Air brakes for snatch recovery

Hi Jeremy,

I haven't in the past (done a few recoveries) but a few years ago at a mud bash witnessed an attempted recovery where the tow hook on the bogged vehicle broke and catapulted trought the rear window of the recovery vehicle (range rover). No one got hurt fortunately but it made an awful mess of the range rover. So I will be using something to stop that from happening in the future.

Kind regards

A corn sack held in place with a piece of fencing wire.

I've seen assorted items just draped over the strap but they usually flick as soon as the strap tightens.

Cheers

A warning from the past! Remember hearing of a Landie which was snatching out a G60 ute when the whole towbar & possibly part of the Landy chassis disappeared just over the cab of the startled driver of the G60.
No doubt due to the thin guage chassis & a bit of rust but could have been deadly.
Some sort of a damper probably could have lowered the trajectory but may have been disastrous.

Thanks for your replies guys.

Roscoe, I take your point about losing them when the strap tightens. The Australian National 4wd Council require the use of them as per their competency certification, they actually suggest "a blanket or similar." I imagine this, if it stayed on, would absorb a good deal of the energy.

Commercially, I am only aware of ARBs product, which is actually specified as a "winch cable damper." I do know someone who has (come up with) one that uses sand weights secured to the strap by thick, heavy velcro. Stays on alright during recovery, how would it perform if the strap broke, would the strap whip out of it? Would the sandbags become a danger? ARB claim that their design (wrt winching) "will absorb most of the energy stored in the wire rope, thereby significantly reducing the recoil."

I am aware of an undamped snatch strap that snapped during recovery, causing damage to the recovering vehicle, but nothing too serious. I don't think manufacturers place a recommendation on their snatch strap products to use an air brake. Anyway, it appears that the ANFWDC require they be used, their suggestion of a blanket should not pose a threat if the strap broke.

Geez IanMc, your story sounds like spare jox time!

Jeremy.

Bushfix,

A lot of variables with snatching. Personally if it is only a tow I wouldn't bother but in a snatch situation or even a heavy pull I would use something weighted. The 4Wd training now suggests a drag chain because of the weight strategically ( read with proper training) be attached. This method certainly appears safe but training is critical. whatever is used it should be heavy and attached securely to stop the strap just pulling through.
Before the doubters come through I suggest you look first hand at the force built up in a strap and talk to the 4WD Council training unit in your state.

HI Jeremy,
One of the things I use for an air brake is.
A potato bag with a hole cut in the bottom corner (large enough to pass the snatch strap or cable through) then thread the strap/cable through the inside of the bag. This stops the bag from falling off. I have sewn the open end of the bag half up to help. If the snatch/winching is going to be a heavy one then I suggest that the bag can be wet if water is available. When the recovery is complete place the strap etc in the bag and if grubby put the lot in a large plastic bag, then clean later at your earliest convienence.
This is a relatively cheap air brake.

If the "brake is not heavy and tight on the strap then it isn't going to do anything to reduce the speed of the broken strap. The idea of the weight is to keep the strap as low to the ground as poss if it breaks. If everyone saw a strap break and the force exerted then a lot would change the way things are done. remember safety should be the first priority.

At teh ASdeladie 4wd show there was a demo of a snatch recovery using a drag chain as a damper. as outnabout Dave said, sone properly this looks like a great idea. In the wrong hands a drag chain could be lethal.

Having seen quite a few straps break over the years and also the damage from several where the strap or something it was attached to had broken it isn't a pretty sight.
Personally I think lots of snatching is done incorrectly, you would be better to winch, it is not all that hard to generate enough force to break or severely damage a strap which then lets go the next time it is used.
A sack, blanket or towel tied or clamped to the strap will be effective.
Chains are much safer, if and when they break they fall in a heap on the ground due to the flexibilty and the forces on each link cancelling each other out.