PSA: Offroad recovery is a serious matter. Please go at it properly.

[tn3sport]

Saw this the other day on YT and immediately did three things:

1) Threw away my china made hitch receiver recovery point. (it was only rated at 10k....) Which one would think would be fine pulling a 5k truck out, but that 5k is NOT the key metric... as the video explains.
2) I sent this video to my overlanding buds.
3) Researched if winch blanket would of helped this situation... inconclusive...

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[mrjking2000]

Saw this the other day on YT and immediately did three things:

1) Threw away my china made hitch receiver recovery point. (it was only rated at 10k....) Which one would think would be fine pulling a 5k truck out, but that 5k is NOT the key metric... as the video explains.
2) I sent this video to my overlanding buds.
3) Researched if winch blanket would of helped this situation... inconclusive...

blankets just get thrown with the rigging. we've seen it time and time again on recoveries. you need to just stay out of the danger zones and you'll be fine.

 

[kodiakisland]

There’s a good video somewhere out there of someone purposefully using the ball as the attachment point for the strap to show multiple failures and resulting damage. Couldn’t find it. Don’t do it.

Here’s one

 

[Jason]

3) Researched if winch blanket would of helped this situation... inconclusive...

I don’t think it would have helped. Or at a minimum, I wouldn’t trust it to cover over the much bigger mistakes.

This recovery was not a “closed system”, like you get with soft or hard shackles that create closed links. A standard hook or a tow ball create an “open system” where a failure can send a piece flying free of anything else. Even if the recovery line/chain stayed attached to the drop hitch, I’m not sure a winch blanket would have done much to slow what was effectively a cannonball.

Winch blankets are helpful when you do everything else right, and they direct a snapped line downward (low mass, high velocity). In this case, milliseconds after the drop hitch snapped, the drop hitch was already on it’s path with nothing to impede it.

This is just my 2 cents … there’s no way to really know. The only thing we can do is think about how we approach a recovery and be safer because of it.

 

[Headsong]

We just had one of these last week in Byron illinois. A vehicle was trying to extract a sunk Bronco in a pit, I saw the Bronco into the pit, but didn't stick around for the extraction. On YouTube, don't know where. But the tow cable snapped went through and I do mean all the way through the tailgate and then punctured a spare tire that was laying inside the tailgate. Was that powerful. If I can find a YouTube I'll link it.

 

[Kickit]

I just finished a two day off-road recovery safety course last weekend and learned SO MUCH. It’s ok to admit what you don’t know, what worries me now are the “hold my beer” types that pretend to know and use cowboy recovery methods and gear. As always I also appreciate the knowledge learned on here but nothing beats real world hands on training from a reputable source. Never knew how dangerous recovery could be and I encourage anyone new to the off-roading world to take a hands on course. It could save your life

 

[RyanP]

I watched the video and will watch a bunch more to start to get more educated in this area. Very sad story, but hopefully it will be used to save lives.

 

[Beach_Bum]

I just finished a two day off-road recovery safety course last weekend and learned SO MUCH. It’s ok to admit what you don’t know, what worries me now are the “hold my beer” types that pretend to know and use cowboy recovery methods and gear. As always I also appreciate the knowledge learned on here but nothing beats real world hands on training from a reputable source. Never knew how dangerous recovery could be and I encourage anyone new to the off-roading world to take a hands on course. It could save your life

This can't be emphasized enough is to put into practice of recovery techniques. One can watch YT videos to get familiar with techniques in theory, but you have to put it to use ideally under a training scenario. Perhaps it is my military training, but we would often plan trail outings not for just riding, but with the sole purpose of practicing/training on recovery techniques. For anyone interested in classes, Legacy Offroad offers beginner and advanced recovery courses.

 

[Triceratops]

Here is my bronco getting smacked when a guys Rhino USA hitch shackle failed on a kinetic rope pull. Not a hard pull, newish shackle with two other pulls on it. My side had a soft shackle to the factory point. It was at an event so staff checked the hook up before the pull (you can see them in the video). Luckily, no injuries and just needed a new grill and radiator shutters. If you didn’t know, Rhino USA, makes all of their hard shackles in China.

That in itself is not the main problem. The glaring issue is the company has no quality system that I can discern. We recovered the pieces we could and I got the guys receipt so they could track any issues. The company (community manager and technical service) did not want any of it and just said that never happens. Soft shackles from now on or hard shackles from a company with a registered quality system (like Crosby). I will never use or get pulled out by Rhino USA crap again. You have to be responsible for both sides of the pull.

Seriously, spend the extra $15 to avoid $800 in parts.

 

[Deleted member 32220]

I would get some Warn or Factor 55 gear. You guys would be well to do by deleting your Amazon accounts. 4 words Archimedes and kinetic energy. Very unfortunate.

 

[Triceratops]

I would get some Warn or Factor 55 gear. You guys would be well to do by deleting your Amozon accounts. 4 words Archimedes and kinetic energy. Very unfortunate.

For hard shackles Factor 55 sells Crosby. Or go to a local rigging supply and they likely have Crosby or a couple other brands that are properly rated with a tracked quality system. Crosby shackles are properly rated for overhead lift. I agree about avoiding the Amazon specials…

 

[Beach_Bum]

Here is my bronco getting smacked when a guys Rhino USA hitch shackle failed on a kinetic rope pull. Not a hard pull, newish shackle with two other pulls on it. My side had a soft shackle to the factory point. It was at an event so staff checked the hook up before the pull (you can see them in the video). Luckily, no injuries and just needed a new grill and radiator shutters. If you didn’t know, Rhino USA, makes all of their hard shackles in China.

That in itself is not the main problem. The glaring issue is the company has no quality system that I can discern. We recovered the pieces we could and I got the guys receipt so they could track any issues. The company (community manager and technical service) did not want any of it and just said that never happens. Soft shackles from now on or hard shackles from a company with a registered quality system (like Crosby). I will never use or get pulled out by Rhino USA crap again. You have to be responsible for both sides of the pull.

Seriously, spend the extra $15 to avoid $800 in parts.

Overall, your message is well-received on buying quality gear. But also to be responsible for both sides of the pull. I highlighted the failure point, and people need to get away from using the hitch as a recovery point. It is mounted to a lateral cross-member of the frame which is much weaker than a longitudinal frame rail.

This brings up a point on where recovery points are mounted. They come from the factory bolted directly to the longitudinal frame rail. When people buy an aftermarket bumper, don't just go by looks. Some vendors only weld their recovery point to the bumper and then rely on the bumper as providing the strength to counteract the forces that are compounded in recovery. No way should people be trusting recovery based on the integrity of a weld. Insist on pass-through recovery points that are directly bolted to the frame.

 

[kirnma]

Great video and information. I'm not a heavy duty off-roader, but there might be times when I try to pull someone out of the snow. After this video, I can't say I wasn't warned. One things I'd like to know more about are these 2" shackle hitch receivers, and what, if any, are the recommendations for actually using them to tow someone out of a jam? (for example, https://www.rhinousainc.com/products/shackle-hitch-receiver) Nowhere in the ad do they say how much it can tow, but they have a picture of it with a heavy duty tow line. It also has a hollow shank, which seems to impact how much you can pull with it. I might get one, but after this video I won't be trying to recover anyone with it.

 

[okbob]

Vehicle recovery points are there for a reason. Tractor and combine, no shackles, chains, etc as they are a death wish. Combine recovery point and tractor recovery point and a jerk strap about the width of my thigh, I can't remember how many tens of thousands of pounds that it's rated for. I buried this 9600 five times in nine days in 2019, recovered with no more than two jerks each time. Use the right gear and proper recovery points and everyone walks away at the end

 

[JimboSlice]

I just finished a two day off-road recovery safety course last weekend and learned SO MUCH. It’s ok to admit what you don’t know, what worries me now are the “hold my beer” types that pretend to know and use cowboy recovery methods and gear. As always I also appreciate the knowledge learned on here but nothing beats real world hands on training from a reputable source. Never knew how dangerous recovery could be and I encourage anyone new to the off-roading world to take a hands on course. It could save your life

Where in California did you take the course?

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