Vehicle recovery question.

[Car Ramrod]

I currently have a 3" 30,000 pound Smittybilt recovery strap and 6.75t shackles.

I'm looking to get some chain to keep in the truck with my recovery strap to use on the needing-to-be-recovered vehicle end when they don't have a place to attach a shackle. I would rather not wrap my strap around something and risk cutting it, but also want to try and keep my strap the weakest link (much rather the strap break than have a big chunk of shackle coming towards me). Does anyone know what safety ratio the WLLs for chain are based on? Are they figured for overhead use? Making them 5:1? Or are they 2:1?

Most logging chain I'm seeing at local hardware stores is 4,700lbs. If that's figured at 5:1, it would put the WLL for non-overhead use at about 12,000. It wouldn't be ideal, but would probably be fine if I doubled it to split the load.

Other than chain, what are some other suggestions? Would a J hook with an eye big enough to fit my shackle pin through, and then hook to that, be a solution? The issues I can see with this are the potential for the J hook to come unhooked, and the possibility of not finding one with a high enough WLL.

I'm not looking to yank someone out of 2' deep mud, but obviously don't want to lose the back of my head when/if something breaks.

 

[terrehautian]

This is the Jeeper in me, but the people I wheel with use recovery straps with no metal hooks. It is also suggested you put a moving blanket near the center of a strap. With modern cars, if they don't have a frame or recovery point, don't do it. Unless you have a lawyer draw something up to make it so they have no legal recourse if you break something on the recovery, you are on the hook for damages. Personally, I won't do it unless there is tow hooks and more of the time, those are only on full size trucks. That being said, some modern cars have screw in recovery points you can use your shackles for. Just cover you butt if you find someone on the side of the road and damage their vehicle.

 

[troy28]

This is the Jeeper in me, but the people I wheel with use recovery straps with no metal hooks. It is also suggested you put a moving blanket near the center of a strap. With modern cars, if they don't have a frame or recovery point, don't do it. Unless you have a lawyer draw something up to make it so they have no legal recourse if you break something on the recovery, you are on the hook for damages. Personally, I won't do it unless there is tow hooks and more of the time, those are only on full size trucks. That being said, some modern cars have screw in recovery points you can use your shackles for. Just cover you butt if you find someone on the side of the road and damage their vehicle.

+1

This is also splitting hairs (and not hear to talk down to anyone) but in the interest of safety I do just want to clarify. Do not "yank" anything. Once you are hooked up slowly take the slack out then slowly pull the vehicle out. Getting a running start and snapping the line up to jerk the vehicle exponentially increases your risk of breaking everything and causing sever injury.

You always want to be as helpful as possible but depending how stuck they are and to cover your butt sometimes the best is to get them to a warm place they can start calling for help from.

I am a big fan of straps/synthetic lines and a blanket on the line. I try to never mix chain and strap. You are mixing how the line stores energy as you pull instead of a consistent stretch/kinetic energy build up. It is important to make sure your ratings are all safe on regarding the strap and shackle but the most over looked question is what is really the strength of the point you are attaching to?

 

[bigcraig]

Never mix chain and strap.

J-hooks are not rated for recovery work, period.

I suggest just getting more straps of different lengths and extra shackles.

Others have already mentioned the safety aspects, no "yanking"--know where to correctly "hook" to. But the biggest, is to know your limitations.

(Note: I am in the towing and recovery biz.)

 

[Car Ramrod]

Never mix chain and strap.

J-hooks are not rated for recovery work, period.

I suggest just getting more straps of different lengths and extra shackles.

Others have already mentioned the safety aspects, no "yanking"--know where to correctly "hook" to. But the biggest, is to know your limitations.

(Note: I am in the towing and recovery biz.)

How will having straps of different lengths solve my issue?

 

[bigcraig]

How will having straps of different lengths solve my issue?

Having different length straps offers versatility. Think about how much distance you have for pulling, are you going to end up in a travel lane? How about getting good traction? Both of those examples will require having the "right" length of strap.

Look for straps labeled as "axle straps", these, in conjunction with a good shackle, will make "hooking up" a lot easier. Axle straps are designed to wrap around metal and driveline components without being damaged.

Also, while many cars have the recovery "loops" that screw into knockout panels in the bumpers, they may not be at the correct position to get the right angle for recovery. I have also had them pull thru a bumper before on steep angle recoveries. I no longer use them, ever.

 

[Car Ramrod]

Having different length straps offers versatility. Think about how much distance you have for pulling, are you going to end up in a travel lane? How about getting good traction? Both of those examples will require having the "right" length of strap.

Look for straps labeled as "axle straps", these, in conjunction with a good shackle, will make "hooking up" a lot easier. Axle straps are designed to wrap around metal and driveline components without being damaged.

Also, while many cars have the recovery "loops" that screw into knockout panels in the bumpers, they may not be at the correct position to get the right angle for recovery. I have also had them pull thru a bumper before on steep angle recoveries. I no longer use them, ever.

I have axle straps, but thought they would see the same fate as the recovery strap when wrapped around something with a potentially sharp edge. I also don't think they have near the desired WLL. I'll search for higher rates straps.

Would carrying two 20' straps offer enough versatility in length? Or would you suggest a 20 and a 30?

 

[bigcraig]

I would get a 20 and a 30. There are also straps that have several loops built into them to adjust length, these can be hard to find, but are worth the money.

"Good" axle straps have an "armored" coating or a sacrificial band of nylon for protection.

Go here for good kit, Recovery Straps and Accessories | AW Direct

 

[Aggar]

I was told when helping someone out of a ditch. Attach the strap to your rig and tell them to attach it to their car. If you can find a suitable place to hook it too. That would take some I'd the liability out of it. Am I wrong in this thought?

 

[karl77]

I only use chain for winching operations (straps stretch too much). But, should you get chain, skip the bargain bin 4700# grade 43 and move up to grade 70, aka transport chain. it's gold color and has a higher working load (5700#), or better yet if you can find it, grade 100 (think it's blue).

 

[terrehautian]

I was told when helping someone out of a ditch. Attach the strap to your rig and tell them to attach it to their car. If you can find a suitable place to hook it too. That would take some I'd the liability out of it. Am I wrong in this thought?

I done this once, but will never do it again. I didn't even have a recovery strap. I had a ratchet strap and a Honda was stuck on a small snow pile. I did it, but won't ever again.

 

[bigcraig]

I only use chain for winching operations (straps stretch too much). But, should you get chain, skip the bargain bin 4700# grade 43 and move up to grade 70, aka transport chain. it's gold color and has a higher working load (5700#), or better yet if you can find it, grade 100 (think it's blue).

I agree, winching work is better with chain.

 

[Lucky]

When I used to pull dummies out of the snow and mud down by the river, I made them make the hook up to their vehicle. I also told them if there was any damage, don't look @ me since they made the hook and chose the location. I don't know if that would hold up in court but never had anyone come back on me.
Once had a Kirby sweeper salesman stuck real good. He walked to the house asking for help. I made him hook it up and when I pulled him out, the tow strap had a large cut where it had been against sharp metal. I pointed it out to him and he said he would replace it. I figured that would be the end of that but, to my surprise, he brought another of better quality about a week later. Still using it.

 

[stlaser]

I make them hook up their end, however if they try to hook it up in a spot that I know will cause damage I let them know I would not hook it there and make reference to a more solid point etc.

 

[bsinger82]

Great info guys!

 

[REWSTER]

I Would only use straps, just don't wrap it around anything sharp. that said i don't help random people much anymore, i pulled a lady in a cavalier off a snow mound (no idea how she got up there) i unhooked my side of the strap first with out even a wave she drove off with my strap hanging from the back of the car. i tried yelling to stop her turned around to hop in the jeep to chase her and there was a cop with his lights on behind me. he wanted to know why i was stopped in the middle of the street, after telling my story he held me up for about 10 minutes said he had to make sure my truck wasn't stolen or anything...

 

[Butch627]

Chain is great as a short leader to avoid cutting a strap on sharp undercarriage parts. Pulling anything out nowadays is problematic because these unitbody vehicles don't have strong enough attachment points and they often fail when they are really stuck. If you have a sound enough pick point you can double or triple your chain loop if you are worried about its strength.I have used chain for vehicle extractions in conjuction with nylon straps for 30 years without a failure. I hava also used nylon stretch or jerk straps to unstuck vehicles. These aren't things to undertake lightly, there are people who die each year when vehicle extraction isn't done correctly.

There is still seemingly a profound ignorance on the difference between tow straps which have very little stretch, and straps which are designed to be used with vehicle momentum and typically stretch up to 40 percent as they are designed to. The forces applied to these straps is very different, and the safety and attachment requirments are very different also.

 

[downzero]

Chain below grade 80 is not rated for overhead at all. I 2nd the person above who said to use grade 70 chain for this use.

I keep a 3 or 4 foot length in the box along with straps. A short length of chain can be useful for attaching to vehicles that have no other way to attach.

5/16" grade 70 chain will probably be enough for most uses. 3/8" is much heavier.

The breaking strength of 5/16" is something like ~20,000 lbs.

 

[Hammer]

I have a OEM recovery strap with a 2' 3/8 chain on each end with grab hooks. Works well for me, but I know it's limitations.

 

[Butch627]

I received a pm asking for more info from my earlier post and rather than reply in person I thought it might clarify what I said earlier and add a bit more.
Ive been offroading for about 32 years. For the most part the info I am giving applys to full framed straight axled vehicles which are a distinct minority today. When I first started offroading in the 70's the vehicles we used were mostly Jeeps, Scouts, and 1/2 ton pickups. All these vehicles were chocked with smog crap, had freeway type gearing to try and satisfy epa regs, 2 to 1 transfer cases, and open diffs. No one had lockers, and most everyone had bias ply tires.

The result is when it got muddy or when the snow was deep we spent more time pulling each other out than anything else. Chains and nylon tow straps relied on traction of the tow vehicle which often times was negligable. Winches were beyond most of our budgets.

What worked were nylon stretch straps. You got a running start with the tow vehicle and used its momentum to get the stuck vehicle free. Depending on conditions and the situation you might attach to tow hooks at bumper height, or to the axle, or to a trailer hitch.

When attaching to a tow point, it it was open like on factory Chevies you would just loop the strap over it. If it was closed you would use the biggest shackle you had. If to an axle or the frame if it didn't have tow hooks you then use a chain. I used 5/16 at times but prefered and recommend 3/8 with grab hooks. I would always use bailing wire or a bungee strap to hold the grab hook to the chain as they can slip off. In my recovery kit I had grab hooks, slip hooks, J hooks, and lots of shackles up to 3/4 inch dia. Over time I used all of them.

Most of that info doesn't really help with modern unit body vehicles. For one thing if they are stuck getting under the vehicle to hook up anything may be just about impossible. The factory tow points aren't really designed for extraction, more for being towed or tied down. You can buy the special hooks designed to fit in the holes on unit body cars from places like Northern Tool which has a great selection of hooks and shackles as well. I really recommend not using any kind of momentum with those kinds of hooks. If they tear off they are projectiles which have killed more than a few people. If I was looking to extract a unit body vehicle using momentum I would try to dig to a engine crossmember and then loop the chain through it to a stretch strap. From the rear I would try for a trailer hitch or suspension mounting point or diff.

If the pulling vehicle has solid traction than I would use the strap with the unit body hooks. If the stuck was bad I would try and bridle the chain to 2 of those pick points to lessen the stress on each.

Enormous caution, common sense, geometry, understanding of vehicle design and attachment points, and some sort of education of vehicle sxtraction techniques should all be factored into the equation before trying to extrct stuck vehicles. I didn't even touch on precautions to the vehicle doing the towing. there is a greatdeal of consideration that needs to be given to strong tow pointsandstress on axles, U joints, and transmissions.

I can't stress enough that many people have died when pick points, tow hooks, or chain fail. As mentioned earlier by someone else putting blankets or coats over the towing strap is a great safety precaution. Now that I am older I am happy to have a winch and seldom have to resort to the methods I have just discussed

There is much discussion about bug out vehicles on this board. Unless your bug out vehicle is equipped with oversized mud tires and fully locking diffs you can easily get stuck crossing a grassy medium of a highway if the ground is saturated with water not to mention a coupe of feet of snow. Vehicle extraction under survival situations should be part of everyones planning.

If your by yourself and you have a winch you need to have something to attach it to in order to pull yourself out. How many preppers have some sort of a winch anchor?