Recovery Gear. How much do I really need?

Iam planning to do the OTL, so I will need some gear does anyone have any ideas on a budjet approach to rocovery gear?

We usually travel alone as well
I know the purists will Bag me for this But it works for us.

I usaually carry Snach strap and 2large and 3 small rated shackles.
A length of chain with shortning hooks.See the local chain person. they are a bit cheaper.
2 length of steel wire cable 10 m.
shovel, axe

also a 4 ton pull along
This we got from repco cost about 80 dollars.
IT has pulled us out a number of times. It is a bit harder to use than others but for the cost and weight is good.

ALso I have a high lift jack But with new cars probably a no no
So get a 4 ton hydraulic jack and a timber base plate.

An air pump and some patches are also necessary
We use one from super cheap and it works well.
Prior to this had a $20 cheepy which although slow stilled worked.

Most of this i have gathered in time Started with nothing and as things were on special got them
Alot of equipment is available from auto wharehouses alot cheaper than 4wd shops. The quality is still ok for 1/2 the price you get 80-90% of the use.

Thanks but please elobarate

There is a sometimes hairy crossing on the otl which can require a deep breath.... It is made by logs going across which may have to be adjusted a little before you cross sometimes........

As Melissa said PLUS rags!!! and a winch blanket...

Remember if your on your own, you want to be able to get out on your own, nobody may come past for days, and if your out of radio range... Well.......

Id throw a car mounted winch on that too.... But thats not really min, its a must!

A car mounted winch, a MUST??? We've never had one and never needed one. Sure the hand winch is hard work but it gets used so rarely it's impossible for us to justify the cost of a car mounted one. Bottom line is if you get stuck and a snatch from another vehicle is not available, jacking/digging and packing under the wheels doesn't help, a hand winch will get you out of trouble just as surely as a power winch, albiet with a lot more effort.

There's been a lot said about just how difficult hand winches are to operate...yes, they do require a lot of effort but used correctly and with the aid of a snatch block (or two), they are quite manageable. Having said that, someone with your injuries Truckster or similiar or an elderley person may have trouble with the physical aspect of operating a hand winch and might be well advised to look at a car mounted winch.

As far as Cape York, you definitely don't need to go to the expense of a car mounted winch or in fact, any winch at all.

:o) Melissa

Melissa, I agree about not needing the car mounted winch but beg to differ about having no winch at all up the Cape. We ended up needing to use a hand winch (only once) up the Cape to get a vehicle up and out of a very boggy exit on the last creek on the OTL before the Jardine after about a dozen unsuccessful tries. There were two vehicles but snatching wasn't an option. I would recommend carrying a hand winch to be self-recoverable, particularly if travelling alone. Then again, there's probably so much traffic up there these days, just pack an extra tea bag (lighter than a hand winch) and someone else will come along before you've finished your cuppa.

MikeyS

Hi Mikey,

Only time any of group used a winch on the Cape was when one party attempted a crossing of the Jardine R at the old OLT crossing (a fruitless exercise from north or south BTW). I recall that we also saw some people using a winch at Gunshot but of course, this has now been graded and is not the challenge it once was.

I'd be confident that with the amount of traffic, you'd get a snatch or some other form of assistance before long, BUT only if sticking to the main tracks.

Totally agree with your comment about self-recovery...this is exactly why we carry a hand winch.

In the end, it comes down to personal choice and of course your budget. If you can afford a winch and you plan on doing more solo travel, buy one. If you can't, you should still feel confident tackling the Cape without.

:o) Melissa

And the crocs on the Jardine were probably thinking to themselves, do I wait until that person tugging on the winch handle has nicely tenderized themselves through all that effort, or is the wincher probably going to be the toughest, sinewy unappetising meal and not worth bothering with.

When you ahve spent 4 hours on the end of a Turfor in 45 degree heat, you will know why a elec winch is a must...

If you're going on the one trip and not likely to do another one for a few years it's not worth the $1800 - $2000 or whatever for an electric winch. The wife would appreciate the money spent on a flash resort. I've got one and the only real time i've had to use it is in bogholes on weekend warrior tagalong trips. Truckster's got a good point, you work at it bloody hard sometimes (handwinch) but it's a good option to start out with especially if you only intend to do 10% 4WDing a year.

Having a hand winch is better - it encourages you to be more careful. After all it costs you something to get the car out..... a bit of sweat.

Using the had winch makes it a lesson you wont want to repeat.

Not so with the electric just hook up the cable, get back in your comfy chair and press the button!


Seriously I reckon if you're going by yourself you should have some way of getting out of any scenario and a second hand tirfor/tuff pull $200-300 isn't too much expense for a trip like this. You can always sell it when you get back home if you don't think you will need it again.

Willem,

Did you ever see "Northern Safari" about Keith Adam's epic crossing from Perth to the Gulf of Carpenteria in a Buick, back in the '50's? The guy was crazy but he lived to tell the tale. Anyway, he bottomed out in the middle of a river crossing in a very isolated spot with no hope of help. He had a wire fishing cable but no winch so he lay a log across the creek exit and wired another to it at a 90 degree angle, then wrapped one end of the cable around the log with the other end attached to the car. Then he proceeded to winch the car free by heaving on the cross-piece, thus winding the cable around the log. Anyway, took him hours and super-human effort but it got him out of serious trouble.

:o) Melissa

Hello Melissa, No did not see that one. There was a bloke going around the north about 15 years ago showing movies of his exploits ascross Aus in a Landrover. He winched the Landy up through a creek successfully with the old capstan winch and then proceeded to undo everthing forgetting to chock the wheels(as he was on a slope). The Landy ran back into the creek and he had to start again. Its a bit like that clip from the movie "The Gods must be Crazy" where the Landy gets winched up a tree!!
As you mention, recovery gear is important depending on where you are travelling. I had an ultimate bog on an exploratory trip in the NT where the Tojo settled on its belly in some ooze in a creekbed. Took two 8500lb Highmount Warns and a Ramsay PTO in unison all with snatchblocks to extricate the vehicle. Job took two hours. If we had not had the gear we might still have been there :-) Being an earlier model of homo sapiens I will stick with my electric winch as I do not have the energy for a Tirfor or such.
Cheers,W

In toy world to match the toy car.

After looking at //www.geocities.com/watercrossing/adamrescue04.jpg
I know it's the only recovery gear needed for an explorer!

My Viagra woulda got thru there with the fron two wheels taken off......

Little Suzi who needs Viagra,, good to see that on your " I,m a big tough tonka truck and only need a box of matches " web site you had a real truck to help you out,as in the hum vee.

Actually last night with the QLD Suzuki club I had to tow a diesel Hilux that had blown it's motor up through the last few kilometres.

What was that Hilux - unbreakable? Hahahahaha.

Suzuki Power all the way!!!!!!!!!!

Ohh actually I did break something - One of the rubbers on my new back shockies is chewed up and I'll need to replace it......