Choosing The Right Recovery Gear

I want to make sure that when I go off-road, I have enough equipment with me to help myself out of most binds I could get myself into. I also want to be equipped so that if someone else is helping, we're using my gear and not theirs.

I have an air compressor, folding shovel, winch, recovery gloves, recovery damper.

What do I buy? Here's what I'm thinking of.

Let's start with a 20m winch extension that I can use between vehicles if needed and a pair of heavy bow shackles. I'll want to hook this onto my car, so I'm adding a hitch block that fits into the Hayman Reese hitch receiver. What more do I need? Do I need the hitch block - as Aussie Frontier points out, we can put the tow rope into the hitch receiver and just use the pin to locate and retain the cable.

What if there's nobody else around to help? That's what my winch is for. If I want to winch off a sturdy tree, I'll need a decent trunk protector, and if I'm stuck in sand I'll need a ground anchor - I can't just use a star picket (and a big hammer), I should invest in a Portable Rescue Tree or a Terra Firma depending on the terrain.

My winch extension cable comes in handy there, for either. But if I'm really stuck in sand or mud, the winch is going to work its little ring off getting me out - that's why I'll also get myself a snatch block and, for the return length of the winch cable, a second recovery damper.

Now IF my vehicle is in good condition and there's someone who's willing to assist me and their vehicle is in good condition, I can use a snatch strap. A damaged strap is useless, and once they've been used a few times they tend to lose their stretch. I'm looking at getting a better than average one, so that it doesn't give up after the first attempt.

What else do I need? I have a decent first aid kit, plenty of torches, blankets. I always carry spare water - usually about 5 litres if it's just the Navara, but up to 120 litres more if I've got the caravan with me.

Do I need anything else? What about an exhaust jack? Or those hi-lift jacks? Or how about those bulky recovery sand tracks, that I can lay down in front of my wheels?

Here's my specific immediate shopping list.

1) 20metre 8,000kg Winch Extension Strap
2) 4.75T bow shackles - x2
3) 2 recovery dampers
4) 8,000Kg Snatch Block
5) 12,000Kg tree trunk protector, 3m or 5m?
6) 12,000Kg snatch strap

For the future, I might get a Terra Firma but it's not a priority in my mind at the moment since I don't anticipate spending time off-road away from forests (I might go off-road in forests, but I'll use highway to cross deserts).

I might also get a tyre repair kit. I have a hunk'o'wood tossed in the back already (thanks Matt).

How's that sound?

* Added some details in response to feedback
* Adding more detail ... and now, below, is the Recovery Set of Choice (built up from advice in this thread - thanks everyone!)

Recommended Recovery Gear
1) 8,000Kg Snatch Strap - two if possible.
2) Tyre kit consisting of:
...........Deflator(s)
...........Inflator (compressor!)
...........Tyre pressure gauge
...........Spare tyre valves
...........Tyre Repair Kit
3) 20m 8,000Kg Winch Extension Strap
4) Multiple bow shackles minimum 3.5T
5) Hunk'o'wood as a base for your jack
6) Hitch block
7) Folding Shovel, or a long-handled shovel if possible.
8) Appropriate Ground Anchor for expected terrain
...........soft terrain (eg sand)
...........hard terrain (eg clay/soil)
9) 12,000Kg Tree Trunk Protector
10) Good snatch block - 8T ARB unit or better
11) Recovery dampers or heavy blankets
12) Good quality leather gloves (like welding gloves, almost)
13) Torches - several - wide beam for area lighting would be handy
14) Snow chains - for use in snow or mud
15) First Aid Kit, with at the minimum:
...........Antiseptic cream and wash (eg Dettol spray)
...........Several bandages and pads for wounds
...........Sticking plaster (like adhesive tape)
...........Good quality "surgical" scissors and tweezers (think "splinters")
...........Band-aids (not the wimpy plastic ones)
...........Basic painkillers (paracetamol is best, Ibuprofen only if the sufferer has no stomach ulcers)
...........Mylanta (we take the "Double Strength" tablets with us)

There may be some good reason for blocking the EGR - and then obtaining the exhaust jack. I think I'll steer away from high-lift jacks, I have zero experience with them and I don't want to endanger anyone further.

I don't have a winch, but then I don't go out alone either so there should always be someone to get me out, I did my damndest to get stuck at landcruiser park last time out but didnt need recovering from anywhere. I have got an ARB snatchstrap, a couple of shackles, tyre guage, deflator, spare tyre valves, a tyre repair kit (must learn how to use it one day lol) all in an arb recovery bag. For what I need I recon it is pretty good.

I also carry a big block of timber so that I can use it as a base to jack from in case I need to. Hi lift jacks can be very dangerous, they are not the most stable thing. I have resisted getting one so far.

Do a search on shadecloth for use instead of maxtrax, A fair few people on the net swear by it and it is far cheaper.

I'd be carrying max trax if I had the room. Shovel? High Lift Jack? Spare fuses? Air Compressor?

Not sure what you need so just throwing it out there.

Even though I dont go off the beaten track I do have heaps of practice at towing cars. I actually put the front hoop of the tow strap inside the tow bar hitch and use the hitch pin to secure the strap.
I was told its the safest way to tow a car .
Dunno if its helpful but putting the strap inside the hitch tube is sposed to be the best.
Putting the hoop of the strap on the towball is a definite NO NO and dangerous

2 cents worth

Thanks guys, added a bit to the first post. I'd forgotten a few details!

There's a block you can get that goes into the hitch receiver, it has a heavy bow shackle on the end of it, designed to provide a towing point using the normal hitch receiver. Not sure why you'd spend the money getting that when you can just use the normal pin and save yourself some $ - maybe someone'll have the answer.

Old.Tony said:

Thanks guys, added a bit to the first post. I'd forgotten a few details!

There's a block you can get that goes into the hitch receiver, it has a heavy bow shackle on the end of it, designed to provide a towing point using the normal hitch receiver. Not sure why you'd spend the money getting that when you can just use the normal pin and save yourself some $ - maybe someone'll have the answer.

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Yeah I have got one of them, I have used both ways before, the only advantage I see to the block is that often the hitch reciever gets caked with mud and is a pain to clear out to get the strap in, the block makes that a bit easier. I can't see any strength or safety advantages of the block, its still all just held by the pin.

I have one as well, another advantage I see is that you may get better angles of pull from the block rather than just inside the hitch receiver. The bow shackle on the end allows a bit of movement from the strap where as in the receiver the strap may rub/fray against the sharper reciver edge.

I paid $32 for mine at BCF.

The hitch receiver was a gift last Christmas from my brother in law and the best present I've ever received as my Kaymar bar is a bastard to get to to remove the pin and there's no way I'm going to be happy lying in mud just to hook up a strap to my vehicle

if you have a bit of room, look at a nylon rope. ie bungy rope ~40% stretch. that extra stretch over a snatch strap is handy for light pulls.
a regulation length tow strap (short winch extension) for towing vehicles on the road.

highlift jack with wheel mates. possibly winch extension to. handy to have something to be able to pull the vehicle back or hold the sideways weight.
exhaust jack you probably won't be able to use unless egr on the motor has been blocked off.

Hi Tony,

Don't hesitate about a tyre plug kit - get one and save yourself some grief. A holed tyre will do you know good when you get a second flat tyre....

With shackles, they are cheap. Don't get two, get a half dozen. And get a get two differen't sizes because they are useful for different purposes. And guaranteed - shackles are things you run out of when lining up your gear for a recovery...

Winching off another vehicle.....if you are the vehicle with the winch, you should NEVER use another vehicle as the anchor unless that is your ONLY option. A vehicle makes a very poor anchor point because they are so hard to secure. Always use a tree or a ground anchor.

And on the subject of ground anchors, a single star picket is NOT good enough. There is a technique for using a series of star pickets, however I will not try to describe it here.

There are commercial ground anchors available, however there are different styles of ground anchors for different types of terrain - an anchor for hard terrain will not work on soft terrain and vise versa. It's difficult if not impossible to cover all eventualities unfortunately...

Out of interest, why do you want a 12T snatch strap and not a more useful 8T? You won't be snatching your vehicle with the van attached, believe me.... Not unless it's a prime mover doing the towing, and not unless you have some SERIOUS recovery points installed.

But don't buy one snatch strap. Buy two. Because you can always join two of them together (NOT using a shackle) and double the reach to get you out of trouble. Snatch straps are a MUCH underrated piece of equipment, and two of them are just sensational.

Tree straps - 3m straps are a useful length and common.

Snatch block - don't buy a cheap one. In days gone by, the competition boys were only allowed to use ARB snatch blocks. I don't know if that is still the case, however think it says something about the quality of ARB snatch blocks compared to the quality of some others on the market...

Don't worry too much about commercial recovery dampers - you can always use a tarp or towel or something else for the odd occasion where you MAY do a double line pull. You would be going to added expense and weight for the sake of "what if and maybe"...

High lift jacks are either (a) great or (b) dangerous. It all depends on how much experience you have with them, and how much training you have with their use. If you don't know how to use one and haven't been exposed to them A LOT, then my advice is LEAVE IT ALONE. That is from one friend to another, and I want you to live a long and happy life Tony.

You guys are awesome! I've changed the first post to now include a "Recommended Recovery Gear" section based on your advice & experiences. I'm aiming it at a general usage point of view, so things that may be dangerous - like high lift jacks - are mentioned, along with my inexperience with them!

If you can think of more for that list, keep it coming. Forum users that want to know "which recovery gear to get" can look at that first post and be informed quickly.

That reminds me - would you carry snow chains in Winter? The mountains north of here get snow, same with Armidale area and I've driven through snow around Mittagong. Would you bother with chains?

Good quality high lift jacks aren't dangerous, inexperienced people using them are. Stay away from cheap chinese brands.

They are also handy as an emergency hand winch if needed.

I would recommend a long handle shovel if your going any where near sand or mud. If your bogged up to the sills and sitting on the cross member a foldable shovel is useless.

If your heading out into the desert, I would recommend taking everything you can get your hands on. I reckon half the weight I carry is recovery gear, and spares yet I'm still always nervous of something going wrong.

Aussie Frontier said:

Even though I dont go off the beaten track I do have heaps of practice at towing cars. I actually put the front hoop of the tow strap inside the tow bar hitch and use the hitch pin to secure the strap.
I was told its the safest way to tow a car .
Dunno if its helpful but putting the strap inside the hitch tube is sposed to be the best.
Putting the hoop of the strap on the towball is a definite NO NO and dangerous

2 cents worth

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When i did a 4x4 course thats the way the guy showed me how to do it.
He took to his tow bar hitch with a file to take any burrs or sharp bits off.

Imo a hand winch is much more versatile than a front mount electric.Pull from front,back or the sides.Very slow though.I have one of those blocks that you slide into the tow hitch for if i need to hand winch the rear.

I saw a video of guys stuck in the sand.They dug a very deep hole,hooked there winch cable to the spare wheel,dropped it in the hole and covered it with sand again.It looked a bit dodgy as an anchor point but they got out no worries.

Old.Tony said:

That reminds me - would you carry snow chains in Winter? The mountains north of here get snow, same with Armidale area and I've driven through snow around Mittagong. Would you bother with chains?

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I always carry chains when heading into the high country,and have had to use them,wouldn't leave without them in the winter.
I believe they work well in mud as well.

Jason said:

Good quality high lift jacks aren't dangerous, inexperienced people using them are. .

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Correct - but experience is hard to come by... And hard lessons with hi lift jacks often maim people unfortunately.

navarian said:

I always carry chains when heading into the high country,and have had to use them,wouldn't leave without them in the winter.
I believe they work well in mud as well.

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They sure do! Saw my dad use them once in very deep boggy mud.

ants_oz said:

Correct - but experience is hard to come by... And hard lessons with hi lift jacks often maim people unfortunately.

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So do D-Shackles and putting snatch straps over tow balls. It's like anything, even driving in general, if you don't know something get shown or get instruction. Otherwise feel free to subscribe to Darwin's Theory.

Tony, what a great thread! got me thinking about whats in the kit and whats not! ground anchors are an interesting one, I have seen videos of both the star picket (3 of) and the burried spare tyre, I would love to know if anybody has any actual experience with these techniques.
Q. for ant oz, if you don't use a shackle to joint two snatches how do you join? if you loop through wouldn't they tighten up to much?
and a general question, does anybody carry a second jack, I am thinking of adding a bottle jack, as I hate the diamond style that came as standard with the d22.

heata said:

Q. for ant oz, if you don't use a shackle to joint two snatches how do you join? if you loop through wouldn't they tighten up to much?

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Yes, you loop them together....there is a technique to it. As you tighten them you put in a decent length stick, a rolled up magazine, a rolled up towel....anything but a heavy shackle that will become a projectile if one of the straps was to break.

I have to join my 2 straps at times and I do use a quality D Shackle however we also have a safety loop on the straps. That way if the shackle breaks then the straps cant fly apart.
We also use such things as an old car tyre as a helper aid to drag cars etc out of a bog situation. We extend the first tow strap out and tie it to an old car tyre. We then run a chain or second strap to the car and again tie that to the old tyre. When you go to take off the old car tyre will act as a huge spring and will aid in pulling out the car.
One thing we always do make sure of when using anything like this is that we will use a safety strap on our main straps or chains so that we dont end up with a heavy tyre or chain flying off in any direction.
Now some may flame me for this but please if you havent done it then refrain.This is the best way we have found for pulling beached race cars out of wet sand traps and it works damm well and is safe if you take all the precautions.In theory there would be no reason why it wouldnt work just as well to remove a 4x4 or car from a bogged situation.