree" of a given instructor is questionable, unverifiable or just made up in the 4X4 driver-education business. I've worked with many "certified" instructors who payed their fee, took the test and got the t-shirt and quite frankly found them wanting of any real experience other than what some industry self-anointed "guru" told them. There are no "experts" in this "busines. There is no one right answer. The "practice" of learning to recover and drive a vehicle off road has existed in books and manuals written for quite some time now - those that want to learn have little to do but read, drive and experiment with common sense as their "co-pilot". Watch you tube and learn from the careless in our hobby - it's cheaper than "Joe Shmoe's School of Off Road Driving".

"I've been driving since I was 7." "I lived in a foreign desert." and "I love the outdoors." does not a driving instructor make. I teach/taught my students common sense recovery and driving practices that favored real-world application and safety over "mire factor formulas" and "When I was in the Sahara" - stories. From SEALs to CAG to 60-year-olds in $90,000 G-Wagens and Range Rovers I taught my students to respect their vehicle and equipment and it's ability to "bite" the un-atentive and careless. Many instructors and "characters" have begun to take themselves and this past-time too seriously desperately struggling to remain relevant to their customer and fellow "instructors" with tables and formulas, tall tales, and bizzare alternative uses for equipment. (Have you heard about the "experiment" with using a KERR as a shock-absorbing winch extension?) We mount "expeditions" across glaciers in rental trucks. Drive a $10 road in a $100,000 "over landing" vehicle. We toss around heady terms such as "over landing" and "vehicle dependent" as if we were discussing a last push to the summit of Everest or cardiovascular surgery. I loooooooooooooooooooooooooooove/loved teaching students but find the current atmosphere of ego-wrestling and self-absorbed "instructors" tiresome.

Sorry for the opinion "vomit".