Recovery thoughts, ideas, advice

[JMacs]

Since I have all of your attention, I am going to keep this discussion going with a few more questions.

I know the best way to connect one vehicle to the other is by a couple of welded on recovery points. Lacking that, I have to look for alternatives. I now have the hitch mounted shackle. Looked at a lot of Matt’s Recovery videos. He has a couple of ones where he talks about where to connect on someone else’s car.

But between the two points, I came up with 11 different ways to tie the vehicles together. So, I set each one up, took a picture, and have posted them below. Some are probably good. Some, you might look at and say, “I hope you kept your receipts, because you need to pack it all up, return it, and never try this again.”

I am sure at some point, for some reason or another, you need to deviate slightly from the preferred method. When that happens, I would like to get some thoughts on which end of the scale each one of these is. (Make sure I stay on the right end of the scale.) If one is a bad idea, tell my why it is a bad idea. That way, if I come up with number 12 and 13, I can start evaluating them on my own.

• Shackle to shackle.
• Shackle, looped through another shackle, to shackle.
• Shackle, looped around the ____ (insert car part here) to shackle.
• Shackle to bowline around the _____.
• Shackle to bowline around the _____ with another shackle.
• Shackle to shackle to doubled up recovery chain.
• Shackle to recovery strap loop to doubled up recovery chain.
• Shackle to recovery strap loop to doubled up recovery chain with a reef knot.
• Shackle to recovery strap loop to recovery chain.
• Shackle to recovery strap loop to recovery chain with a reef knot.
• Shackle to shackle to recovery chain.

If / when I get a short strap, what is the best way to connect that to the longer recovery strap? Soft shackle? Metal shackle? Reasons?

Thanks again in advance for all of your help and education.

• Shackle to shackle.

• Shackle, looped through another shackle, to shackle.

• Shackle, looped around the ____ (insert car part here) to shackle.
• 
  
• 
  
• Shackle to bowline around the _____

• Shackle to bowline around the _____ with another shackle.

• Shackle to shackle to doubled up recovery chain.

• Shackle to recovery strap loop to doubled up recovery chain.

• Shackle to recovery strap loop to doubled up recovery chain with a reef knot.

• Shackle to recovery strap loop to recovery chain.

• Shackle to recovery strap loop to recovery chain with a reef knot.

• Shackle to shackle to recovery chain.

 

[JMacs]

• Shackle to shackle to recovery chain.
• 

 

[Tudor Tanase]

For towing small, modern vehicles with no or dodgy tow points, a very short distance in snow conditions it is popular to just put a strap through the wheel spokes. Yes the wheel can't turn but that does not matter when pulling a Golf 3m out of a snowy ditch with a Landcruiser.
In addition to all the good advice already posted: check which way the tow strap/chain is coming out from under the towed vehicle when under tension. I have seen tows go wrong when the tow strap got under tension and pushed on a steering arm or other component, causing the towed car to go to full lock despite the driver's best efforts. I have also heard of idiots connecting the strap to steering components, with similar results...
Tow starting used to be a common skill in East Europe in winter. Will never forget when an articulated trolleybus with passengers in it stopped and backed up to give me a tow start, as I was waiting with the tow rope in hand on the side of a city street...

 

[billiebob]

I would never do anything which might allow the chain or strap to slip in the loop. And definitely not the figure 8.
Straight shot, shackle to shackle is the only way to rig.

First choice or last choice, the rest are for school kids.

And where did you find my rug ?

The problem with connecting to the receiver is no hitch was designed for that kind of a pull. A steady pull is likely not an issue but a snatch pull could easily compromize the hitch connection to the truck frame.

 

[Metcalf]

I know the best way to connect one vehicle to the other is by a couple of welded on recovery points.

I don't think this is necessarily true. A welded on recovery point isn't any stronger than a properly designed bolted connection. The problem is that it has to be properly designed. Honestly, I put the most faith in OEM tow/recovery points over a lot of stuff I commonly see in the 'aftermarket'. The OEM version likely went over an engineers desk and was tested for liability reasons to some degree. Now, there are some hokey OEM recovery points, don't get me wrong ( mostly the little 1/4" steel folded eye ones ), but there are some pretty darn solid ones out there....Jeep Wranglers, Ford truck fronts, etc.

In the aftermarket, I don't think most are designed that well honestly. They might look big and beefy, but they are commonly welded to thin material with no structure to support them. There are some good ones like products from AEV, ARB, and a few others. I see a LOT of stuff that just makes me nervous. There isn't really any testing protocol for any of this stuff.

Receiver hitches. I think they are better than most people give them credit for. They aren't perfect, but they are a pretty decent option. Most of them will deform ( bending the main tube ), which is better than them just failing. The do, by design, spread the load out over a broad area to both sides of the frame.

I will hook to multiple tow points whenever possible, especially if they look a little on the 'light' side. And remember, if you are hooking to multiple tow points it is best to use a system that allows one point to fail while leaving the other attachment point intact. If you are just looping a strap to grab both it will just slip through if one point fails. This can cause things to fly in odd directions also which makes the recovery less safe for everyone.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Now, there are some hokey OEM recovery points, don't get me wrong ( mostly the little 1/4" steel folded eye ones ), but there are some pretty darn solid ones out there....Jeep Wranglers, Ford truck fronts, etc.

What I think he's referring to are tow points like these. This is from a 2005-2015 Tacoma as an example. They are alright to the extent that they are likely to fail by bending first at least.



Depending on trim Toyota puts those brackets or the cast "off road" hook in the same location, fastened to the passenger side with two bolts but offers no ratings or guidance otherwise. Both are indicated for "emergency towing" is all.



Further, there's a substantial loop on the driver's side welded to the frame and is not intended to be removable.



There's no mention of what it's for in my owner's manual but Toyota on the Land Cruiser uses two similar loops presumably for its recovery points. This is what the 80 series looks like. Difference is they are bolted to the frame instead of welded. My opinion is the big loop is a recovery point and honestly I'd trust it just as much as the bolted and stamped one.



And in practice those Toyota loops seem to be just as strong as the chassis itself. This is a 70 series, the frame apparently failed before the stock loop.



I will point out that one example from the Internet is perhaps really just an interesting anecdote and that there could be a lot of things at play, like running the loops over rocks often hastening frame fatigue. He's also using random bolts without anything to spread the load on a frame without any reinforcement. It's not a very good recovery point all around and I have my doubt it's a stock location to be honest. Internet lore probably.

But still as far as factory tow/recovery/hold-down points I think all we can ever say is they are good for GVWR and that's it. The manufacturer designed a system, the loop itself was designed to mount to a particular spot so replacing the factory hook can't guarantee the frame behind was intended to be any stronger. You might put a 10,000 rated hook at a location that could ever only tolerate 6,000 lbs so you still have a 6,000 lbs recovery point.

Which is why it's probably indicative that ARB builds this recovery point for the 2005+ Tacoma that uses the two factory captured nuts but then adds three more tie points to the frame horn. ARB says it's rated up to a 17,500 lbs dynamic strap and the eye is sized large enough to accept a 3/4" screw pin shackle, e.g. 4.75 tons/9,500 lbs. Most (many?) ARB recovery points are like this in adding extra connections so I suspect the problem of thin wall frames isn't unusual.

 

[Metcalf]

But still as far as factory tow/recovery/hold-down points I think all we can ever say is they are good for GVWR and that's it. The manufacturer designed a system, the loop itself was designed to mount to a particular spot so replacing the factory hook can't guarantee the frame behind was intended to be any stronger. You might put a 10,000 rated hook at a location that could ever only tolerate 6,000 lbs so you still have a 6,000 lbs recovery point.

Which is why it's probably indicative that ARB builds this recovery point for the 2005+ Tacoma that uses the two factory captured nuts but then adds three more tie points to the frame horn. ARB says it's rated up to a 17,500 lbs dynamic strap and the eye is sized large enough to accept a 3/4" screw pin shackle, e.g. 4.75 tons/9,500 lbs. Most the ARB recovery points are like this in adding extra connections so I suspect the problem of thin wall frames isn't unusual.

View attachment 560422

I agree that there are some hokey factory attachment points, Toyota seems like a good example of bad examples, but their are also some pretty good ones our their like the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Super-Duty fronts. There are also SOME good examples of aftermarket units ( like the ARB unit you posted ) but there are LOTS of really bad examples of them on the market. Dare I say the majority of the aftermarket stuff is pretty questionable.

The ARB unit you posted, while rated to 17,500lbs, likely doesn't take into account what that 17.5k would do to a lot of other stuff. Pulling that much on ONE side of the frame would make me very nervous. I've seen people dang near rip the tire/knuckle/steering off a Tacoma just using a single line 8000lb winch when the tire was trapped. I would rather have an overbuilt recovery point like that, but dang that things start to get dangerous when you are pulling that hard on stuff. I try to always be an advocate of using more shovel and less brute force! When in doubt, try to double up the attachment points to the vehicle.

 

[MOguy]

I am the jerk when it comes to this. Rarely do I head out in bad weather anyway. Stuck vehicles on the side of the road of are because of carelessness leading people to being stranded and I don't want to deal with idiots. I will help them get help, but that is it. Rarely will I hook to somebody unless they are properly equipped, part of my group, friends or family. My Jeep is not that heavy and not the best recovery vehicle anyway. I am not recovering people who are were they shouldn't be or areas where it could cause other issues, such as damage or blocking traffic.

I pay extra insurance for road side assistance and towing so I don't have to bother other people with my problems.

 

[MOguy]

.

I know the best way to connect one vehicle to the other is by a couple of welded on recovery points.

NO

Various types of metals may not weld together very well. Thinner metal is can be more easily be damaged when welded, especially to thicker metal. If you are fortunate enough not to damage the thinner metal the weld may not penetrate deep enough into the thicker metal.

 

[shade]

I've seen people dang near rip the tire/knuckle/steering off a Tacoma just using a single line 8000lb winch when the tire was trapped.

No doubt.

There's a lot to be said for the humble shovel and a few minutes of labour.

 

[luthj]

I find that humans are lazy (me included). I am also surprised by how many drivers don't carry a decent shovel. One that can move sand and cut through dirt/clay. Somtimes even just a quick jacking of a wheel, and depositing some rocks does the trick. A few minutes with a shovel, dropping air pressure etc.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I am also surprised by how many drivers don't carry a decent shovel.

As you mention it this is an important point. A lot of people carry plastic shovels in the winter with the image of fluffy powder under their skis. And I'm not just talking about drivers with icy roads but backcountry people on snow machines and skis, too. You need to be able to chip at ice and move debris that's just about as dense as wet cement. For a car or truck if you're not carrying a real shovel at least carry an old surplus trenching tool made of steel and wood.

 

[Metcalf]

This picture was making the rounds on facebook the other week. It is a good example of bad execution that i commonly see in the aftermarket. The attachment point looks big and beefy, but the structure doesnt go anywhere.

 

[DaveInDenver]

This picture was making the rounds on facebook the other week. It is a good example of bad execution that i commonly see in the aftermarket. The attachment point looks big and beefy, but the structure doesnt go anywhere. View attachment 560642

It looks to me like it wasn't even as bad as some. It looks like that at least attempted by cutting a relief in the bumper and had two welds. I see so many DIY and fab shops just weld a clevis on the face with a single filet pass around the edge. This one was a base metal (or at least HAZ) failure so it just needed reinforcement (to be "engineered").

The way my rear recovery points are built they are the bumper mount itself extended and passed through the face. They rely on the mounting bolts and frame not to fail but the welds and bumper skin only serve to give lateral support.

The ARB unit you posted, while rated to 17,500lbs, likely doesn't take into account what that 17.5k would do to a lot of other stuff. Pulling that much on ONE side of the frame would make me very nervous. I've seen people dang near rip the tire/knuckle/steering off a Tacoma just using a single line 8000lb winch when the tire was trapped. I would rather have an overbuilt recovery point like that, but dang that things start to get dangerous when you are pulling that hard on stuff. I try to always be an advocate of using more shovel and less brute force! When in doubt, try to double up the attachment points to the vehicle.

I think ARB is technically rating that at 9,500 lbs straight pull. The 17,500 lbs dynamic thing would probably fall into marginal region because strictly speaking a 4.75t shackle is being misused in that case, too. But they are proof tested to 2xWLL and it's not an overhead lift so...

 

[luthj]

Lots of amateur/hobby welders focus on the stacking of dimes look. There is a lot more to weight bearing/pulling welds than that. Strength of filler, penetration, weld thickness. radius, etc.

In many situations a bolted connection is probably the better option compared to limited weld area. Especially with backing plates. or load spreading reinforcement.