Conundrum - when to refuse recovery assistance

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Chippy, you always bring me a grin with your posts.. I also hope Bec liked the equaliser straps...

The pointers that have come up from this thread just go to prove the wealth of knowledge that's bundled up in PP - its awesome. Now ... when do we get down and write the text book on recoveries ??? :lol:

Absolutely!

Dirtracker's mention of the equaliser strap reminds me that is also on my shopping list. I wondered if an equaliser strap is essentially the same as a tree-saver strap. Do you know? Some places (like ARB) didn't have equaliser straps, but they did have tree-savers..

I always used a standard tree trunk protector as an equaliser ... until recently when my local ARB store had some Just Straps Equaliser straps on the shelf ... and I bought two (for Bek's birthday ). The equaliser straps just seem to have a little extra protection in the middle of the strap.

Thanks for that. I'll keep an eye out for the equaliser. I think I saw it at BCF.

Also love the KISS principle .... tyres down, check its in 4WD ops: , grab a shovel .... and do these first. Then a walking pace pull - even a gentle static pull - before trying to rip any recovery points off with a "Charge of the Light Brigade" snatch recovery :shock:

From my own embarrassing experience... also don't forget to release the hand-brake! ops: I don't even know why I activated the hand-brake, since I was buried! Some habits are hard to break.

... and while there's a hint of an opportunity .... how would you recover a vehicle that is on its side ? What parts of the vehicle would be safe to anchor to in order to pull it back onto its wheels ??

Let the discussion continue...

LFaR.

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

ARB store had some Just Straps Equaliser straps on the shelf ... and I bought two

Curiously, why two?

LFaR.

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

One for the vehicle at each end ... assuming they both have two recovery points

... or a HIS and HERS set of straps :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[Addy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Addy]

Thanks for that. I'll keep an eye out for the equaliser. I think I saw it at BCF.



LFaR.

Yep got mine from BCF I think the brand is Just Straps or thing like that.

[dirttracker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dirttracker]

Chippy said
... and while there's a hint of an opportunity .... how would you recover a vehicle that is on its side ? What parts of the vehicle would be safe to anchor to in order to pull it back onto its wheels ??

[/quote]

Rolling over a vehicle.... wack it around something and pull!!!!! If I was to go to my boating experience with catamarans that occasionally invert, I would sugggest that the anchor point be as far around or over the car as possible. A pull from the side places all the force in one place and all the weight of the vehicle on that point. Bent door uprights as this is commonly the point that people tie to. Rather if the strap goes all the way over and then under the vehicle, when force is applied it is ditributed over a larger area but it causes a rolling action rather than a pulling action. The force required is far less - less panel damage- better effect.

Get the picture?

[jeff s Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close jeff s]

The major consensus is safety.

(OH&S REP #20070749)

In every article or course they allways state 1 1/2 to 2 lengths of the recovery strap is a no go area. That is the proactive part of the recovery.

Another tip is if your pulling from the front of your vehicle you are in the firing line of that shakle or recovery point that just broke and is now coming at you. A proactive tip is to do it with the bonnet up..

And then theres the story of an effie that helped out a stuck car on the beach near Lancelin. The stuckee's shackle of something broke, flew at said effie and smashed the front diff housing open. 1 free (previously stuck) vehicle, 1 $$$ tow for the good samariten.

If its your car you are in charge. If your stuck and you dont like the way its going say stop.


jeff.

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

Ok, diff recovery point.
I must stress that the diff is NOT a rated recovery point as I think I might had included in my post.
The diff is however a very strong part of the car and in a straight pull situation it is probably better than a bolt on hook, and most definatly better than a welded tie down point.
If you had an equaliser strap and shackled both ends to the housing(close to springs) you would efectivly halve the pull, and when you consider how many bolts actually hold the diff to the chassis, (effectively 4 points bolted) I would say its a very viable and safe way to recover.
Now having said all that, it is pointed out to our members that if the car is fitted with the correct rated recovery points, than of course the diff isnt needed, and wont be used. We are talking about recovering a car that does NOT have rated points arnt we ...... hehe
I also think that the pull from the snatch attached to the diff would be more powerful as it is a lower trojectory giving the front a lift as it pulls.
Once again, its my 5 cents and open for fire.
cheers

[Jacto Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jacto]

This is a fellow four wheel driver who was well and truly stuck in a croc infested swollen river near Darwin a few years ago. His girlfriend who he was showing off to before losing traction is on the roof of the cruiser crapping herself!

I took control in this situation and offered to pull him out but I wasn't going to get the rope to him. He jumped in the water and swam to me pulling his winch cable and didn't even think twice about crocs. Don't know why he didn't use his boat?
Result one embarassed fourby owner with a hydraulicked engine.

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

unbelieveable :shock:

[jeff s Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close jeff s]

unbeleivabubble, bubble bubble.

[9W6VX Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 9W6VX]

Wow, that's something!

Lucky for him you were around!

Cheers

[Grandeman Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Grandeman]

Did someone mention "the shallow end of the gene pool"? - no wonder the crocs left him alone...

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Its a visually disturbing conundrum.

There appears to be depth in the water ... but none in the intellect :lol:

Tony .. as a Good Samaritan you are a legend ... but there are times when you need to consider this person's contribution to the gene pool. :lol:

Although, in this case, even crocs have standards to maintain. :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[mototrim Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mototrim]

Hey Jacto,
They would have been fine if he had rolled the car over before entering the water. :lol: