On the Bronco do not use the receiver for any recovery period, there are multiple failure points, those inserts wont save you. The OEM Bronco shackle points are bolted direct line of the frame which is what you want.
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PSA: Offroad recovery is a serious matter. Please go at it properly.
I wonder how my tow straps and shackles from Gear America will do when actually needed. I paid for the "mega" duty everything...
https://www.gearamerica.com/collect...strap-4-x-30-41-000-lbs-capacity-2018-version
https://www.gearamerica.com/collect...uber-shackles-with-anti-theft-lock-2pk-orange
It was a drop hitch assembly. I am speaking of the actual hitch portion attached to the vehicle, the part we may refer to as "the towing package"....the hitch bolted to or welded to the vehicle frame. Yes, this incident was a failure of the insertable hitch portion what many call the "stinger".
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If the hitch that is attached to the frame fails you have bigger problems. Other parts in the chain are more likely to fail first.
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One of the cool jobs that I had in the military was as a tracked and wheeled vehicle recovery specialist, that is fancy military talk for a tow truck driver. One of the biggest factors that stuck folks forget to consider when trying to get unstuck from situations is what the Army called the "Mire Factor" or the resistance weight of what you are stuck in. Mud stuck around the hubs, causes the loss of friction and the weight of the mud that you now have to pull thru. The higher up the hub, the higher up the factor. They also taught us to never hook up and drive the stuck truck out of the mud, use the power of the recovery vehicle to slowly dislodge the stuck unit. Use the proper snatch, block and tackle to properly rig up and always get the hell away from the vehicles. The snap factor was a quick math equation that states that if you got 25 feet of line out, you need to be 50 feet away just in case it snap and flies at you.
When it comes to vehicle recovery here are some rules:
1. Put down the beer, this is serious stuff.
2. Clear out the danger area, only people that need to be in the danger zone, be in the danger zone.
3. Take is slow, don't rush, unless the Taliban or Zombies are coming over the ridge.
4. Clear our the danger area again, nobody needs in the danger area once everything is hooked up.
5. Use the right equipment for the job, a Ford F150 is not going to be able to tow a Jeep out of the mud if it is buried up to it hood. Unless you use blocks, tackle and pulleys to overcome the resistance.
6. Know how to use the equipment that you have for the job, if you don't know how to use it, don't use it. A tow ball is NOT recovery equipment!
7. Know what your recovery vehicle is capable of, a Subaru Outback is not getting a Ram 2500 out of a puddle, yet alone a muddy ditch, safely.
8. Take a class, just google search: off road vehicle recover courses. NOTE: Classes are NOT Bubba Joke doing it in his back yard on You Tube. Take an actual class online!
9. Be smart about what you are trying to do, don't force it.
10. Winches save lives!
Ok, enough on my soap box, I will step down. The loss of life in these situations is always so sad and scary. I feel for his widow and family and pray that my wife never gets a call about an accident like this.
Be safe, be strong and have fun on the trails friends.
When it comes to vehicle recovery here are some rules:
1. Put down the beer, this is serious stuff.
2. Clear out the danger area, only people that need to be in the danger zone, be in the danger zone.
3. Take is slow, don't rush, unless the Taliban or Zombies are coming over the ridge.
4. Clear our the danger area again, nobody needs in the danger area once everything is hooked up.
5. Use the right equipment for the job, a Ford F150 is not going to be able to tow a Jeep out of the mud if it is buried up to it hood. Unless you use blocks, tackle and pulleys to overcome the resistance.
6. Know how to use the equipment that you have for the job, if you don't know how to use it, don't use it. A tow ball is NOT recovery equipment!
7. Know what your recovery vehicle is capable of, a Subaru Outback is not getting a Ram 2500 out of a puddle, yet alone a muddy ditch, safely.
8. Take a class, just google search: off road vehicle recover courses. NOTE: Classes are NOT Bubba Joke doing it in his back yard on You Tube. Take an actual class online!
9. Be smart about what you are trying to do, don't force it.
10. Winches save lives!
Ok, enough on my soap box, I will step down. The loss of life in these situations is always so sad and scary. I feel for his widow and family and pray that my wife never gets a call about an accident like this.
Be safe, be strong and have fun on the trails friends.
Any tips on how you tell the quality of another vehicle's snatch points? I understand many will have loads clearly marked but not sure that's the case for all.
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One thing not covered is snatching vs static pulls. The short time it takes to apply a force, the higher that force in foot-lbs / second. If you use a cable, chain, or static cord, and hit it at high speed, you will exceed breaking points of even stuff he covered. Only use a snatch strap to 'snatch'.
Grew up with our farm and clearing trees. Cables snap with abandon. That is why we always used the come-a-long.
Grew up with our farm and clearing trees. Cables snap with abandon. That is why we always used the come-a-long.
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Anyone know where this "safety course" can be taken?
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I mentioned Legacy Offroad earlier. They offer regular classes located in Utah.
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Thanks this is a good recommendation. It is something that I know next to nothing about and want to be prepared if I get stuck and some “hold my beer” jackass offers to help. We got a very brief intro to recovery at the off-rodeo in Moab and as much as I’d like to go back to Moab for more training it’s a bit far for me. Does anyone know of a good training opportunity on the east coast?
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