Hardwood strop joiner
Getting stuck can be fun. Getting un-stuck is even better. Recoveries can be dangerous, especially if people don't know good safety procedures. Join a club and learn. The piece of recovery gear I use most is the snatch strop, sometimes called the KERR - Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope. Its looks like a towrope but works like a bungee. You need good recovery points with these as they can snap towballs and tie-down rings off easily. Use good quality recovery hooks, mounted to the chassis with lots of large hi-tensile bolts. If you don't have those fitted, use a different recovery technique instead of a snatch recovery. People get killed. Imagine a huge rubber band with a lump of steel on the end, towed away at speed from your vehicle and let go suddenly. They can go right through the windscreen, the people, and out the back window. Having said that, they are very handy, and quick to use. Watch for signs of fraying though. I carry two snatch strops - a 6m and a 9m. Next up is the winch. A bit overrated, they tend to be pointing the wrong way, pulling you further into the goo, rather than out of it. Often you wish it was on the back, not the front! Some hard-core enthusiasts mount a winch on the back as well. A range of tree protectors, shackles (rated ones), non-stretch strops or winch extension cables, and pulley blocks are required for most winching situations. Don't forget the gloves. Frayed cables rip your hands apart very quickly. Hi-lift jacks are handy. Dangerous though. Balancing a vehicle on a monopod can result in things getting tippy very quickly. Carry a jacking plate - a square foot of thick plywood with something to stop the jack sliding off, and be careful to figure out which way the whole lot will fall if something does slip. When all else fails, the shovel is very good. A few people with shovels can clear a surprising amount of dirt. An axe helps chop through roots, and a chainsaw can clear fallen trees. Spare fuel, oils of all kinds, power steer fluid, brake fluid and water are also obligatories. A hole may be able to be patched, but if there's no fluid left in the system you're not going anywhere. Jackpoints You need good solid jackpoints on a vehicle, on every side. I've seen people get out a Hi-Lift jack, and then figure out they can't use it without damaging the vehicle. I made/altered an adapter that fits on my Hi-Lift jack to use the standard "round hole" jacking points on the 90. The model of ARB bull bar that I have has similar jackpoints built-in. Otherwise a special adapter would be needed. On my sidebars, there are more jackpoints. Remember that Hi-Lifts lean inwards as the vehicle rises, so you need a bit of clearance between the jack and the vehicle. |