the list of don't do's

[HeadsUp]

snatch who ?

you can guess whats happened here.

6 inches higher up and someone could have got that in the back of their head at worst , at best its the cost of windscreen and new glass

 

[Ryan27]

snatch who ?

you can guess whats happened here.

6 inches higher up and someone could have got that in the back of their head at worst , at best its the cost of windscreen and new glass

https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...9034_1385078_586826444688496_1370179353_n.jpg

This happened to somebody I know.
Unfortunately they weren't so lucky. The towball went through the windscreen And hit the driver in the throat, mother of three, kids were in the car, she died on the way to hospital.
Devastating !

 

[Guest]

Great lesson. That's why manufacturers build in tow hooks to modern cars I suppose.

Thanks for sharing, I was not aware of this possibility.

 

[Dogmatic]

Retirement Stone the tow hooks on modern cars are more a tie down point, or that is what I have been told. I wouldn't use them to snatch another car out either. You can buy aftermarket recovery hooks that are a lot stronger and fit for purpose.

 

[Guest]

Ah ha.............Thanks for that as well!

 

[backcreek]

I have heard of this before but have never seen the evidence to prove it.
I have a drop forged tow hitch and shackle which goes in the Hayman Reece square that I use for snatching.

 

[goldtruck59]

perfect Backcreek. Never snatch from a tow ball. Ever. The sad story outlined above is what can happen.

 

[condor22]

I have a tie down loop either side at the front, as a last resort I would use them so snatch out the 4x4, but only with an equaliser strap and even then very carefully.

A moot point now that I have fitted rated recovery plates.

I also take out the tow hitch and replace it with a recovery shackle.

Tie down points are designed to take approx 1/4 the weight of the vehicle plus safety margin (assuming there are 4 tie down points.) to tie down during transport. The same thing applies to a towball, it's not designed for a shock load of the whole vehicle weight and the thread of a ball is in shear, which is inherently the weak point.

 

[The Green Wanderer]

Exactly right condor,
tow points are for vehicle to vehicle towing on roads period. Recovery hooks and shackles are for snatching bogged vehicles. Snatching is not towing as it utilizes what is essentially an elastic cable greatly multiplying the force applied to it.
Recovery points are engineered with this in mind, they are available in every auto parts store for around 20-30 bucks.
Theres just no excuse not to use them.
Sad part is that landcruiser is fitted with hooks from the factory specifically for recoveries, the rear ones were probably removed to install the tow bar.
All he had to do was go and buy a shackle hitch for the tow bar receiver.

 

[Colmaca]

How to do it right

[video=480,360]http://youtu.be/-Ire31FrEAI[/video]

 

[slowflow]

thanks HeadsUp great reminder not to get slack.
Next on my list, unrated shackles. Van & trailer safety chains & as recovery gear.

I have a load equaliser to better distribute the forces & get told its unnecessary. Guess I'm just slow.

 

[subgram]

Its awesome, but also scary..

 

[condor22]

thanks HeadsUp great reminder not to get slack.
Next on my list, unrated shackles. Van & trailer safety chains & as recovery gear.

I have a load equaliser to better distribute the forces & get told its unnecessary. Guess I'm just slow.

Not sure if it's a typo, but don't buy cheap unrated shackles, they can be just as bad as the above towball as a missile.......get rated shackles =safety margin of 2 to 2.5. My 4x4 is about 2250kg, my shackles are rated 4.5 ton

 

[condor22]

As an aside, I have rated shackles on my caravan safety chains. As most know they are in case the ball hitch fails, but....

Given I recently saw several caravaners not do what I'm about to describe, I will;

The biggest issue if a ball fails with a van or even a 6x4 trailer (applies to anything towed) is the A frame dropping and digging in to the road. And, it will because of the ball weight. To assist stopping this happening, safety chains should be crossed under the A Frame, with enough slack to turn on full lock. This length can be established in a shopping centre car park before your first trip. Leave the chains off, turn as full a lock as you might normally and establish which link to fasten to the shackle. You only need to do one turn, because the other lock will be the same.

The idea being that it creates a cradle for the A frame, and should give enough support and time to safely stop before the A frame can drop.

 

[Goldtarget]

Pat may be great recovery but after maybe two hours I'd be creating projectiles. Perhaps away from the show he'sa great guy, but I can't stand his bloody annoying voice and vocal pacing and general lack of suitable humor. On that show they present him with the personality and entertainment values of half a house brick.

 

[slowflow]

condor22, thanks.

Should have said load equaliser recovery strap.

I use rated shackles too, however there is an issue with my 3500 kg towbar as it will not take shackles large enough to provide a safety margin for my 1200kg load. The hole only permits 1500kg shackles and given the shock loading that may be only on one chain it is grossly inadequate.

Bunnings, elcheapo shackle looks good but the 10mm pin shackle has a rating of just 270 kg (from memory), good paper weight but dangerous IMO.

Again due to poor design by manufactures, regard less of crossed chains of minimum length, my van will still dig into the tar atleast 50mm. And these things pass DOT design requirements, someone has the design criteria wrong.

From what I've seen in the van parks, some people may as well zip tie there safety chains. It's a rant subject for me as is the abuse of recovery straps.

 

[Taipan]

Take out your tow hitch and slide this into your receiver as it's loaded in double sheer. And they're not $$

 

[condor22]

You beat me to it Taipan, lol

 

[condor22]

I've seen some caravan manufacturers provide chains not long enough to reach in a straight line. When the new owner has complained, the dealer told the owner to buy extra shackles giving the solution of ganging shackles ie 3 on each chain.

Anyone who accepts that as a fix deserves what they get....

 

[dazza513]

I'm not a fan of useing a snatch strap to its full potential, I know for a fact that my old 2.8 non turbo hilux has enough strength to stretch chassis rails and dislodge arb and Tjm winch bars on some more modern 4x4s, the amount of energy created from heavily bogged 4x4 and low range is is a massive shock load! If you have to snatch go easy