Any recommendations? Vendors?

I'm looking at the Master-Pull Recovery Kit... Mesa has it for $118.

http://www.mesa4x4.com/parts/master_pull/mp-m3020.html

I've also noticed the set at xterraparts ( http://www.xterraparts.com/Merchant2/mer...t_Code=ARB-REKT )... but I'll still need the hitch attachment.

thoughts?

Do you have a winch or plan to have one?
Then, Patrol III,(which I have) from RecoveryGear.com or similar.


If not, then, MasterPull kit looks good to me...

I don't have a winch. Maybe in a year or two, but for right now, I'm just trying to be a self-sufficient as I can and at least have the tools that I might need.

I'd go for that Patrol 2 then for $121.95...unlike the Masterpull, it includes 2 shackles and a towstrap instead of a rope. A better deal $-wise and a little better equipment.

Looks like a good deal... but as far as I can tell, the "super yanker" isn't just a rope.

If both stretch, what's the real advantage of a strap over a "rope"?

does anybody have the Tow Straps they have at Pep Boys...I think they are from a company named Highlander, they have a 20' with the Loops at end for $25 and they have a 30' strap for $35...they look prety good, but just checking here before getting one...

Not familiar with what Pep Boys is selling, but if you have a 4wheelparts anywhere close by you can get a CanyonCrawler for the same price.....I've had mine for years and it's a likely a whole lot better than anything that can be had at an auto supply store.

I initially purchased a 3"x30' Canyon Crawler strap from 4wheelparts. I think I got to use it once, then, I realized..."okay, 30' is little too long to handle" So, I purchased a 2"x20' strap from Wal-Mart, also. I already used this shorter one for a few times, and it does its job just fine.

This 2"x 20' strap might be the same one from PepBoys...I've looked at it in a store.

I do carry both in my truck.

Just to clarify, there are three different things to pull a vehicle.

"Tow Straps" have low ratings for pulling before they snap, usually 5000-7000 lbs. And sometimse come with metal hooks, which in their cases is ok because they are NOT to ever be used for yanking! They are for towing a disabled vehicle that can still roll, so they rarely pull more than 3000 lbs. Their bennefit is they stretch just enough to absorb the shock of pulling a stopped vehicle into motion from a red light without jarring both vehicles. (Ever tow a vehicle with a chain and you know what "jarring" I'm talking about.)

"Yank Straps" have a rating of 28000-32000 lbs and are used for yanking stuck vehicles. Since they pull with such high force they should never have metal hooks on the end since they can break and become dangerous projectiles. Their bennefit is that depending on their use they can multiply the pulling force of a vehicle long enough to get it unstuck and rolling.

"Chains" are used for pulling vehicles out at a slow speed such as with a winch, come-a-long, or Hi-Lift, or to drag downed trees off the trail. Their bennefit is that they don't stretch at all.

Sounds like most straps in these kits are "Yank Straps".

The Highland strap from pep-boys and wal-mart is a good strap, i have the 2" x 20' strap rated at 20, 000 lbs. Next, i noticed some of those kits came with shackles that fit into a hitch reciever. Those are pointless if you use a 2" wide strap or a rope. Just thread the loop end into the reciever and put the hitch pin throught the loop, same thing is achieved with fewer parts. but, if you have a 3" or wider strap, it probably won't fit into the reciever.

Yeah, I just bought one those Tow Straps from Highland, they look pretty tough, I also bought a Receiver Hitch Tow Hook from Steel Horse, slips right in a 2" reciever...

I'm not sure how much I'd trust your hitch pin for a yanking situation. A tow strap looped over your hitch pin will provide a "point loading" of your hitch pin roughly in the middle of the pin. This makes the pin support the weight by not bending in the middle.

A pin supporting a a 2" receiver and shackle will only be loaded by shear forces right at the point between your hitch and the receiver, this is what these pins are designed for.

Crude ASCII sketch below:

Ignore the periods they are required for spacing.

Point Loading
.|...|...|
.|...V...|
.|-----|-
.|.......|

Pin tries to bend in middle.

Shear Loading
.||......||
.|V.....V|
.|------|-
.|.........|

Pin isn't subjected to any bending.

Variable space text makes it difficult but use your imagination.

Is that corrected? I would think that the 2" strap would give a distributed load across the pen (not a point load). This would mean that it would have shear stress across the pen similar as if it was attached to a receiver.

An evenly distributed load across the pin is equal to the point loading situation.

Also I can't see the tow strap loop providing a perfectly distributed load.

It's been a long time since I've done a moment diagram but I'll see if I can't find something on the 'net.

This is gonna sound stupid but, given 3/8" chain and a winch of some kind. What rating winch do you need to pull a stuck Xterra, say mud, high centered, or something like that? There are many many winches and I know the price you pay gives you better quality but , $700.00 is alot of money. There are two winch types I have seen, one with a 6,000 lbs rolling weight capacity with a 8mm wire cable. and the very pricey 9,000 lbs rolloing weight 9mm wire cable type. They differ in price by hundreds of dollars. There seems to be nothing in between those pull weights either say 7,500lbs. So go ahead and shoot I know I'm gonna get the lechter about more is better, safety blah blah blah, but is there that much difference between a 6,000 lbs and 9,000lbs?



PS I have been using come-a-longs @8,000 pound, 10,000lbs and 16,000lbs ratings they work with alot of muscle, but I don't always feel safe standing next to one.

1.5x your Gross Vehicle Weight for the proper winch otherwise you could be stuck and the winch will just stall out on you.

If you are going to winch, the synthetic lines are also a good idea since they are alot lighter and safer. They store no energy so if it breaks, it drops. If a steel line snaps, you could have a missle coming at you. Alot of people put a blanket over the line but I've heard mixed things on if that really helps.

You could use straps, chain and Hi-lift to get out too- if there's a tree or something around. Use a blanket or something so you don't tear up the bark.

If you have an lower powered winch like 6000 lbs then you can use a snatch block to double the line back on itself. You're 6000 lb winch will become a 12000 pound winch, but it will be a bit slower .

I've heard plenty about the snatch blocks but never seen one in use. Any pics of it in use or the reliability of it?
Is it really a solid alternative to a more powerful winch or a pain in the butt-only once in a while-type thing?

Thanks

Sandman, Mesa 4x4 is run by a guy here in Albuquerque, His name is Jay and he is part of the 4x4 club I am a memeber of.
I have seen the recovery set in person and it is worth every penny. Very heavy duty.
If more of you are interested I'm sure I can set up some kind of group buy or something.

cool, thanks, I just found some more info;

http://www.xtreme-4x4.com/How_to_choose.htm

http://www.4x4now.com/bb0997.htm (hi-lift use)

this is got alot of info; http://www.bb4wa.com/articles/articles.htm

ok this one is the end all of recovery; http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/winchtips/

happy reading.

A good link for some real nice recovery stuff at great prices is www.rockstomper.com

Lots of the hard core guys run their stuff, and it all looks to be very high quality.

this is a good one for snatch block info.

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jonfund.com%2Ftechnical%2Fwinchingtips.shtml

Nice! Thanks great link