Snatch Strap and Shackles

Hi Howard,

If the Pathfinder hooked his strap over a towball then that is a no no as these can shear off. Vehicles should have proper recovery points fitted front and rear and these are the best places to secure to. I know not everyone agrees with this next bit but as an additional anchor point I have a Hayman Reese towbar on my Hilux and I pass one end of my strap into the box sextion and secure it with the locking pin that comes with these type bars.

All shackles that are used should be rated to be up to the job and generally these will either be a D or a bow shackle.

If your vehicle doesn't have recovery points do not fall into the trap of using factory fitted tie down points which a lot of cars have for restraining them while they are being freighted around the place. These are not strong enough for snatching. Most reputable 4x4 places can advise and fit recovery points if your car doesn't have them.

As far as technique goes we attach the strap to both vehicles and allow for approximately one metre in a half loop to be the slack between the two cars. Remove all twists out of the strap and keep all bystanders out of harms way. Establish signals between both drivers for what and when you are going to do it and select the correct four wheel drive gear for the situation. If you have radio comms then that is even better. Get both cars running and at the agreed signal the towing car drives off at a comfortable rate while the bogged car also tries to drive out. Hopefully if the snatch is a good one then you should be out around now. For the towing vehicle it is important not to drive off like a bull at a gate as this can put a lot of undue stress on cars and snatching components and is generally not necesary.

Once out and on firm ground unhook everything, clean it up and pack it away properly. If your strap got wet it needs to be fully dried ASAP so it doesn't deteriorate. While being snatched try not to drive over the strap if possible.

This is by no means a comprehensive guide on snatching but just some bits of information from my experience and courses I have done. Others here may add to this but it is a bit of a guide for you.

Have a good one.

Its ok to use a shackle as long as its a rated shackle that will cover the forces generated by the snatch strap. The shackle can be secured to the tow vehicle through the hole where the tow ball goes.

The other and more prefered method is remove the tow hitdh and use the pin to retain the eye of the strap in the receiver hole left by the tow hitch. I have used this method often and never bent a pin.

Shackles are an accepted method of attaching a snatch strap to a vehicle - so long as the correct shackle is used. The shackle MUST be rated and have a minimum rating of 3 1/2 ton. Such a shackle will not break if a normal 8 ton snatch strap is used (in fact tests have revealed these shackles break at sometimg like 20+ ton). The rating is cast on the side of the shackle.

NEVER join snatch straps with shackles as if the strap breaks, guess where the shackle goes - seen the results of this happening with a shackle. There is a special method for joining straps which means they can be got apart and do not involve a shackle.

NEVER loop a snatch strap over a towball, they break off but it is OK to use a shackle through the tow ball hole - if the towbar is held on with high tensile bolts.

As for your truck, see a 4WD club, 4WD accessory dealer or 4WD trainer and they will see what you have got in the way of recovery hooks on your vehicle, etc and if they are Ok or need to be upgraded.

Tie down points on vehicles are to be treated with care and are really OK only for towing but with an equaliser strap and 2 tie down points used are better than nothing for light snatching in an emergency so long as everyone is aware that things may break and fly through the air so everyone watching is to well out of any potential flight path. This also applies for ALL snatching and winching operations. Remember that winching also places similar strains on recovery points and I have seen a rated hook straightened out during a winching operation - scary.

Your best bet if you have not had much recovery experience is join a club or get some 4WD training with an accredited instructor.

Stevesub

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Howard, You have been given the absolute right advice above. If anyone trys to convince you that they have always used some loop under their truck for years and it's ok - don't listen to them. They are tie down points for trucking or shipping a vehicle and must not be used for recovery.

It is ok to use a shackle if it is rated and attached to a secure point on a vehicle but never use it in for joining straps.

I would be very wary of Izuzu recovery hooks as I have seen them tear their welds.

Never weld a recovery hook onto a vehicle, always use the correct bolts and torque ratings.

Always used forged, not cast recovery hooks. Forged hooks when overloaded will straighten out. Cast hooks will snap and a dangerous missile will fly perhaps in your direction.

Howard. It is alwas better to uuse bow shackles as size for size bow shackles have a higher rating than D shackles.
Ray

If you need to join 2 straps together I use a rolled up news paper,pass one end of the strap through the joining strap,then with the end you just put through push the same strap through that loop and put your rolled up news paper between the two, that way you will not have a flying missile ready to kill some one if one of the straps happen to break and also once your out of the bog you will be able to easily get the two straps apart, when I use a strap I always stick a dampner over the strap (about mid way) same as they do (or you should do) over the cable of a winch this way if one of the shackles let go it will also keep the strap down wards even an old jumper will do the same thing takes 10 seconds extra but could save yourself or any body from injury or even death, I have seen a cargo barrier with the metal, like concrete reo with a hole in it from a shackle letting go if not for that barrier the bloke would be dead as it came through directly behind his head. Just how I do things, hope I'm myself doing it right so I dont mislead you but I'm sure some one will correct me if Im wrong. Have fun and play it safe Regards Steve M

I have two hefty looking loops under my LC100 at the front. Are these tie down points or recovery points. Sorry for the thread hi-jack.