Vehicle recovery gear and tips

[vezePilot]

In attempts at researching strength of steel channel and square tube, the internet gushes with engineering tables, industrial ordering methods, scientific papers and other shall we say less than accessible resources.

Easy Button: HANDBOOK OF APPLIED MATHEMATICS, Fourth Edition, D. Van Nostrand, 1966. (Which I have had since I dunno when.)
(Based on the original work by Jansson, Harper and Agnew, 1933.)

The Chapter on Mechanics has the methods and calculations that I need. It appears I will want Square Tubing, not C-Channel. Wall thickness of at least 1/8 inch (0.125") and probably 2" by 3" size A36 steel. Cost has gone up a little, but not terribly.

This is one of those books among the top ten to have, along side the Bible and a few others. Each chapter listed is Exhaustive, Comprehensive, and include many educational exercises.

 

[vezePilot]

I have an entirely new direction for designing a new grappling anchor. The device described above is not the way to go.

Steve I sent you a msg in the "Do Better" PM.

 

[vezePilot]

Sources which prove the most authoritative for rope and pulley rigging seem to be maritime, or naval, and for sailing ships. Safe-Xtract claims that a Spanish Burton rigging will provide a Mechanical Advantage of 4:1. Umm ... all other sources state that a Spanish Burton gives an MA of only 3 to 1.

Maritime sources describe what it does take to get 4:1, and I have included this in a small diagram. I have printed and attached this diagram to the back of my Recovery Gear Checklist Clipboard.

So, using as many as three Winch Rings and the appropriate ropes and straps, maximizing winch rope & extensions: if I expect only 5,000 lbs of pull force from a winch that is not working hard, these riggings can apply 10,000, 15,000 and as much as 20,000 lbs of force to extract a disabled vehicle.

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[Jmzvet]

You guys are serious off roaders
I'm a "soft" roader
My top mods are retractable side steps and embroidered head rests

 

[vezePilot]

Here is an updated & corrected version of the above diagram. And provided as a JPEG. I copied this to my phone so I'll have it there as well.

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[vezePilot]

Yesterday I moved along in Upgrading my ATV winch. This is a SuperWinch 2500 Plus "Winch-In-A-Bag" unit that I have had for many years. It had a 3/16" Steel cable, which is worn out from very little use. And the reason is that what passed for a Fairlead was ridiculous. Other parts were also sub-optimal.

So I bought a 4-1/2" smooth Fairlead, and plan on buying a TRE (tacticalrecoveryequipment.com) 1/4" Synthetic rope. I also replaced the D-Ring with a larger 5/8" Shackle. The antique steel hook will be replaced by a simple Thimble and a Soft Shackle.

This winch is like a "bump-in-the-rope" in that it does not bolt to a vehicle. It has shackles (either hard or soft) on both sides. For use as an auxiliary "side-pull" or stabilizing point, I can get as much as 7,500 lbs if I rig a Three Line pull (mech advantage 3:1) using small Winch Rings and appropriate soft shackles. I have a pair of 12V sealed gel airplane batteries to power it remotely. So it can be carried halfway up a slope and secured to a tree ... sort of thing.

The upgrade work consisted primarily of cutting off that terrible white nylon fairlead and welding up new brackets for the larger, MUCH BETTER, fairlead.
It's nice to be able to weld.

This is a cute little ATV winch ring that I found. I ordered one of the 5 ton styles, and I need a second ... but now all they have in stock is the 25 ton. Oh well, still not very expensive.

.

 

[mrcolieman]

I figured I could use the high lift jack that I already carry for an anchor system... I bought 6 three foot lengths of 1/2 inch rebar and roundly "sharpened" one end. My vision is to remove the foot form the jack and lay it on the ground, then drive the rebar at a 15 degree angle, away from the load in the holes of the jack, into the ground 2 feet deep with my flat head axe. It effectively becomes a picket anchor plate system. My picture shows a 3, 2, 1 configuration but I think evenly spacing the pickets along the jack would be best. I'll use a soft shackle to attach my winch line. Things of note: This system is only as good as the soil around the pickets. Sand and mud are no good... I have every expectation that the rebar will bend, but for $30 it's nice to have an additional option if no other anchor is present. The soft shackle also works with the axe handle to remove the rebar from the ground when done. I'll try to put all this in use and post an update later in the summer if I do. If anyone else has experience with a picket system and a winch I'm interested in hearing your story! (I've used in rope rescue but never with a winch).

 

[2KWIK2C]

Here is an updated & corrected version of the above diagram. And provided as a JPEG. I copied this to my phone so I'll have it there as well.

View attachment 5929
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I'm a logger and most of these I have tried and let me say the four rope one could have came in handy a couple times. Have my ropes and pullies all the time! You just never know!

 

[Transient]

This thread is a treasure chest full of knowledge. Thank you. I have a 30' static strap, 20' kinetic rope, a couple soft shackles, a couple hard shackles, a shovel, tire patch kit, 5 lbs fire extinguisher, factor 55 trailer hitch block for soft shackles, another trailer hitch with a hard shackle, 2×1.75 gallon gas cans, 2×1.75 gallon water cans, and a 2000amp battery jumper. It's a work in progress. I also have 2 med kits from mymedic. One is in a "to go" bag that should keep me good for 24 hours should i need to abandone my truck. I'm currently working on installing an ARB twin compressor in the bed with their 1 gallon manifold via a 17' harness extension from Expedition Essentials. I have toyed with the idea of a winch behind the front bumper via a custom mount, and Maxtrax Extreme traction boards (the ones with the metal teeth).

I get what some of you are saying about name brand gear, but I practice a common philosophy -- Buy once cry once. However, it must have a good warranty, because I tend to use them. That's one of the things I really like about some brands, but turned off on others.

With that said, there was a question about storing water in your vehicle. I agree 100% with the water bottles in the cab. I do that too. It not only keeps me from drinking soda, but whenever I take the kids to sports practice they can easily grab a bottle to stay hydrated. However the 2×1.75 gallon rotopax containers I have mounted on the Valhalla molle panels in the bed are good for 6 months, according to rotopax. Every 6 months I dump the water, wash the containers, and refill with water from the tap. This water isn't intended for drinking, but it'll suffice. Should somebody have a vehicle that's overheated and needs to get a short distance for safety it's ideal for filling the radiator. I don't worry about the sun doing much to these bottles because the bed is covered by a Retrax bed cover. Rotopax 1.75 gallon bottles are the perfect size to fit between the wheel well and the bulge at the back of the tailgate where the cargo light is. I tried to fit the 2 gallon tanks, but they were a hair too big. I worried about jamming them in and having vibrations wear through the bottles and cause leaks.

My straps, rope, and shackles are under the rear seat in a Du Ha bin. I have considered moving them into a plastic box and stashing them under the retrax tonneau canister at the front of the bed. I'm partial to pelican cases because that's what I use for my firearms. Any suggestions on what I should get?

 

[Holt9190]

Check out the swing cases. T

I picked up a pair of cheap $48 shipped traction boards off Ebay that are 47.6" x 13" x 1.8" that have a built in jack base. I picked up a bungee from Harbor Freight that have carabiners on each end and wove it through the handles on each end of the boards and clipped them to the top tie down on each side of the passenger side bed. They stay up on the wheel well and out of the way. I have all my other gear under the rear seat in the GM lockable storage bin. It's stuffed full, so if I add anything else, I'm going to have to get a tote or totes for the bed.

They work great for me

 

[GETGONE]

Swing cases won't really work for me because I have the multi-flex tailgate and it has the flip up handle on the driver side of the bed and on the passenger side, I put a 7 way RV plug to use for various things.

 

[Transient]

Swing cases won't really work for me because I have the multi-flex tailgate and it has the flip up handle on the driver side of the bed and on the passenger side, I put a 7 way RV plug to use for various things.

I'd like to know more about this 7-way RV plug

 

[GETGONE]

I'd like to know more about this 7-way RV plug

It's a Curt brand. It plugs inline with the 7 way connector in the bumper. I ran it to the close out panel where the 110V outlet would be in the bed. I popped the cover off and used the holes that were there to mount the 110V panel and ran zip ties through all 4 through the 4 holes in the RV connector. I'm not sure where they normally mount them in the bed for 2500/3500 trucks with 5th wheel setups. I wanted it for power in the bed. I bought a 7 way to 2 12v cigarette lighter plug adapter so that I can plug in a cooler and whatever else I want back there.

 

[Transient]

It's a Curt brand. It plugs inline with the 7 way connector in the bumper. I ran it to the close out panel where the 110V outlet would be in the bed. I popped the cover off and used the holes that were there to mount the 110V panel and ran zip ties through all 4 through the 4 holes in the RV connector. I'm not sure where they normally mount them in the bed for 2500/3500 trucks with 5th wheel setups. I wanted it for power in the bed. I bought a 7 way to 2 12v cigarette lighter plug adapter so that I can plug in a cooler and whatever else I want back there.

Thank you

 

[mrcolieman]

I figured I could use the high lift jack that I already carry for an anchor system... I bought 6 three foot lengths of 1/2 inch rebar and roundly "sharpened" one end. My vision is to remove the foot form the jack and lay it on the ground, then drive the rebar at a 15 degree angle, away from the load in the holes of the jack, into the ground 2 feet deep with my flat head axe. It effectively becomes a picket anchor plate system. My picture shows a 3, 2, 1 configuration but I think evenly spacing the pickets along the jack would be best. I'll use a soft shackle to attach my winch line. Things of note: This system is only as good as the soil around the pickets. Sand and mud are no good... I have every expectation that the rebar will bend, but for $30 it's nice to have an additional option if no other anchor is present. The soft shackle also works with the axe handle to remove the rebar from the ground when done. I'll try to put all this in use and post an update later in the summer if I do. If anyone else has experience with a picket system and a winch I'm interested in hearing your story! (I've used in rope rescue but never with a winch).

Got out to Hollister Hills OHV Park today and tried out this improvised winch anchor... Went about as expected. It was able to hold the weight of the truck as the winch pulled it up a hill. I sat hard on the brakes and pulled until it failed (which wasn't long!). I'll absolutely keep the rebar under my seat though... It's better than nothing if and when I'm stuck with no viable anchors...