Thread: recovery from the towball.. (only if you have to)

Originally Posted by DEFENDERZOOK

why would you bother......??
thats just one less on the road.......



heres a question.....why does everything have to be snatched.......?
as soon as a vehicle is stuck......everyone reaches for a snatch strap like its a reflex action.....
whats wrong with a simple tow......?
not everything needs to be snatched.......most times only a tiny bit of help is required.....
similar to dragging a fallen tree of a track........

is it just the fun of the rubber band........?
it does feel good when you can feel it stretch and contract......but theres always that question of safety in the back of my mind......

Yes you are correct.......but there does seem to be a wind of change. I notice a lot of the magazines are nominating "maxtrax " or similar as a first option for debogging. Seems like a good dose of common sense all round to me !

im just starting to think that a snatch recovery is becoming a macho recovery......


a lot of times one or two people can pretty much push a stuck vehicle....
not a bogged to the chassis vehicle......of course.....



i also enjoy a good snatch recovery.......its always exciting.....and fun...
im just saying they are not always necessary......

if its a simple little helping pull......then the towball is fine to recover from.....if that doesnt work.....
then a proper snatch the safest way possible...........

Originally Posted by DEFENDERZOOK

so.......you wouldnt pull the hitch out and just use the strap in the receiver with the hitchpin.......?

or is this also.....hypothetically.......an old style towbar where the tongue bolts straight to the towbar......?

so we are talking cars and not 4wds.....?

Neither is a good idea. A 3.5T towball (usually have a 1 inch shank) is actually far stronger than a 16mm hitch pin with a strap around it.

I have recovered someone from a towball before. Didn't like it at all and took a lot of precautions to keep everyone out of the firing line. The situation was a stuck vehicle, cold and getting dark. Tried to remove the towball but the 14" pipe-wrench couldn't crack the nut loose (3 people tried).

Originally Posted by DEFENDERZOOK

why would you bother......??
thats just one less on the road.......



heres a question.....why does everything have to be snatched.......?
as soon as a vehicle is stuck......everyone reaches for a snatch strap like its a reflex action.....
whats wrong with a simple tow......?
not everything needs to be snatched.......most times only a tiny bit of help is required.....
similar to dragging a fallen tree of a track........

is it just the fun of the rubber band........?
it does feel good when you can feel it stretch and contract......but theres always that question of safety in the back of my mind......

Very true.

Unless it is obviously stuck bad, always try towing first - I use a snatch strap for this.

If the tow recovery vehicle doesn't have enough traction (even if 2 or more straps are joined) or the stuck vehicle is not budging then execute a moderate snatch.

If obviously stuck bad, that is a different game, and most all situations are different. e.g. can obstructions be removed?, can the vehicle be lifted to pack under the wheels?, etc.

If that doesn't work it's probably better to pull the winch rope out. If no winch, then use a tandem vehicle tow.

Dave's technique wouldn't work for me. I'd never remember the sequence.

Seriously.

My limit is tying shoe laces - and I have to think about that.

Seriously.

first question i would ask is.....whats the rope rated too?

Originally Posted by weeds

first question i would ask is.....whats the rope rated too?

The other question is what is the tow bar rated too? Most max out at 3500kg (the same as the tow ball) - in my view a bit too low for a heavy snatch.

Garry

if a bar can deal with a 3.5T trailer it'll deal with a single vehicle recovery....


thats a 3.5T dynamic loading its rated for not a 3.5t dead weight.

eyeball the thickness of the shaft of a 2.5t tow ball, compare that to the thickness of a 3.5t rated lifting shackle, how about an 8t shackle? 11T 12t....