Recovery strap placement

[Trailmaster01]

All Good points guys. One I want to add:

If you see something that just doesnt look right, The way the strap is hooked, where it is hooked, the condition, etc. dont let it go, SPEAK UP! Even if you are not involved with the recovery. People get killed every year because they dont know what they are getting into. Broken straps with truck parts attached can do some real damage. Get the kids out of the truck and a safe distance away, move bystanders and Gawkers back, people will want to be right up where the action is, with no fear for thier own lives. Ok, I am done preaching. Check this video out, look at the people standing next to the pulling truck, no cares in the world, even though a 500+hp truck is bunny hopping right at em at 6500RPM

click to play

Thanks a lot for that...it can't be stressed enough the importance of safety..and it's EVERYONE's responsibility..Have fun but do it at a distance:wink5:

 

[deeretracks]

Can you just imagine the distance that that truck would have traveled if that strap broke before he could get it shut down....

 

[Trailmaster01]

It coulda been real ugly...500 + horses can't be too easy to shut down and control with spinning tires like that:yikes:

 

[Louisianarebel]

When you are involved in a recovery YOU and look it over and if it aint right fix it.

 

[Trailmaster01]

When YOU are actively involved in a recovery it is your responsibility to take every safety precaution....and everyone else needs to keep their safety in mind also...

 

[Horsehaulin]

Being a towing/recovery operator everyday I am a firm believer of safety first and a winch is the only tool for the job! I have rigged a mounting platform to fit in my standard rear hitch for off-road recoveries. Most of those are late night ones, but I usually use a snatch block so I can double the pulling power of winch and stay safely within the limits of the wire rope I am using for the pull. I also carry tree protectors in both my tow truck and 2500HD, that way I can attatch to a tree or telephone pole and not hurt either. Using a tree as an anchor when performing a recovery ensures your vehicle will not slide/roll towards the victim vehicle. Just make sure it is sufficient in size.

I have performed roll overs with nothing more than a 3/4 ton truck and Warn electric winch and a 3ft 6x6, then towed out with a 30K tow strap back to the road for the victim to be loaded on my flatbed and then load my truck on the rear wheel lift to all be towed to my lot! With the right tools, and a education in recovery, you can perform a safe pull.

Just my .02,
Tony

 

[Trailmaster01]

Being a towing/recovery operator everyday I am a firm believer of safety first and a winch is the only tool for the job! I have rigged a mounting platform to fit in my standard rear hitch for off-road recoveries. Most of those are late night ones, but I usually use a snatch block so I can double the pulling power of winch and stay safely within the limits of the wire rope I am using for the pull. I also carry tree protectors in both my tow truck and 2500HD, that way I can attatch to a tree or telephone pole and not hurt either. Using a tree as an anchor when performing a recovery ensures your vehicle will not slide/roll towards the victim vehicle. Just make sure it is sufficient in size.

I have performed roll overs with nothing more than a 3/4 ton truck and Warn electric winch and a 3ft 6x6, then towed out with a 30K tow strap back to the road for the victim to be loaded on my flatbed and then load my truck on the rear wheel lift to all be towed to my lot! With the right tools, and a education in recovery, you can perform a safe pull.

Just my .02,
Tony

Well....your .02 cents is always welcome here...having the right tools is indeed the foundation to doing things properly and safely...and you're absolutely right...education is key..gotta love those flatbeds with wheel lifts..you can bring your 4x4 to recover ..then tow it back AND the other one if need be.....:yesnod::biggrin5:...welcome to the site

 

[Ranger]

I personally have done rollover recovery with just my 2500 and chain, but my chain is 5 20' lengths of tank recovery chain... loops and hooks on each end... I will run one chain through the other's loop and hook each chain only to itself.

Figure with 1" link of grade 100 chain I don't need to worry about it breaking...

I also have 3x 120' recovery straps rated to 120,000 lbs straight WLL and 60,000 basket WLL. They also have the red line woven inside so if I see red the straps dead.

Working on getting a winch.

I have had to assist people who were off the road in a ditch trying to get pulled out by their girlfriend in her nissan pickup with a lift and winch... they weren't getting enough power to run the winch enough, were too close to get a full power pull off the winch, and also didn't have enough weight to keep from being pulled to the stuck vehicle.

To solve that situation I ran my extended jumper cables to the winching vehicle and chained off to it from my front bumper after maneuvering them back to the max cable length and putting a 1/4 full sandbag on the cable for safety.

Now they had the juice from my 2500 to power the winch, and the combined weight of us both to get the car out of the ditch.. it was funny when the little pickup hopped sideways when it started taking weight to straighten out between my truck and the stuck vehicle though I didn't move an inch.

 

[Horsehaulin]

To solve that situation I ran my extended jumper cables to the winching vehicle and chained off to it from my front bumper after maneuvering them back to the max cable length and putting a 1/4 full sandbag on the cable for safety.

I lay a painters tarp on mine when it is really stretched out, 100ft or more, as I have had a cable snap and come back at me! That was in the first month I was towing before my dad sent me to be Wreckmaster Certified. A recoiling cable that just snapped with full load is not slow! I swear that cable hit me in the arm at 200MPH, had a bruise for over a month, Doc said I had a deep bone bruise:rofl:. I have seen some interesting things used as dead weight on wire rope, even seen a window weight on a quick ring:lol:, it does the job!

If you own a truck with a winch, lay something on your cable as you are paying in. That way if your cable snaps it will fall on the groud instead of hitting you at a high rate of speed! It is easier to move the weight than it is to make money from a hospital bed. I got lucky and took it in the arm not a month out of the Army, so I was still a bit built in the arms and didnt get seriously injured.

BTW, do us tow truck operators a favor. Move over or slow down if you are on the highway/road. It only takes ten seconds out of your day for our safety! I like many others in my business have kids to feed. Thanks

 

[Trailmaster01]

good points....10 seconds of courtesy goes a long way.....aint that the truth about "easier to make money..then hospital bed"....and at today's hospital rates.....even 1 day will suck ones pockets dry

 

[bighawg]

When choosing points to attach recovery(tow straps)...it must be to a point that is securely affixed to the vehicle...a nobrainer is to use factory tow hooks if they are available...

Here's the common mistakes:
1. Recovery chain, strap, etc. is attached to the bumper(and it's not aftermarket)
2. Attached to an A-arm, sway bar
3. Attached to a receiver hitch that is not properly rated
4. D-rings...shackles are used to secure the strap that are not rated at the level the strap is

Whenever factory tow hooks are not available....it is very difficult to properly secure a tow strap or chain. A general rule of thumb is to use common sense...everything that is part of your recovery tools(attachment point, strap, shackles, must be rated at or above the rest). For example, if you are using a 10K pound recovery strap, use a shackle that is rated at 10K or above.

Did not notice it mentioned but never hook to a ball on a receiver hitch. Those things make nasty projectiles.

 

[red]

another thing to remember as well, dont use tow straps with hooks on the ends get the looped versions. seen a couple of those hooks come loose or break, another deadly projectile.

 

[HDGMC]

Great comments. Take your time, calculate pull angles, gravity, pull points, surface conditions, etc. and spend a few minutes or more planning how to recover the vehicle with no damage to you truck or anyone else. If the pull is not going as planned, stop and re-evaluate. Don't let your ego get the better of you. If necessary hire a pro with the proper equipment, a tractor or whatever. It will be cheaper than damaged sheet metal or broken parts. BTW that video looked like great fun, and there is a place for momentum, but IMO it looked like it was powered more by beer than brains.

Talk with the driver of the vehicle being recovered, especially if your using a strap. The driver will often get excited about being freed and will chase you and get you in trouble. They should use their brakes to slow you down once you get to the desired stopping point. I've had friends that had to leave their vehicle for the winter so they could drive out, as there were no good options and it wasn't worth the loss of two vehicles.