Recovery Gear: Ongoing Discussion and Reviews
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
Code Red
Adventurist
So maybe those bolts we had left over weren't "extra" after all . . . . . . . . . .
Right? And that's actually a very common mistake, especially with aftermarket bumpers.
Since Dave's recovery gear class at MRV, I have been giving recovery gear a lot of thought. Especially as I will soon be installing an ARB bumper and winch. This will be the first winch I have ever owned, so after about 27 years of wheeling all over the southwest and beyond, I will be a noob again.
Dave's emphasis on gear load ratings has caused me to think about the whole rigged system, and one potential problem comes to mind.
Most screw pin shackles are rated at 4.75 tons, or 9500 lbs. The most common winches on light trucks and Jeeps is around 9500 lbs. So a single line pull to a fixed point could, if loading the winch to capacity on the first wrap of the drum, pull the winch, and shackle attached to the rope, up to 9500 lbs.
Now suppose a double line pull is needed. We pull out our 9500 lb. rated pulley block and attach it to our 30,000 lb. rated tree strap using our 9500 lb. rated shackle. Run the winch rope back to the vehicle and attach it securely with another 9500 lb. shackle. Assume that we need to load the winch to capacity again, so each "half" of the rope is loaded at 9500 lbs. The total pulling on both the vehicle and the tree strap is now 19,000 lbs.
We just exceeded the working load limit of the shackle attached to the pulley block by 100%! Now, with a normal safety factor of 5:1, we should be "OK." But...
Has anyone else considered this issue, and what are you doing about it? The obvious answer is to buy at least one shackle rated for the additional load, but I doubt most have done that.
Dave's emphasis on gear load ratings has caused me to think about the whole rigged system, and one potential problem comes to mind.
Most screw pin shackles are rated at 4.75 tons, or 9500 lbs. The most common winches on light trucks and Jeeps is around 9500 lbs. So a single line pull to a fixed point could, if loading the winch to capacity on the first wrap of the drum, pull the winch, and shackle attached to the rope, up to 9500 lbs.
Now suppose a double line pull is needed. We pull out our 9500 lb. rated pulley block and attach it to our 30,000 lb. rated tree strap using our 9500 lb. rated shackle. Run the winch rope back to the vehicle and attach it securely with another 9500 lb. shackle. Assume that we need to load the winch to capacity again, so each "half" of the rope is loaded at 9500 lbs. The total pulling on both the vehicle and the tree strap is now 19,000 lbs.
We just exceeded the working load limit of the shackle attached to the pulley block by 100%! Now, with a normal safety factor of 5:1, we should be "OK." But...
Has anyone else considered this issue, and what are you doing about it? The obvious answer is to buy at least one shackle rated for the additional load, but I doubt most have done that.
This is the route I will be going to eliminate weight from the rigging. My only concern is ensuring the snatch block has a smooth/thicker radius around the attachment point to prevent cutting into the soft shackle under load. I believe the pricier ARB 9000's fit the bill, but my current would pose a danger IMO.
Code Red
Adventurist
I am having the same issue. I recently bought some soft shackles, but both my snatch blocks and the tow points on my wife's front bumper (JK with a Warn Stubby bumper) are too sharp for my comfort. There's enough steel on the bumper that a little work with a file or a dremel might cure the problem, but the same is not true for the snatch blocks. A beefier snatch block seems to chip away at the weight advantage of the soft-shackle. Especially if I end up carrying both just in case.
You could "buy once-cry once" and have this Sweet piece of gear!! The recovery Blok
http://www.researchinrecoveryllc.net/store/
http://www.exploringoverland.com/overland-tech-travel/2016/10/28/not-quite-ready-for-prime-time-
ERMAHGERD!
I think I had a little recovery gear nerdgasm there. That said... that's a big heaping pile o' treasure for one of those.
Lol!!! Like I said.... Buy once Cry once!!
Chris Cole had one... we used it at ARV out on the trail... Gear porn!
Chris Cole had one... we used it at ARV out on the trail... Gear porn!
Yessir... It's like holding a huge BLOK in your hand... is MUCH lighter than it looks.
I recently added an ARB snatch block, bubba-rope tree saver and MasterPull synthetic winch line extension to the arsenal... and I asked Santa to bring me a couple soft shackles for Christmas, too. 
Twin Magnolias
Adventurist
I'm starting to build my kit. To that end, I started with a kinetic rope made from the fine folks over at Southeast Overland in Seneca, SC. The rest will come bit by bit. For riding FS roads and such, I don't need much.
Cboyd
Adventurist
I added a bridle and some soft shackles to the kit. This allows for either using a snatch block pulley configuration at the bridle to spread the load across the recovery points on the front of the truck to allow for off angle pull, or just spreading the load without a pulley in a snatch configuration.
Since my bumper winch plates doesn't support having a winch rated at the full load of my rig plus the overhead of a really bad stuck, along with a second snatch block allows some flexibility in placement and the double-line pull keeps the winch from being overworked. I'm limited to an 8k winch. My truck weigh 7k. Ideally I'd love a 10k or 12k winch.
Since my bumper winch plates doesn't support having a winch rated at the full load of my rig plus the overhead of a really bad stuck, along with a second snatch block allows some flexibility in placement and the double-line pull keeps the winch from being overworked. I'm limited to an 8k winch. My truck weigh 7k. Ideally I'd love a 10k or 12k winch.
You can't fit a 10K in there? You have the TJM front bumper, right?