Thread: M R Automotive Recovery points?

far as i know philco doesn't make them anymore.

Ibought some recovery HOOKs for ARB that were stamped to be rated at 4 odd tonnes. Mounted them on the Defender chassis but never got a chance to use them.

Hooks good, no need shackles, LOL, Regards Frank.

The discussion on recovery points led me to do some research on just what , if any , Australian standard or ADR requirement was related to recovery points. Short answer- NONE. MR Auto. do not test or rate their recovery points. According to ARB Queensland, ARB are the only company in Australia currently doing design & development of recovery points. So far only five vehicles have ARB engineer designed & tested points :

Mazda BT50/ Ford Ranger
Toyota Landcruiser 70 series
Toyota Hi-lux 2005 on
Nissan GU Patrol 3,0 l. 2002 0n

I have been trying unsuccessfully to paste here from photobucket the ARB product specification [ design & development]brochure , but when it comes to computers, I am hopeless.So bear with me and I will write some saliant points in the brochure.

" Currently there is no Australian Standard that relates to vehicle recovery points, nor an ADR requirement and to ARB's knowledge very few vehicle manufacturers claim their tow points to be rated for vehicle recovery. Other items like bow shackles that are used to connect recovery straps do have mandatory standards but these apply to their use as a lifting device and the safety margins required for lifting gear and the proof loads used to test these components are far too high to be practically applied to vehicle recovery use.
With this in mind, ARB has from the outset of this project, sought to set a new industry benchmark for how recovery points are designed, tested, & selected by customers.This concept has been christened the ' recovery train' which like the drive train of a vehicle , comprises a series of connected & matched components.

There are many types of generic tow hooks available on the market rated to 10000 lbs or similar, and whilst these may be suitably rated for vehicle recovery, their design is not vehicle specific & therefore mounting of these hooks is left in the hands of the purchaser with no information on how or where to mount on their vehicle. This then leaves the question on whether the surface they have been mounted to can handle the load exerted on the hook during a recovery. " It goes on to say; " One of the largest users of recovery equipment are organisations that have fleets of 4wd vehicles working in mines or remote area environments & ARB has worked closely with these large fleet owners to ensure the design & function of the recovery points are compatible with their OH&S requirements' " and:

" An important design requirement was the ability for the points to be rated in a angled direction of pull and this has been achieved for angles up to the max. turn angle of the front wheels of the vehicle. The ARB recovery points have a long slot that allows the recommended bow shackle to be fed through and the strap attached via the pin instead of the bow. This allows even distribution of the recovery force through the shackle to avoid side loads on the pin.Side loads on the pin invoke forces that tend to open up the shackle, putting unwanted load on its weakest point, the pin threads."

There is more, with photos of the points made so far, and an explanation on each one.

Google- ARB Recovery Points/arb.com.au . for more info. Bob

Great post, very informative.
I think ill get the MR AUTO ones, but use them sparingly and carefully, including equalizer straps, etc.
Regular maintenance in the form of visual inspections for any signs of warping/ damage, and checks on the tightness of the bolts as well as replacing the bolts every...10 snatches or so?
It's not a perfect solution, but with all things landrover, if you take the time to do a bit of proactive maintenance you should be okay.
Cheers
Muppet

Originally Posted by Disco Muppet

Great post, very informative.
I think ill get the MR AUTO ones, but use them sparingly and carefully, including equalizer straps, etc.

Muppet

The fellow I spoke to said the best type of strap for the D2 was a wire [ swaged ] bridle. He recommeded a company in Bris. called " Atlas Chains", 3899 2933 [07], this gives an even pull [if square on]. Bob

The problem is how many recoverys are going to straight ahead? Bugger all. If you use a bridle with fixed lengths going to a central point ( like a swaged wire one) on anything but a straight recovery you are really putting all of the load onto one of the recovery points.
Best is to use a non stretch strap like a tree protector strap passed through the eye of your snatch strap and then shackled to both recovery points. Pull the snatch strap in the direction of pull by hand to equalize the load on the recovery points and then wrap around the bridle strap and snatch with a bit of electrical tape so it stays in this equalized position at least for the first bit of the pull.

You don't want straps pulling through other straps as the friction will very quickly cut through.

I reckon you'll be right with the mr ones muppet. They are the same as the 4x4 intel ones and philco's ones and all the others. Franks sound like the bomb but would cost a mint for someone without the skills to fab up.

Take care and be smart about recoveries and you'll be right. Bull bars that have built in points are anchored with the same bolts to chassis rails that the recovery points are mounted to. So it's all about the bolts like you said. Get new ones when you put them on, make sure that the points are being supported by the cylinder bit and not the thread. Get new washers and nylok nut as well and torque correctly. Equalise the load and your good to go.