Towbar as a recovery point

G'day DrewT,

"Can't see any difference between that and these aftermarket things - what am I missing?"
If I read you correctly, it sounds like they may be referring to hitch receivers which can be a hollow or solid billet of steel inserted into the bar (in place of the tow hitch) and they have an eye through which a suitable shackle is passed. One difference between using this and just putting a shackle in the threaded hole you have removed the towball from, I believe, is that you run the risk of elongating the hole and damaging the thread. After recovery using the hitch receiver you just remove it and reinstall the tow tongue. Anyway, one day you might not have a choice. Using the pin also risks bending it and then you possibly will not be able to get it out, leaving you with a bit of difficulty hitching your ct etc up again.

what springs to my mind anyway.

Nothing just saving a few dollars. I would and do carry a spare hardened pin to replace the tow hitch one though, and put this through the eye of the strap.

probably not much. With all that duty of care I guess you have to be pretty carefull with what you print. They also claim that the loops that are bolted to the chasis welded with reinforcing metal and welded some more on cruisers are only tie down points and not suitable for recovery - be alot of cruisers left out in the bush if that was the case. Guess it takes a bit of comon sense as to how much force will be needed to free tyhe vehicle as to how robust the recovery point needs to be. I have used a snatch strap on a comodore using the steering rods(seriosly it had absalutly nothing else) coz it wasnt vey bogged and I took it real easy (no snatching)

thanks for the replies. i also noted in a previous post last year (13477) that there was discussion on this. seems that the only negative given for using the hole in the towbar tongue was that some tongues were made up of right-angle welded pieces and therefore perhaps not as strong as simply putting the strap directly into the towbar hitch & using the pin (which by the way doesn't give you a great recovery point for directly attaching a winch cable with shackle)

anyway my Prado towbar tongue is a single piece of metal (no welds) & i reckon thats what i'll use!!

Its also probably to do with the fact not a lot of people either carry a big enough shifter, or spanner to undo the towball. It then also requires a shackle to be used , which is something everyone tries to avoid.

I have used the pin a number of times with no problems , and will continue to do so.

Come on Drew - your problem is that your using your logic and common sense to save money - which is not what the 4x4 accessory mobs want you doing. Better off heading staright to TJM or the like and buying some overpriced thingymajig that they will say is the only safe or legal way to do it - BULLSH*T. Save the dollars champ.

Cheers,
Hughesy

A lot of older forby's have old style tow bars that are not the "reece" type receiver,(the tongue is bolted to the towbar, which is round tube steel) and snatching from these is not advisable, I think this is why 4WD Monthly aren't giving people the wrong idea to remove the tow ball and use a shackle in the hole.

If you did a snatch recovery using the pin from the hitch receiver, and you bend the pin, you have done something very wrong!!! Apart from not being able to hook up a trailer again, you have probably subjected every item used in the recovery to far more stress and strain than they were designed for. I would say it would take an awesome amount of force to bend the pin. (IMHO)

Cheers,

Muzz

I've done heaps of recoverys using my pin. I have two pins one is just your standard clip type and one is a key lockable one that I leave in with the tounge on round town and when I go bush I take the tounge out and put the cheapie pin in (in case it bends, how the hell I'd do that who knows).

I've even recovered a V6 Pajero from the bottom of a sand dune when it had no power of it's own (blown clutch) and towed him through sand tracks back to the tar with my pin, there were some pretty bloody heafty snatchs to get him over the first hill and upon inspection after each failed snatch there were no visible signs of any wear or damage

The hook on the tongue that is shown in that article has been around for yonks!!! Several people here have them, including me. A great idea, alternative to using bow shackles and no risk of bending the pin. OK to have a spare pin... but how the heck are you going to get the old pin out when it's bent???? And how will you look with 9 metres of snatch strap trailing behind your truck???
The one I don't agree with is the new heavier duty loop for the rear of Patrols.... those loops under the barn doors are not designed for snatching... the only thing holding any of that together is the bolt threads!!!!! I actually removed the loop from my truck so it can't be used.

that hook under the rear door on a patrol is rated only as a flat ground towing point, or something like that which covers nissan in the event of anything going wrong i.e. you were towing up a 1 degree slope hill with the hook, so not nissans fault that something went wrong. i also have removed the hook from my maverick and only snatch from the tow pin at the rear and have installed a proper hook to my bullbar at the front and removed the hook under the drivers side front.

I am told that this towing point is only rated for 500kg strain by nissan