Recovery gear

[Bamacountryboy]

Got a question , how many tree savers and snatch blocks do you carry in your rig . I have one of each and a ARB pull strap along with several d-rings.


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[krick3tt]

one of each and a very long strap and one huge metal shackle and one rope shackle

 

[Happy Joe]

1 Snatch strap, kinetic; 20,000lb.
2 rated shackles; 10,000 lb each.
1 tree strap
1 rated snatch block; 16,000 lb
Usually one log chain (often used for rigging indirect pulls (and dragging logs).

Edit/ Note there are four 10,000 lb rated recovery points 2 front and 2 back. (~3800 lb vehicle).... experience indicates that most stucks can be remedied with less than 1000 pounds of pull/push based on winch rating on top/outermost layer of cable..
IMO; if you have to worry about shock loading someone is messing up.
It may be a symptom of poor attitude on my part but a Jeep (or Explorer) should probably NOT be considered as a tow truck/rescue/recovery vehicle for significantly heavier vehicles.

Enjoy!

 

[Low_Sky]

I carry two snatch blocks, two 8' tree straps, and a 20' tow strap that normally gets used as a long tree strap, in addition to all the other recovery gear you didn't ask about.

I off-road an 8500+ lbs truck. When it gets stuck, it gets really stuck and I need to have a lot of rigging tricks up my sleeve to get it out.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I've only been carrying one snatch block for some time but since I'm doing a lot more remote stuff alone I'm adding a second to the kit. Previously someone else in the club/group run would have one so it wasn't a big deal.

Otherwise, two tree straps/short tow straps, a 20' snatch strap, various shackles, a 50' winch extension line, a drag chain that could be pressed into service for flat land towing or other unknown task.

 

[verdesard0g]

too much to list:

Plus various other stuff....hi lift, shovel, one more snatch block etc, etc.....

 

[Umbrarian]

1 snatch
1 tree
1 extra 150' syn rope
6 shackles (2 on front, 2 on rear, 2 loose)
1 25 foot chain
1 30' tug strap

Tug strap sees 95% of use.

 

[Bamacountryboy]

Thanks for all of the replies

 

[J!m]

I had to think about this. I haven’t inventoried in a while.

But I think the high points have been hit.

Some tips/deviations:
I have a short length of load chain. 5/16 links, which is probably only 5,000# rated. I’m not sure. Grab hook on one end. This is for those who didn’t bother having recovery points, or they are bolted to rotten structure. We make one with this.

Shackles: I have a love/hate relationship with mine. If you use threaded pin shackles long enough, you will lock one up. Even when you remember to back out the screw 1/4 turn. The “harbor freight” Specials are the best for this. Mine have a pin that slides in and is secured with a hairpin. They never have thread problems, but pins do go missing. These are farm equipment items I got in Canada. Two straight ones (typical looking) and two “twisted” ones which are turned 90 degrees. These come in handy when using factory recovery points under a truck.

At least one, maybe two, welded “oval” rings. Can be used with plasma line as a pillow block in a pinch but the paint will be gone. Also work well with straps for rigging to right a rolled truck.

Spare 50’ plasma line. I have a spliced eye in each end to use with shackles. I think I used it once. It weighs nothing so no reason not to have that extra reach. “The tree is always two feet too far”

Four snatch straps. I think they are 25’ or so. One tree strap. I use the former on trees as well.

Six feet of 3/8 load chain with grab hooks. If you double line that spindly chain, you may snap it. This is heavy, but I totally trust it.

Snatch block is a Holmes brand. Rated at 20,000# or something silly like that. Off the wrecker for 1/2” steel cable pulled by a PTO winch. Serious, forged steel piece but also heavy. I’m not a fan of the stamped steel ones although Ive not seen one fail yet.

All the metal bits are painted OSHA safety yellow. Just because rusty shackles are hard to find in mud... Tip: paint them pink and no one will ever ask to borrow them.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Shackles: I have a love/hate relationship with mine. If you use threaded pin shackles long enough, you will lock one up. Even when you remember to back out the screw 1/4 turn.

I think this is a mistake that continues to be parroted. Do not back the pins out, they must be tight for the shackle to keep its rated WLL.

Taken from: http://news.thecrosbygroup.com/news/shackle-to-shackle-by-crosby

Tightening the Pin in a Screw Pin Shackle

First, Crosby states that screw pin shackles are to be used in pick and place applications.

Second, the pin must be tight before each lift and must not be able to be rotated while in use.

ASME B30.26 has the following statement regarding screw pin shackles:

The screw pin threads shall be fully engaged and tight and the shoulder should be in contact with the shackle body.

Thus, contrary to popular believe, you should never back off the screw pin before use. The shackle pin should be a minimum of hand tight before the lift begins."



Always make sure the shackle pin is tight!

If the screw pin cannot be threaded into the shackle by hand, this may be the result of deformation.​

The “harbor freight” Specials are the best for this.

This is the problem. If a screw can't be removed after using the shackle that means it deformed and has failed. It should be destroyed, certainly removed from any critical use. A legitimate shackle from Crosby, Gunnebo, Van Beest, Columbus-McKinnon used within it's WLL will not deform. You have to know your source and trust your rigging.

 

[J!m]

Absolutely correct.

And 99% of what you see on the trail isn’t.

It’s amazing there aren’t more fatalities actually. I’ve whitnessed some genuinely scary stuff out there.

My appropriately rated winch hook always gets comments. It’s a fail safe locking one and a bit large to be “cool” but it isn’t going to fail... form follows function.

 

[J!m]

Honestly the sited document is related to dead lift and not a dynamic pull. The ratings for dead lift have little bearing when used with a snatch strap for example.

My father had a towing recovery business so that’s where I learned most of my recovery techniques. The rest were “on the mud training”. And why I tend to over-spec a lot of my gear.

But I do agree “some” rating is better than none.

 

[DaveInDenver]

So then what is the accepted way to reduce a shackle rated WLL, which is generally understood I know to be a static load, to a correct SWL under shock loading like it might experience in a recovery? Is there a standard calculation we should use?

 

[J!m]

In "general" terms, "rule of thumb" etc. I would go with 1.5X. So, if you have an 8000# winch, you'd rate at 12,000 for dynamic. But that's a single line pull on the first wrap on the drum (etc... ) Now, double line pull. 16,000#, at half the line speed... OR last wrap on the drum, which is less than winch rating... Another way of looking at it is the (fully laden) weight of the vehicle X2 (or at least 1.5); however, if you recover another vehicle of unknown weight, you want the winch to stall BEFORE the rigging fails.

So, if you are not "stalling" your winch, you are not running at its maximum rated capacity (for the coil layer you are using at that time). I have stalled my Husky 10 on a double block first wrap on the drum (that's about 40,000# pull) and broke my plasma line doing it (which was not surprising as it was an older line anyway). None of my rigging failed, just the plasma line. And since the winch was stalled, I wasn't capable of pulling any "harder" than that...

Bottom line, in my case at least, my rigging is suitable for my winching activities.

Snatch straps are another story. F=MV (Force equals mass times velocity) So, the vehicle mass multiplied by it's velocity equals the force it exerts. Move the same truck (a little bit) faster, the force goes up significantly. Something to keep in mind, and also why so many "recovery" points end up being ripped off vehicles when they are recovered (or trying to be recovered).

I'm sure there are guys much smarter than I am on this subject (Physics degreed individuals for example) who can provide a more comprehensive dissertation, but this is the "Cliff's notes" version.

 

[DaveInDenver]

My question wasn't about winches, that should never be a dynamic recovery or routinely something you should expect a shock load. Yikes.

I was just curious if you had some references you could point to. I've the standard rules of thumbs for coefficient of frictions on surface, gradient resistance, the winching force formulas and that sort of thing. Always interested in knowing more from subject matter experts, though.