Thread: Recovery with 3 star pickets

Probably the same method used in abseiling. I saw it used by the cliff rescue team of the Norfolk Island VRA.

See page 12 of this document: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~vbac/al_man/Mod7.pdf

I reckon thats it Ron, I reckon he had 3 in the rear row, 2 in the second row and one in the front. The safe working load of the 3 is on 300kgs in the diagram, be a bit light to drag a 4x4 over a dune I would think but probable as good as a buried spare wheel
thanks
cheers
blaze

It's called a 3-2-1 hold fast. 3 pickets driven (2/3 of the length) into the ground together at a 45* angle, then 2, then 1. The spacing is such as to permit the top of each set of pickets to be lashed to the bottom of the picket(s) behind, at a 90* angle.
I hope this is understandable.

The Army used to use a system of hold fast pins which were knocked into the ground through a special cast steel frame with holes in it which linked the pins together and allowed a D shackel to be fitted.
These frames can be used in series or parallel linked together to give any required amount of fixed anchor point capacity.
The pins have a eye or hole in them so another pin can be pushed half way though the hole and two blokes grab the hozional pin and twisted the pins which have been knocked in up wards to release them when packing up.
It is a good system for heavy pulls in most types of terrain with time and elbow grease.

Originally Posted by 101 Ron

The Army used to use a system of hold fast pins which were knocked into the ground through a special cast steel frame with holes in it which linked the pins together and allowed a D shackel to be fitted.
These frames can be used in series or parallel linked together to give any required amount of fixed anchor point capacity.
The pins have a eye or hole in them so another pin can be pushed half way though the hole and two blokes grab the hozional pin and twisted the pins which have been knocked in up wards to release them when packing up.
It is a good system for heavy pulls in most types of terrain with time and elbow grease.

Hi
I reckon thats what this fellow I seen do, just cant remember plates on the ground though
Thanks
cheers
blaze

you dont need the plates if you have pickets.


you need to be bloody patient and enduring with the picket driver......

the first picket goes in for about 4 feet (using a 6 foot picket) and is lashed back to 2 other pickets.... the 2 pickets are placed about 2 feet apart and back so that when you lash the top of the picket to the bottom of the next 2 the line makes a perpendicular to both pickets(the one at the front and the ones at the rear.

you then extend this one more set with 3 pickets...

-------x
------/-\
-----x---x
----/-\-/-\
---x---x---x

the pickets go where the x's are.


I suspect thats whats in rons PDF but its not loading for me.

We used these to debog mail cars out around Winton in the 50's and 60's. As Dave blknight described. You pull on the the single picket (the lock forward if you compare to a Rugby League scrum). We used two rows of fencing wire from the picket to the car and another picket to wind up the wire as a Spanish windlass. Slow but works.

The 3 - 2 - 1 star picket method was taught as part of the Heavy Rescue course when I was in the SES.

We utilised it a fair bit when we needed to strain a flying fox, or as an anchor point for recoveries.

It works well, and if more strength is needed, then you just add another row of pickets at the front, so that you end up with a 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 system.

However, the front would always be where the most pickets was, and ground level was your pulling point.

The other point is that the angles need to be correct (45 degrees), and the lashings secure.

Would I use it to recover a vehicle? I refuse to comment without seeing the situation. In the right circumstances, yes. But only cause I have done it.