Recovery / Tow straps

SchnellRS · **Posted:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 11:19 am

Please forgive me if this is an overly discussed topic. I am looking for a Recovery or Tow strap to add to my emergency kit. I have an OEM one in my Cherokee and now need one for the KJ. Nothing special, I just want to be able to get someone (or myself) out of a snow bank. No metal hooks please, with my luck they would probably go through my windshield. I'd like to buy it on-line, if possible.

So what do you guys recommend? (please attach a link so that I can find your recomendations easier)

Thanks;
Ken

jpzkj · **Posted:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 1:06 pm

http://www.4wheelparts.com/4wp/products/productLine.asp?cat=SUS&prodline=463&catName=Suspension&man=PRO&parentProdline=SusAccPRO&expand=sub7

Easy find /Easy ship

Also remember that the tow ball on your hitch makes a FINE projectile when it snaps off and becomes airborne, much like a cannon ball.

Look into a reciever hook/shackle or use the hitch pin inside your tow hitch to secure the loop (inspect your strap for abrasion if you use the hitch pin method).

Shackle on sale @ http://www.4x4groupbuy.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3371&osCsid=99674f4d4d2bb71997eaf795759c915c

Good deal for the shackle and D-rings

RkyMtnKJ · **Posted:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 6:40 pm

i greabbed a 20 ft. 20,000lb test WITHOUT hooks at just my local 4x4 shop and have only had to use it once, but i always keep it in the rig. I use the hitch pin method.

My tow point is only in the rear as of now, so i came up with an idea of a hitch receiver and just took off the hitch ball and replaced it with a 9,500lb C-clip from a local farm and tractor supply store

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 10:28 pm

Got this on ebay for about $15. Works great and I don't have to swap out the drawbar for recovery.
Use a shackle and not the tow strap with a hook though. (projectile possibility!)

Guest · **Posted:** Sun Nov 06, 2005 12:12 am

2.5" wide strap, looped at each end, $19 (i think) at Lowe's or Home Depot, don't remember which.

Now I just need the tow hooks:P

SD-KJ · **Posted:** Mon Nov 07, 2005 2:04 pm

i just got one from 4wheelparts - 2inch 20,000lb for 19.99 with Free shipping!!!

-nick

Kaiser · **Joined:** Thu Nov 03, 2005 10:40 pm **Posts:** 13

ThunderbirdJunkie wrote:

2.5" wide strap, looped at each end, $19 (i think) at Lowe's or Home Depot, don't remember which.

Now I just need the tow hooks:P

I'd be surprised if Lowes or Home Depot were selling real recovery straps (i.e. I'll bet it is a tow strap instead). Important difference.

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

Do I have this right: tow straps don't stretch as much. Recovery straps are supposed to stretch up to 20%. Yes? No? :?:

KJs2rt · **Posted:** Mon Nov 07, 2005 10:45 pm

Lowes has them I got mine there. They have bith hooks and non hooked made by task force. 12.99. PS Home Depot does not have them

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 9:05 am

I get all mine at Home Depot or Lowes...and I've NEVER broken one, even trying to recover my buddy from going half way over a cliff.

Tightwadsjeeper · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 3:41 pm

I'll probably get flamed for this.... but here's a truly low cost solution.... watch the side of the road.... especially interstates... truckers will frequently discard the heavy duty straps holding down loads, from their trucks whenever the straps finally wear through at one side of the hook-up points.

Usually, these straps will have one end with some sort of metal hookup still attached... just cut it off. I have absolutely no idea what the rating of these straps is, but they're a LOT more heavy duty than your average tow strap (which are typically 20K or 30K rated) that you'll find in a 4WD shop or HomeDepot/Lowes.

I've recovered 3 of these in the last 6-9 months or so, and I'm not usually even looking for them. I've used them a few times and they've performed admirably. The last time I pulled a full size van out of a ditch that he had unintentionally backed down into, and he was STUCK... the entire rear axle was basically just hanging as he was resting on the bottom of the van in front of the back axle..... I just ran one end around my hitch pin, and tied a knot there, then ran the other end through a tow point on the bottom front of the frame, and tied it to itself. I couldn't get the knot at my hitch pin undone afterward, so I just pulled the pin out... now it's "pre-tied" for use next time at that end. If I should need to, I'd just cut it loose though.... who cares if you have to damage it, or throw it out afterward... it was FREE!!!

Luis

ARBSeth · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 4:24 pm

Recovery Straps vs Tow Strap

Don't buy a "Tow" strap!!! Tow straps don't strecth, so when you hit it with force, all it does is yank things around and if you do it enough, something breaks, usually the hook. You should buy a "Recovery Strap". We call them "Snatch" Straps because you want it to elongate under load, giving you a steady winch-like pull when it comes back into shape. It's also important to be sure you're not getting one that's too heavy. For the KJ, anything more than about 17,500 #'s a little too strong. You won't receive maximum benefit from the stretch if you're strap is too heavy.

Our's is way nice and very long. Also the most expensive, but it works so much better than anything you'll get at Lowes or HD...if you're going to 4WP or elsewhere, be sure to check the specs and make sure it isn't much stronger than 20K.

FreedomKJ · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:26 pm

Tightwadsjeeper wrote:

I'll probably get flamed for this.... but here's a truly low cost solution.... watch the side of the road.... especially interstates... truckers will frequently discard the heavy duty straps holding down loads, from their trucks whenever the straps finally wear through at one side of the hook-up points.

Usually, these straps will have one end with some sort of metal hookup still attached... just cut it off. I have absolutely no idea what the rating of these straps is, but they're a LOT more heavy duty than your average tow strap (which are typically 20K or 30K rated) that you'll find in a 4WD shop or HomeDepot/Lowes.

I've recovered 3 of these in the last 6-9 months or so, and I'm not usually even looking for them. I've used them a few times and they've performed admirably. The last time I pulled a full size van out of a ditch that he had unintentionally backed down into, and he was STUCK... the entire rear axle was basically just hanging as he was resting on the bottom of the van in front of the back axle..... I just ran one end around my hitch pin, and tied a knot there, then ran the other end through a tow point on the bottom front of the frame, and tied it to itself. I couldn't get the knot at my hitch pin undone afterward, so I just pulled the pin out... now it's "pre-tied" for use next time at that end. If I should need to, I'd just cut it loose though.... who cares if you have to damage it, or throw it out afterward... it was FREE!!!

Luis

That's a pretty dangerous way to save money! There's a reason those straps have been discarded.

Don't ever skimp on safety equipment. Would you trust your family with seatbelts you pulled out of a wrecked car? This is pretty much the same thing.

Seth: Where can we find a good price on ARB snatch straps?

bighause · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2005 10:27 pm

I picked 2 of those trucker straps at the pawn shop a year ago, they were rated at 20k lbs and the worked pretty well for my XJ, but I loaned them to a guy pulling out a full size bronco on 33's and it broke on the first hard tug.

Spend the money and get a good strap (or two!). If you get a good one it will last a long time and it will still be cheaper than a tow truck if you get stranded. Look for value not just cheap!

Tightwadsjeeper · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:09 pm

FreedomKJ wrote:

That's a pretty dangerous way to save money! There's a reason those straps have been discarded.

Yeah... there's a reason that they've been discarded... its because they eventually wear through where they are looped over one of the METAL BUCKLES that you would want to cut off in the first place.... big deal.

FreedomKJ wrote:

Don't ever skimp on safety equipment. Would you trust your family with seatbelts you pulled out of a wrecked car? This is pretty much the same thing.

Gotta disagree with you on this.... for the following reasons...

1) They don't stretch very much... so as a pull strap or tow strap (NOT for "yanking" like a recovery strap which stretches)... they work fine.
2) They're MUCH more heavy duty (at least, the ones I've found) than your standard "tow strap".
3) If they DID break, they haven't stretched enough to impart any real energy onto anything... I seriously doubt they'd scratch your paint if they broke... and they're so thick, I really think that's extremely unlikely unless you're using them in a manner or for a purpose that you shouldn't be using any strap for in the first place.
4) You can't compare them to a seat belt which gets used EVERY TIME YOU GET IN THE VEHICLE.... this is NOT a "safety device"... it's a TOOL... like a hammer, or a wrench. Besides which (another reason that's not a good analogy), it's almost certain that any seat belt you pulled out of a wrecked vehicle (if it's not been cut or damaged) would be in JUST as effective as it was prior to the wreck.... just like a fuel pump, or steering wheel.

Just because you're doing something that's never been endorsed by an automotive society is no reason to suppose that it's inherently dangerous... just use some common sense.... assuming of course, that you are in possession of any.

Luis

Tightwadsjeeper · **Posted:** Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:15 pm

bighause wrote:

I picked 2 of those trucker straps at the pawn shop a year ago, they were rated at 20k lbs and the worked pretty well for my XJ, but I loaned them to a guy pulling out a full size bronco on 33's and it broke on the first hard tug.

MMMMMMMM... I don't know... I've SEEN and used the 20K straps many times, and the ones I'm talking about are quite a bit heavier.... if they did break, you're not out any money anyway... so you're no worse off than you were before. It's certainly easy to put 20K or more of force on a strap if you're "yanking" on it.... if you're so stuck that you have to get it out that way, you definitely would need a specialized recovery strap... not just a tow strap.

Luis

Bri · **Posted:** Fri Nov 11, 2005 1:14 pm

For $10 to $20 a piece at the local cesspool (er, Wal-Mart) I can't see not having a bright yellow 20 to 30 foot long, 2" wide, 20Klb recovery strap with sewn loops in the ends ready to go.

Hard to beat cheap, effective, and compact all in one package.

Now I need to get recovery hooks mounted on my KJ (my TJ has had them for years, just haven't had an opportunity to put a set on the KJ yet).

crdawg · **Joined:** Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:55 pm **Posts:** 98

the big problem i see with the strap that you find on the side of the road is you wouldn't know if you had a good one or not.the poly materail that most straps are made of detiorates in uv light(sunlight) over a period of time.that why you supposed to store them out of sunlight.those are expose to all kinds of weather too.also when they go over the load they have 4 possible points of contact.on each end where the hooks are and the place that they rub over the top of the load.be ok for light recovery work,but wouldn't use them in any critical situation where major vehicle damage or life threatening action could happen.a dedicate strap is not that expensive and would be there when you need it.cummin tools sell one for a little amount of money that seems to work pretty good for alot of people.

jpzkj · **Posted:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 2:08 pm

This is starting to look like a "Be Careful Who You Wheel With" Post...

Listen guys, if your comfortable with discarded straps then thats cool...

For the rest of the folks that really don't know what to get or where to start I'll offer this:

Seek out a qualified offroad shop (more than one is better) and ask their opinion and why. Do some reading online and make your deciesion of what you'r willing to spend and how realiable your recovery gear needs to be. Remember, when you need it...it's probably to late to go buy it.

This is a pretty good spot for some information regaurding offroad driving and safety.
http://4xforum.co.za/tguide/recovery.html

SchnellRS · **Posted:** Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:30 pm

Thanks JPZJK.
I went to 4wheelparts and bought the 2" x 30' recovery strap tonight. It cost me $24.99. I saw a pair of these on e-Bay go for $96.00. So it looks like I got a pretty good deal.

Thanks again.

Ken

Recovery / Tow straps

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