Snatch Straps (correct use?)

IMO, leave about 2m of slack and then move off at about a fast walk. If that doesn't work try a shovel.

Ian,

The best advice I got was the form of the Z with each part about 1m (3m of slack) and a steady constant pull in 2nd low. Worked for me everytime i have used it.
Important to make sure the anchor points are sound as there has been some unfortunate deaths by D shackles breaking and coming thru the front window. No problems with good gear though.

Regards Will

Looking at the threads above you can see the "experienced" members..

This is one of the better demos on how to perform a snatch recovery



No need to go at it like a bull in a china shop.

Stop, look and think.....

Training is a great option, if you are a 4x4 Club members they should have training to help, if not then training by a a 4WD organisation is worthwhile.

In WA someone like Eureka4wd can help.

You never snatch unless you have to - lots of energy stored in a snatch strap. For the majority of recoveries, a few minutes of shovel work will turn a snatch into a tow, which carries less risk.

With snatching, it's the broken recovery points and shackles that cost lives.

Your recovery points need to be the strongest part. They have to be stronger than the strap. This is where the debate starts!! In the past, we all had 10,000lb rated recovery hooks bolted directly to the chassis with high tensile 12mm bolts. No shackle required. And if you pulled too hard, you might straighten the hook, but you wouldn't have a lethal missile.

These days, most vehicles come with closed tow loops, which by themselves, are unsuitable for snatch recovery and require the use of a shackle - potentially a missile. You can fit very strong aftermarket recovery points, but they are often stronger than the chassis they are attached to and can rip out in a heavy snatching situation. They also need a shackle. There is no perfect solution..... but you can make snatching safe by following some general rules.

First preference is to pull at low speed.
Shovel work will help.
Keep all onlookers at least 15 metres clear of the recovery (for a 9M strap), and not in line with the snatch. I think its best to coordinate via UHF radio.
If you have a choice, try to have the vehicles rear to rear - if anything breaks, the driver is better protected. At least have the recovering vehicle facing forward.
If attaching a strap to the front of a vehicle, use an equaliser strap. This is a 3-4 metre strap or tree trunk protector that attaches to two chassis mounted recovery points, and the loop of the snatch strap passes through it. It halves the load on each recovery point and if the worse were to happen and one point breaks, then it will be retained by the opposite point and not become a missile.

For the rear recovery point a square hitch is most commonly used because it shares the load across the rear chassis, and history has shown that if installed correctly with HT bolts, the hitch doesn't become a missile. My preference is to simply place the hitch pin through the loop of the strap. With really hard snatch you might bend a pin, but you won't shear it. The alternative hitch receiver and 4.75Tshackle will be kinder to the pin, but add too much metal for my liking. Never use a towball, as a recent death will attest.

The pulling bit is easy (too easy sometimes)! Call it over the radio. I prefer the vehicles to be in the same low gear. The strap should have about 2 metres of slack - the extra strap should be in view of the bogged driver, so they can time their thottle. And its always better to have a couple of unsuccessful tugs and build it up than to go like a bull at a gate.

And don't bother with airbrakes of other devices for restraining broken straps ot recovery points - they are almost impossible to make work.

And for vehicles that are badly stuck, a winch with snatch block may be the safest option.

Disclaimer: All of the blurb above is my opinion based on personal experience, time as a club trainer and assessor and learning from the mistakes of others. Feel free to agree or disagree - thats fine as long as you explain.

Cheers
phil

Hi Ian
There have been some very good reply's above. Firstly from my experience, it should never be performed by any person that has never been shown the correct procedures in snatching, as it can be very dangerous. People do die every year and it is not a myth. Just a few months ago up north (I think in the Kimberly region) a service club was holding a money raiser, and a four wheel drive became bogged. It was very clear from the details, that neither party in the snatch knew what they were doing, resulting in a bull bar being ripped from the bogged vehicle, killing the drivers 15 yo daughter that was watching the recovery from the side of the track, as reported her on the forum.

These days there are far safer and better ways of retrieving a bogged vehicle with very good results. Enter the 100% Australian made and tested MaxTrax.

During our many desert ventures, we have used a snatch strap correctly many times with only one problem, you need another vehicle to snatch you. On one of my solo ventures near Lake Torrens, we became bogged in some very soft sand. Unlike the video clip above, the moment that I lost traction, I stopped the vehicle, as it is pointless to dig yourself in any further. Making sure my front wheels where straight and selecting reverse, I was slowly able to reverse out. I was lucky that time, but soon became bogged again shortly after.

This time reverse did not work and stopped immediately, as the last thing that I wanted was to bury my vehicle 15 kilometres away from the homestead. The first thing was out with the shovel, clearing all sand from the wheels and the area behind my vehicle, as it was better to go backwards than forwards. Next, to drop my tyre pressure right down and with luck on my side, was able to drive out, thank goodness. This happened again, and I was able to drive out safely. The question here was, here I was, a long way from help, all the recovery gear in my vehicle to get me out, but no other vehicle to snatch me out.

First thing on Monday morning, it was on the phone and ordered a set of MaxTrax. They work very simple and the most important thing is you do not need another vehicle and are safe to use. I still carry snatch straps, but will only resort to using it if all else fails.

As they say, take the easy way out.

Cheers

Stephen

Ian

I have read the posts and watched the video and can't help wondering why snatching is done much at all now.

In sand sometimes just dropping the tyre pressures will be enough to get moving, if they have not been dropped already. As others have said the shovel should be used first and not last. Shovels are really good at moving sand! Sounds silly but in a recent trip I was starting to wonder if people knew what a shovel was or how to use it. Basics are overlooked these days.

Is there another safer recovery option? Given that a snatch will place at least one more vehicle and driver at some risk (hopefully only very slight risk), a self recovery approach may be preferable. Also there should be some satisfaction in being able to say. "I got myself out of that mess".

I have done a few posts on my opinion of Maxtrax and that I think they should be tried before any snatching attempt is made in sand. My experience is limited to sand, even so, I have recovered a vehicle that looked a lot more bogged than the one in the video by using shovels and Maxtrax. It did take 4 Maxtrax and a bit of digging. So I would advocate including a set in your recovery gear. They are easy to use.

Disclaimer I have no connection with Maxtrax. Only a customer.

Ian,
IMHO the best advice is to join a 4X4 Club (that has a Driver Awareness Program) and/or do an accredited training course. There is good advice in the replies above, but nothing beats real time training/experience.

My only gripe with most of the above (and remember this is only my opinion) is about dampeners. The commercial dampeners available are mostly for winch use, and are not expected to take the shock of a snatch recovery. I have seen many of these dampeners used on snatch straps only to become a rocket as they part company with strap as soon as the load is applied. Personally, I have my strap kept in an old beach towel, and I knot that towel around the strap. Makes for a secure dampener that won't come off, and is both heavy enough to drop the strap if it breaks and light enough to not be a physical menace if it was to hit someone.

The other thing is keeping spectators away, I was taught one-and-a-half times the length of the strap, so 13.5m for a 9m strap, and if more than one strap are joined together, then one-and-a-half times each strap..... so 25m for 2 etc etc. There is also the issue of joining straps.... This could go on and on couldn't it? Which is exactly why it's best to do some formal training.... there is a lot that can go wrong, people have been injured/maimed/killed from the incorrect use of recovery gear.

This link HERE provides information about clubs in WA.

Cheers

Brian

Ian

In all my years of travelling I have never owned a snatch strap. I have always relied on my winch, shovel or extremely low tyre pressures to get me out of trouble. On a number of occasions the winch was ineffective and other measures had to be brought to the fore.


Waaay back before the advent of snatch straps I was able to lay my hands on a knotted snatch rope which was surplus from defence force supply. One day out on the mud plains me mate got his HJ45 bogged. I used the rope to pull him out the 'wrong' way with a Suzuki ute. Took a few kinetic hard snatches to get him out too :-) For a moment I thought I had stretched the Suzuki..lol Didn't have rated bow shackles in those days either, only U bolts. I have seen a number of accidents happen on club trips with snatch straps and luckily no one was injured, but those were the early days. I think that most people are learning to take care with these things. Its all a learning curve.

A couple of years ago I went to rescue a vehicle bogged near Lake Torrens SA. On the day my winch failed due to a mechanical problem. We connected 80 metres of snatch rope, cable and chains together and without even so much as a tug I was able to pull the vehicle free using the kinetic enegery of all of the devices hooked together.

This year on the CSR we used three snatch straps to get me over one dune. It worked well without the use of force. There was an alternative way around the dune but the snatch straps worked well then. I am still not convinced however to acquire a snatch strap. Maybe my needs will change in the future however :-)

Cheers

A lot of people need to learn how not to get bogged.
It never fails to amaze me when I come across idiots axle deep in sand that my old 75 series rolls over with 18psi in the tyres.
Its nearly always someone in a late model 4wd that thinks power is all you need offroad.

Slow and easy, like most of the above have said ..
.... BUT before you use the strap as a snatch, try using it as a simple tow rope, most times you won't even need to stretch the strap.
If you do need to "snatch" the bogged vehicle, always check that the straps' safety threads are intact. If they are broken, don't ever use that strap as a snatch again, keep it for use soley as a tow rope.

Seen a few instances where people DONT use a dampener while snatching but will while winching...