What is the Best 4x4 Recovery Method to Rescue Another Vehicle?

"saltcityeuros" (saltcityeuros) 01/20/2015 at 15:39 • Filed to: 4x4, Toyota Tacoma, overland, towing, recovery, maxtrax, winch, utah

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Went shooting in the middle of nowhere on Saturday - and when I say middle of nowhere, I mean that the only person within 30 miles is a survivalist/loner who lives in a hand-painted camo trailer on the shore of a lake.

The Guns

We turned a corner and found some teenager who had sunk his Kia beigemobile up to the frame in super thick lake mud. It's ok, though, because I remember being a teenager and doing things that didn't make any sense. haha

I hooked up a couple of ratchet straps (I know, I know, he was desperate and that was absolutely all I had) to our respective tow hooks and pulled him out. We got covered in mud as he spun his wheels furiously, ignoring our advice to take it easy on the throttle. I didn't take a picture cause he seemed pretty embarrassed.

Then - just a few hours later, I had to help a guy who had sunk his Ford Ranger to the frame in a couple feet of snow by my cabin. Same deal, but luckily he had a real tow strap.

Cabin Image Because I Ran Out of Pictures

So I'm thinking it's time to invest in some recovery equipment - what would you have done? Winch them out? Tow strap? Just get some maxtrax and call it good? Shovel? Bumper to bumper resuscitation?

I'm off to the Expedition Portal forum.

MonkeePuzzle > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 15:46

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Chinook

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 15:47

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Nope, this one:

Can't count how many times I've been in a Samurai or Tracker on worn street tires in 2WD mode just bouncing around Jeeps, pickups, and Broncos stuck in the mud. People who drive "real" trucks hate the sight of these things going where theirs couldn't.

saltcityeuros > MonkeePuzzle 01/20/2015 at 15:48

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Hahaha yessss

saltcityeuros > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 01/20/2015 at 15:49

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Love it. I used to get the same looks at the top of trails in my Subaru Forester.

MonkeePuzzle > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 15:49

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would seem a shovel and legit tow straps would be the right start, based on 99% of times I've been stuck, but that was always snow

MonkeePuzzle > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 15:49

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just shoot the mud around the stuck vehicle until the car comes loose #CartoonPhysics

Arben72 > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 15:50

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Mattracks and a tow strap, you'll be all set.

saltcityeuros > MonkeePuzzle 01/20/2015 at 15:54

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I thought about just putting the Kia out of its misery. haha

HammerheadFistpunch > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 15:59

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I had to be recovered Saturday and I can tell you I had the bare minimum with me for an effective recovery. So here is what I would recommend keeping in your car at a minimum

1. RATED Tow strap (preferably a snatch strap but a tow strap is fine so long as you aren't doing kinetic recoveries) The tow strap lets you also pull a dead car to safety, which you shouldn't do with a snatch strap. A tow strap should be rated at 1.5x GVWR and a snatch strap rated at 4-5x GVWR.

1a. NEVER use tow straps with open hooks or hooks at all really, use straps that are looped ONLY!

2. Rated shackles. you need good quality bow shackles rated to 1.5 x the GVRW of your vehicle minimum. A Tacoma would need a 4-4.5 ton shackle. You will need at least 2

3. Recovery points - You should have rated recovery points bolted to your frame in front (you can usually buy them)

3a. if you don't have recovery points on the rear buy a receiver hitch shackle or use your hitch pin in the receiver. NEVER ATTACH A STRAP TO A HITCH BALL!

4. Ideally a damping blanket like a heavy coat or something

5. Shovel - Metal

6. Hilift - Its a nice thing to have to get a car lifted up before pulling, but as many cars don't have hilift points you will also need an adapter to lift from the wheel.

7. I would also recommend if you have a hilift to get the hilift winch kit and some extra chain to use as an emergency winch.

Method

attached shackles to the strongest thing you can on the vehicle being recovered, ideally a rated recovery point. Screw the celvis in to just hand tight and then back off 1/2 turn so its loose. Attach the shackle to your recovery point inline with the path you want to pull, try to keep the strap from twisting as it will reduce the life and strength of the strap. Ideally place a damping blanket on the strap and tension up. Get their tires going at a moderate pace, start off in low range at a slow pace and apply only as much force as needed. If using a snatch strap start with about 3-5 feet of line slack and accelerate very gently to start, ramping up to between 5-10 mph if needed. Remember that a snatch strap only has a limited number of pulls in it so inspect it for stretch and wear if you use it a lot.

NEVER let ANYONE get anywhere near the vehicles or between them during a recovery.

HammerheadFistpunch > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:00

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Where did you go BTW? I've been looking for a place to go shooting and haven't really investigated anyplace good yet.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:04

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A shovel and tow straps have always worked well for me. I don't know anything about mattracks, but people seem to like them.

I love the hardware. I really want to drop the paperwork and get a can, maybe get two stamps and do an .300BLK SBR build to go with it. I also love the SIG, my buddy has one and it's a blast to shoot (pun intended).

I also love that land, it looks beautiful. I really wish I had a wide open spot like that to go shooting where I'm at. All the nearby ranges here are 100yds max. There's a 400yd spot about 2 hours away but it's quite pricey, and there's a 1000yd place 3 hours away but I've heard some mixed things about it. I'm working on convincing my wife that we need to buy a cabin and some land out in WV as an "investment property." Maybe one day. Until then, I will live vicariously through you.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:09

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It all depends on how the vehicle is stuck and what it's stuck in. That said, your basics are a shovel and a tow rope. Or if you want to spend some money a winch and ground anchor can be extremely useful, especially when there's no other vehicles or trees around.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:10

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http://www.bubbarope.com/ and some D rings

450X_FTW > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:16

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This stuff is amazing. http://www.bubbarope.com/

If you watched the Top Gear Polar Special where Jeremy got the truck stuck and they used a really long bungee rope to pull him out, yeah that's this stuff.

450X_FTW > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:16

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Was it difficult to get a suppressor license? What's the cost for the license? the suppressors?

jariten1781 > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:17

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I always prefer a come-along (or a hi-lift as a come-along if it's pulling dual duty) if I don't have a winch. I'm not a fan of tugging out with another vehicle, though nothing bad's happened...Just trusting the other driver while I'm in my vehicle makes me nervous...especially since they got stuck in the first place. Not so bad if you're on a dedicated trail, but pulling a neon out of a snowy ditch is dicier.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:18

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HNNNGGG!!!! I seriously want to do an SBR with a suppressor. I've got a couple AR's, one in .223 and on in 6.8SPC. So much fun to shoot them and the 6.8 is actually useful for stuff like deer hunting. I'd love to build a 6.8 with ~12" barrel and stick a can on it.

Is the one on the right the new Sig modular doohickey rifle thingy? Looks almost like an AK upper but ARish lower with an HK mag. (I think its HK mags that have the integrated coupler studs.)

RockDonkey > HammerheadFistpunch 01/20/2015 at 16:28

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^ Pretty much this. One of the important things mentioned is starting gently and accelerate as needed. I have personally seen instances where the rescuer stomped on the gas, mounting point breaks and winch cable and hook go flying into trees.

What also works well (better in the rocks than mud, but still works) is stacking rocks underneath a tire to give it a bit more traction whether going forward or back. We had to do this last weekend as we were wheeling and a few of us got high centered.

Textured Soy Protein > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:42

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Best to use a recovery strap a.k.a. snatch strap. They have some stretch in them which helps when you're using your vehicle to yank at another, stuck, vehicle. More info here on ARB's site .

TJDMAX > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:48

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The best bang for the buck method is to get some D-Ring shackles, and a rear receiver shackle like this one:

Next go get a kinetic recovery strap. Its more expensive than a standard tow recovery strap but the kinetic aspect of it makes it so that you don't need as much inertia with the recovery vehicle to budge the stuck vehicle loose.

http://www.bubbarope.com/

Something like this will do just great. I've seen jeep jk's use these and pull out full size HD trucks buried in the sand before like they were nothing.

Winches are good but cost a lot more. And if the recovery vehicle isn't on dry or traction friendly pavement then they aren't going to be useful. And yes mattracks would be epic...but do you have a spare 8 grand laying around for recovery equipment?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 16:49

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1. Winch and portable anchor.

2. Bubba rope.

XJDano > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 18:28

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Watch this, http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/this-towing-fa…

That's not the way to do it.

If you have a tractor supply co. they have good straps for reasonable prices. You want the one with loops on the end. The hooks will be projectiles. Also get some D-rings.

I have a 30' & 20' both 3" wide. They do come in handy.

If you plan on pulling people out and want to get a winch, might as well go all out and get you an ARB Bull bar and a winch

Here's a shot of me getting pulled out. Always put tension on strap first, then tug, don't snatch or you'll be like the ranger in video or strap could come at you bro.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 20:20

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1) boards at (min) 1" thick, 2" better by 12" wide by 24" long.

Qty: 2 (min), 4 better

2) shovel

3) If the ground is sandy/super soft drop the air pressure in the tires.

4) common sense to put it in park get out for a closer look before, gunning it or reving till you break something

5) Make sure the vehicle is in 4wd!! I can't stress that one enough. I offroad every summer and the number of people who bury their rear axle to the frame would surprise you.

"you're not in 4wd"

"yes I am"

"Your front wheels aren't moving"

"I'll have you know this a brand new ____. It works just fine"

etc etc, its amazing how pissed off people get when you offer help. Even more when after getting insulted, you just park and watch them struggle, until following your advice.

I think tow straps are a last resort after watching 2 break (luckily no injuries)

saltcityeuros > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 01/20/2015 at 23:10

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Smart. I appreciate the advice- haven't done this much before. Ha clueless drivers, right?

saltcityeuros > XJDano 01/20/2015 at 23:11

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Ha. Love that video. Good to know - thanks man.

saltcityeuros > TJDMAX 01/20/2015 at 23:12

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Ha. I think I meant MaxTrax - the sand ladders. But Mattracks would be amazing also. I'm going to look into one of those receiver shackles, thanks.

saltcityeuros > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 01/20/2015 at 23:15

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Yeah man.6.8 in 12" would be rad. The one on the right is a Sig 553 SBR with a can (5.56) Swiss-built, and uses a proprietary Sig mag. Love it.

saltcityeuros > HammerheadFistpunch 01/20/2015 at 23:18

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Great advice man. Thanks. Where did you get stuck - running a trail in Utah?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > 450X_FTW 01/20/2015 at 23:20

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Well I don't know where OP is, but some states don't require a license, like Alabama and Louisiana.

saltcityeuros > Snuze: Needs another Swede 01/20/2015 at 23:20

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Suppressed 300 BLK is so rad, especially subsonic. Just unfortunate that you have to spend $400 extra on stamps! I do love the Sig. Buy the cabin! I can't live without having wide open spaces to get away to. Out here in the west, we've got 1000+ yard shots all over the place.

saltcityeuros > 450X_FTW 01/20/2015 at 23:21

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Awesome. Gonna look into that for sure.

saltcityeuros > HammerheadFistpunch 01/20/2015 at 23:23

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You in SLC? I was down at West Mountain in Utah county - just at the south end of Utah lake. It's one of the last places to go shooting in the county. Other than that, I have to head all the way out to Stansbury Island or Skull Valley to shoot. I like the west desert more because it's usually less crowded.

HammerheadFistpunch > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 23:29

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no, just being stupid pulling off the road too far at white pine in little cottonwood. oh well, its good to be humbled from time to time.

saltcityeuros > 450X_FTW 01/20/2015 at 23:30

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Not too difficult, just takes patience. You go to a gun shop, assuming suppressors are legal in your state, then buy one and fill out the paper work. Normally, you'd need to get a signature from your local law enforcement and fingerprints. Then you pay a $200 tax and the forms are submitted to the ATF and you wait 6-8 months for approval... THEN you can take home your can. However, if you form a legal trust, then you can bypass fingerprints and signatures, etc. Pretty ridiculous, but what can ya do?

As for the cans, it depends on what you want. I work for SilencerCo (suppressor manufacturer) and we have lightweight hunting cans for around $500 to full-auto rated machine gun cans for $1300ish.

HammerheadFistpunch > saltcityeuros 01/20/2015 at 23:30

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Im in sandy, and I've looked at west mountain...how does the drive compare to someplace like 5 mile pass?

saltcityeuros > HammerheadFistpunch 01/20/2015 at 23:48

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ah, forgot about 5 mile. I need to head out there soon. I think both are about an hour's drive for me (in SLC). However, if you're looking to go wheeling too, West Mountain has a couple cool trails, but nothing like 5 Mile and Little Moab, etc.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > saltcityeuros 01/21/2015 at 08:04

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Don't be these idiots.

http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/this-towing-fa…

Stuck is bad, broken down far worse.

4.1) Also measure any water crossing. If you can't see it don't go. That one almost got me killed. I was 6 miles from help, 40F and 1' became over 3' water just below the hood. I don't know how the engine didn't flood. Pucker factor = diamond.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > saltcityeuros 01/21/2015 at 08:31

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I'm working on the land/cabin deal. You can get 50 acres for under $100k out in WV, and I have a camping buddy who is interested in doing the same, so we may draw up a contract or even setup a corporation to buy the land. We started talking about it a few months ago, and put it off for the holidays, so we'll get back on it soon and start looking for places.

And yeah, the double tax stamps suck, but I figure if I'm going to end up dropping a bunch of money for the rifle and a can, I might as well spend the extra $200 and SBR it. Besides, .300BLK was designed to be shot out of a 9" barrel, no point in going longer if I don't have to. I'm going to go the trust route, so I need to get all that setup first.

TJDMAX > saltcityeuros 01/21/2015 at 09:22

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Ah yes. Those may be a cheaper alternative to Mattracks....

But either way. Definitely look into the bubba rope or similar kinetic recovery strap.