The Danger of using the wrong recovery equipment
- Thread starter colodak
- Start date
verdesard0g
Search and Rescue first responder
Although I would never use a tow ball for recovery, that video showed very hard abuse that only a total idiot would try.
Hillbilly Heaven
Explorer
cringe worthy
s.e.charles
Well-known member
yeah? well, … well,... he did have a helment! (sic)
besides, after a few brewskis, who wouldn't have the courage to jump into a performance like that? "I didn't pay $49.99 for this chain just to ride it around y'know"
macexpress
Observer
I once had my Tahoe stuck while plowing snow. We where pulling it out with a 3" tow strap hooked to a factory tow hook. Snapped the tow hook off and it came right through the sheet metal on my barn door and was laying 4 feet inside my Tahoe. I was sure thankful it didn't come through 2 feet higher
colodak
Adventurer
Think about how much abuse the average tow ball takes from towing, over time it will weaken the ball and the mount. Start trying to do recovery with it, and who knows when it will go. Or, think of all the people we've seen on trails using a tow ball as a recovery point, maybe they've done it 15 or 20 times. The first ball in the video, it took 8 tries and it wasn't even loose in the mount. I tow a few times a year, every time before I do, I check to see if the ball is tight, and I never leave my ball receiver in, I normally have my tow point installed.
I learned (re-learned) this lesson doing yardwork.. had a bush/shrub thing to remove in my front yard. Wrapped one of my old tow straps (with loop ends because I'm no dummy) and thinking it's just a little bush I hooked the strap to my suburban on the tow hitch (like a dummy) I didn't grab the ball, I went past it and got it so it would pull right where the rise/drop is welded to the square tube.. I gave it a few tugs with the burb and it started to budge I thought, so I went with a little more force to finish it off and I ended up throwing the hitch at my house.. it failed at the welds for the rise/drop to the main square tube... never again will I make that mistake.. it could have ended much worse...
Grump E-Vet
Active member
You can have the best recovery points in the world and if you don’t rig it right or use the correct equipment in the first place then the point will be fine and other items will fail. I have pictures somewhere of this concept involving an At,y ASV in Bosnia that troops were trying to recover using a winch. Long story short winch was borderline at best as far as recovery capacity and soldiers failed to observe safety setbacks, this resulted in one soldier losing an arm and another losing his eye.
J!m
Active member
I learned recovery running a wrecker and flat bed with my dad.
Keep your equipment in top condition and know how to use it and it’s limitations.
Since wheeling I’m surprised I haven’t seen more fatalities. For a while I used to scream at people to get safe- don’t be too close, don’t straddle the cable, wear gloves with steel cable (!)... then I realized I was turning into “that guy” and I just get out of harms way and watch. Until I can’t any longer and I’ll sit in my truck.
Keep your equipment in top condition and know how to use it and it’s limitations.
Since wheeling I’m surprised I haven’t seen more fatalities. For a while I used to scream at people to get safe- don’t be too close, don’t straddle the cable, wear gloves with steel cable (!)... then I realized I was turning into “that guy” and I just get out of harms way and watch. Until I can’t any longer and I’ll sit in my truck.