Recovery Points

Bloody hell. Now I'm more confused and less happy than ever.

Soon after I got the 'fender I looked at this issue and took advice from many 4WD stores. The general consensus was: Very difficult to mount recovery points to a Land Rover / no experience doing so / too hard with box section rather than c section chassis / etc. STORE 1 (not to mention any names) said they could mount recovery hooks on the front of the vehicle (through the chassis) but at over $100 per hook !

As I was looking for a bar to replace the old rusty thing I had, I talked to ARB who did tell me that they had suitable recovery points on their bar. (I don't know whether there is any difference in these between the Defender and Disco bars) On that basis I went ahead and spent a LOT of money, thinking I was killing two birds with one stone. Now you are (perhaps) telling me that one of those birds is still very much kicking.

The rear was even more problematic. I couldn't bolt anything throught the chassis rails there in any case due to the towbar setup. This is a 'home made' towbar which looks as if it has been over-engineered to the buggery, and is VERY welded on the the chassis (making a replacement with a Hayman Reece bar etc very difficult / expensive. After discussing this with people from same 4WD stores the consensus was that it would be strong enough to drill the bar and mount a recovery hook, which I did). This is NOT utilising the tow ball in any way.

Also I have been getting a few blank looks when I ask if people have spreader straps in stock. What gives ? Not having seen one, I can only assume they are a strap that hooks between the (front) recovery points, to which the snatch strap is attached. How is this attachment done - is the spreader strap simply fed through the loop of the snatch strap ? (I wouldn't have thought a shackle would be used in this situation).

Quote:

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Originally posted by Defender200Tdi
... JATE rings:
Always used in pairs with a bridle.
Available from Troutbeck sales for about $50 pr, in varying widths to suit rails with steering guards and/or bullbars attached.Paul

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Do you have a website for Troutbeck or contact details ?

Is a 'bridle' the same as a spreader strap or not ?

Thank You.

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[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] hey kev , are you trying to give vlad the resident clown award or something???? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]

...

I'm with you on that Kev, forum is really entertaining these days! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]

Vlad,

I have a spreader strap and I will give you the details in the clear light of day. But what I attach it to reamins a another Land Rover mystery :roll:

8) i dunno, i want to see more on the cables, i think this is the way to go, more crap rusting away and unsprung weight, but it seems that its practical.
i dunno, p'raps most of the ground hugging bogged out situations only need to move forward a foot or so before they can get traction, and does that need some gung ho to rip you out or just a constant tug to get a bite?

and
i havn't heard anyone say what a gung ho snatchem fast forward does to the tow vehicle, what do they attach to [i hooked on to my tow ball and the roo bar for the kid/mate rescue, but i didn't have a snatch strap so i used good old land rover brute force applied by auto, which eventually came out by a sideways pull, 'cause it was deeper than the wheels, and by doing that it got his tyres to bite]
it surprises me that a land rover needs more recovery jiggas, and jate rings, wot?
8)harry

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Do you have a website for Troutbeck or contact details ?[/b][/quote]

Certainly do here

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Is a 'bridle' the same as a spreader strap or not ?[/b][/quote]

That's my understanding. The one I use is a webbing strap with reinforced loops at each end. I attach each end to the JATE rings with a (rated) shackle after passing it through the end of the snatch strap.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>I couldn't bolt anything throught the chassis rails there in any case due to the towbar setup.[/b][/quote]

Vlad
Is it possible to use the JATE ring idea on the rear chassis rails as well? If you have sufficient access to the pre-drilled holes where the factory tie-down rings were fitted, and depending on how much metalwork is attached to the rails, you might get away with extra width JATE rings that are wide enough to go accross the chassis rails and towbar mountings. Just a thought. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]


As I understand it, on a Defender, a well mounted towbar like the Hayman Reese style is perfectly adequate to use for recovery. It is, after all, mounted to the rear crossmember as well as the chassis rails using high tensile bolts. The towball itself however, is not sufficient for recovery. A rated shackle through the towbar tongue is a much better way, or better still, one of those hitch mounted things we were talking about above.

By the way, I'm no particular fan of JATE rings. It's just that in Landrover terms they seem to be an economic and efficient way of solving the recovery point issue. Their main disadvantage as I see it, is their location. On the underside of the chassis rails and guaranteed to be a right PITA to get to when you're up to your axles in sand or mud. (Get the shovel) :x IMO a bullbar incorporating sufficiently reinforced recovery points (which the ARB eyes dont seem to be) would be a better solution. The ADR cable idea seems to me to be best of all, but the price is just plain silly!

Anyway, that's just my opinion. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

I reckon there are many different ways of skinning this cat and I'm sure the collected knowledge of this forum could come up with plenty of different options.

Maybe some of the guys that have their recovery points sorted out could post a photo or two? It would be good to see some different solutions in the flesh :oops: (so to speak).

Paul

On the topic of advice from 4WD shops, I was a bit amazed yesterday when I was looking at some other gear and asked about front recovery points. I was anticipating them quoteing for fitting a couple of hooks but the bloke said nah dont worry about that we just use the tie down loops for snatches at the front 8O :!:
Obviously I wont put a name to the shop but this was a big shock for a newbie to hear something that, even I know will get you into trouble kinetically speaking.

Yeah the advice I was getting sounded good (at the time) but that is just plain stupid 8O - and as you say pretty obvious even to a newbie at this whole four wheeling thingy that it is stupid.

I'd like to see them having a close look at that recovery :!: What? Stand 3 times the strap length away :?: Totally not needed. (Or so would go their advice, it seems).

Probably tried to sell you paperclips instead of rated shackles as well did they :?: