Recovery Points on a 2005 Troopie

Submitted: Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005 at 21:26
ThreadID: 22207 Views:2600 Replies:7 FollowUps:6
This Thread has been Archived
Hi to all,
I have a few queries regarding recovery points on a 2005 Troopie. Hope the experienced ones amongst you can help.

Is the receiver pin on a Hayman Reese towbar, and the associated connections to the chassis, a suitable "recovery point" for attaching a winch extension strap/snatch strap? I guess the strap needs to be not bigger than 50mm, otherwise it wont fit into the hitch receiver. In this case, do I need one of the proprietary gadgets that incorporates a hook, and slots into the hitch receiver?

Are the two "recovery points"(??) provided stock standard by Toyota at the front, appropriate for recovery?? I have seen an earlier post about these points on maybe an 80 series, which seemed to be vague on the testing details, questioned the attachment to the chassis and really didn't offer a definitive answer.

If these two points are unsatisfactory, what are the possible solutions for the front.

Thanks guys.
Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005 at 22:20

Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005 at 22:20
in short no worries for either end - their will be those that will moan not rated etc etc but the bottom line is i have used the front tie down points and rear tow bar bar for recovery of the camper you see in the rig pics which would put far more strain on than your troopy so to those that say theyare not up to it I say bah humbug
AnswerID: 107461

Follow Up By: Member - John - Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 00:26

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 00:26
Davoe, not sure about the camper, can't find it on your rig pics, but if you where snatching it using the front tie down points, you are in for a rude shock one day when they let go.
John and Jan

Lifetime Member
My Profile  Send Message

0
FollowupID: 364372

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 14:19

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 14:19
youll be the first I call when they do - but dont hang around waiting for the call it could be a while.........................................
0
FollowupID: 364421

Reply By: Rod W - Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 09:13

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 09:13
Like Davo I use the two front supposedly tie-down points when I really have too, I utilise both with a bridle. I've looked at the front, long and hard for a possible alternative method of attaching a connection to the chassis. I someone can come up with front recovery points that attach to the chassis on both sides of the 75 etc series, then I reckon they'll make a squwillion quid.
AnswerID: 107502

Reply By: The Rambler - Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 11:27

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 11:27
I agree with Davoe as I have a 2001 Troopy and have used the so called tie down points for recovery with no problems.Ithink you will find that these points on the Troopy are far more substantial than most of the others I have seen on other vehicles.
AnswerID: 107521

Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 13:45

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 13:45
The rear hitch is fine. Just use the pin. Thats what we universally teach in our state.

The front has 4 possible points - two are tie downs (just a hole in the steel section), two are the wire towing points.

The wire tow points that are visible from the front are OK for snatching and like Rod, I use a bridle to add an additional degree of safety. Those points are secured with 3 high tensile bolts, the leading bolt actually passing through the flattened end of the wire. It is heaps stronger than the wire tow points you'll see on other LandCruisers.

Cheers
Phil
AnswerID: 107537

Follow Up By: BenSpoon - Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 18:28

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 18:28
Completely agree.

With using the pin, just watch for any fraying from the strap rubbing on square edges of the hitch and dont snatch using the hitch locks that you can get to stop theft of your towball tongue- the things are meant for locking, not stressing with recoveries- they often bend and dont come back out easily.

I've used the original pin plenty of times for snatching out others with no probs.
0
FollowupID: 364455

Reply By: TurboTroopie - Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 19:36

Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005 at 19:36
Thanks for all your positive comments. It looks as though I dont have too much of a problem.

Rod W and Phil G, you both mention using a "bridle" to use both front recovery points. What do you use as the bridle, and how do you attatch it to the extension /snatch strap?

Thanks again.
AnswerID: 107581

Reply By: bruce.h (WA) - Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 15:19

Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 15:19
hayman Reese do not endorse the use of its hitch for recovery & if you do decide to use this point for recovery not only are you liable for damage to any person or vehicle if somebody is killed you could be held on manslaughter charges.

the safe method is to have proper recovery points fitted front & rear
the life it save may be yours or your family's
AnswerID: 107690

Follow Up By: TurboTroopie - Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 18:20

Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 18:20
G'day bruce.h,

Doesn't sound like a happy result, either which way.

How did you come by this piece of information? Are you a Hayman Reese employee or a lawyer?

Any suggestions as to what might constitute a "proper recovery point"? Which was really the thrust of the original post.

Regards,
Turbo.
0
FollowupID: 364600

Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 19:55

Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 19:55
Bruce,

Just to expand on what you say.

#1 No towbar manufacturer will endorse the use of their towbar for anything except hitching up a trailer or caravan. Why would they?
#2 No vehicle manufacturer will endorse the use of their vehicles for snatch recovery.
#3 No vehicle manufacturer will endorse the use of their "recovery points" or "tow points" for snatch recovery. They won't even tell us the rating of their points.
#4 No matter what we do in 4wding, we are liable for our actions, and to take the next logical step, we'd all stay at home.

The big problem as I see it is the ready availability of snatch straps in the shops and supermarkets with insufficient warnings or literature provided with the product. So anyone can buy one, and hook it up to "whatever they can find" to recover their bogged vehicle.

Naturally if everyone were to do driver training we may not hear about the disasters that are happening, which incidentally are not happening with square hitch towbars.

Cheers
Phil
0
FollowupID: 364610

Follow Up By: bruce.h (WA) - Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 22:26

Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 22:26
i am a 4wd instructor
& have seen in writing from haymanreese the respons to the very question you asked re their hitch & it was firm no,as to the legal side agian have spoken to the powers that be.

i have also seen theese pins fail , as well as the hooks on the front of troupies , they do not fail every time but they do fail
0
FollowupID: 364623

Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 20:32

Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 at 20:32
Turbo,

Just to answer your question above about what does constitute a "proper recovery point"?

Off the top of my head:
#1 It needs to have a load rating stamped on it - pretty much the only ones with this are the hooks with 10,000lbs stamped on the side. But some others are becoming available for problem vehicles like the 100 and 120 series LandCruisers.
#2 The recovery point needs to be mounted directly to the chassis. Attaching hooks to ancillary items like bullbars is often not acceptable because the direction of pull may no longer be straight line to the chassis, the bullbar may not be strong enough and is not designed to take forces in a forward direction (particularly these days with airbag compliance issues).
#3 The bolts which attach it to the chassis need to be high tensile (usually 8.8 or greater) and of sufficient size (usually need two 12mm bolts for the rated hooks)
#4 It should ideally be a hook because you can attach a strap or towrope without needing a shackle.
#5 It should distribute the force to both sides of the chassis

OK, it is very difficult to have the ideal recovery points on any vehicle because of vehicle design issues. Experience over time has shown that the square hitch manufactured towbars are often the best option for a rear recovery point because they are sufficiently strong, distribute the force to both sides of the chassis, are attached to the chassis with usually 8 high tensile bolts, and a strap can be attached without a shackle. A rated hook bolted to the chassis may not be acceptable if it only goes thru the 3mm thick steel (will rip out). The bottom of the chassis rails is usually doubled over, so is the best place for a rated hook to be mounted.

For the front, every vehicle is different. Most have merely tie-down points. Let me reassure you that your 2005 troopie has the strongest loops you'll find on a 4wd for reasons I mentioned above. Downside is that they require a rated shackle.

We now teach the use of a bridle (also called equalisation strap) as the first choice for attaching a snatch strap to a vehicle. A bridle will halve the load on each of the two front recovery points, distribute the force to both sides of the chassis, and should a recovery point break, a "missile" will most likely be retained by the opposite point.

Cheers
Phil
2002 HDJ79R
AnswerID: 107720

Sponsored Links