are 80 oem recovery points ok for strap recovery? (1 Viewer)

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semlin

semlin

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So I got the following comment from a board member about the oem 80 recovery loops in relation to some trip planning. I have never needed more than a light tug to get my truck loose but I had always understood the stock 80 loops were plenty adequate recovery points if the going got rougher. Would folks who have had to use them in more serious recovery mode agree or disagree with the following comment (and please do not flame Mark if you disagree - He did not post it here and I am just trying to find out information not start something) ?

Mark W said:
I was under an FZJ80 today and took the time to look at the loops under the front of the frame. I haven't had much reason to look at these with a critical eye before 'cause we don't get '80s on the trails too often around here.

These loops are not suitable for a strap recovery. They may hold up to a winch recovery (to be honest they look to be intended more as tie down points). A good vigorous yank on a strap can easily and often approach the 20-30 thousand pound strength of the strap. It's not unusual to need that kind of yank. I would not be comfortable counting on that loop to take that stress. More importantly, there is no way to connect a strap to it without using a shackle. If the loop does give way you now have a heavy projectile being propelled at the end of that rebounding strap. Potentially deadly.

The good news is; The spacing of the holes seems to match a standard tow hook. It will still be in a far from ideal location, but if you are willing to dig into the mud or dive under the water if need be to hook it up, it will be suitable for use with a strap with hooks replacing the loops.


If you have the usual factory (or aftermarket) receiver tow point on the back of the rig, we will have a couple stab in shackle units that will convert this to an ideal strap recover point.

Mark...
Click to expand...
 
I've heard that they're fine and I've also heard that they can bend when pulled from certain angles. I've never been in a situation where I've had to be pulled from the front.
 
I disagree with this characterization. These are fully intended for heavy recovery. Sure, like anything mechanical they can be broken so they should be regularly inspected by regular wheelers for damage from rocks, loose or corroded fasteners, etc.

These are a closed loop design that provides far more strength than an open hook of the same gauge, and also provides excellent resistance to pulls from any direction which an open hook emphatically cannot handle. They are made of mild steel so they can give, flex and bend instead of failing and the fasteners were similarly chosen to provide the right amount of give as an integrated system if failure is imminent. Hardened hardware will not - it fails with no warning.

I have personally used my H.D. tow strap (rated to 27,000lbs) many times on vehicles ranging from lighter Isuzus stuck in snow to an F250 crew cab diesel nose down in a ditch (9000lbs?) with no issues. The only time I've shied away from this was to yank a CNN satellite truck out of the mud and in deference to its 20,000lb++ weight I used my Warn receiver stinger in the factory hitch (cameras were rolling and I wanted to do this once with authority).

As always, proper procedure with a tow strap is to have a large towel or other "aerodynamic damper" in the center of the strap to slow down a fast moving broken strap along with all other precautions. But no, I would not be worried at all.
 
I agree with Doug, these are more than adequate for recovery. As an example of how tough they are, I happened upon a stuck 2002 Chevy Z-71 half ton 4x4, buried in mud up to the axles in a ditch. For effect, I locked my axles and drove 360 degrees around them to "survey the situation.";p Then I backed up behind them and jumped out and attached their 50' of log chain. Suddenly, Beavis and Butthead in the Chevy couldn't find the keys to the Z-71. So I asked them if they wanted me to go ahead and pull it out or leave them. They laughed and said, "Yea right." So fully locked in low I gave myself about 3' of bump room and hit that chain...and drug the Chevy out of its hole and up the embankment and onto the road shoulder...while it was turned off and in park. So they've always worked okay for me.
 
Yes they are adequate. I do recovery on vehicles about once a week because of where I live and the amount of trucks in the area. I pull front and back and I still have my factory hooks on the arb. They work great.
 
from what I"ve read her after discussions of the same issue taken on (several times) before, the consensus always seemed that they are fine.

You can figure the shear resistance of two grade 8 equivalent bolts. Compare that to the strength of a rod of same size as the loop, and try to figure out the conclusion for yourself... :)
 
I am sure the engineers wouldnt have put them there if they couldnt handle the weight of the truck!

I used them a few times to pull out rigs in the dunes this year @ the Surf and Surf. One needed some help from the go pedal and still held up fine!

Also, they appear to be MUCH beefier then the tiny little eyelets on my ARB! I dont think i would try to tow my civic from those things!
 
There was a post not long ago of one of these failing at the weld wasn't there?

Also for a serious recovery from a substantial stuck it'd be better to go to both.
 
The welds on mine look suspect in strength due to the very small area welded. I'm certain the weld would break before the hoop or bolts.
 
my welds look OK from memory, but will check again.
 
The loops like all recovery equipment should be checked on a regular basis. Their condition will depend on how they are used or abused. I have used mine a few times for some big pulls and found one bent after a sideways pull . Never heard of any breaking but have seen a few bend. I still have one on and replaced the other with a hook.
 
I've used the OEM with straps and winch fine to pull and be pulled. That said, my rear tow points are also welded to the frame too along with the grade 8 bolts.

I have, again, pulled and been pulled from the front ARB ones with no problems using both straps and winch.

-o-
 
elmariachi said:
I agree with Doug, these are more than adequate for recovery. As an example of how tough they are, I happened upon a stuck 2002 Chevy Z-71 half ton 4x4, buried in mud up to the axles in a ditch. For effect, I locked my axles and drove 360 degrees around them to "survey the situation.";p Then I backed up behind them and jumped out and attached their 50' of log chain. Suddenly, Beavis and Butthead in the Chevy couldn't find the keys to the Z-71. So I asked them if they wanted me to go ahead and pull it out or leave them. They laughed and said, "Yea right." So fully locked in low I gave myself about 3' of bump room and hit that chain...and drug the Chevy out of its hole and up the embankment and onto the road shoulder...while it was turned off and in park. So they've always worked okay for me.
Click to expand...

OK, I'm certainly no expert at yanking out stuck vehicles or winching, but it seems to me that using a chain as a yank-strap is rather dangerous, isn't it? I think the elasticity of a nylon strap is built in to gradually take up the shock as the slack is taken up, and it gradually applies more and more force to the stuck vehicle as the tension is tightened. On the other hand, the chain has no give, and if you give it slack and than jerk it tight, it is prone to fail and become a possibly deadly flying projectile.

Isn't this the case? Isn't this the same reason you're not supposed to attach any recovery device to a trailer ball?
 
lacruiser said:
OK, I'm certainly no expert at yanking out stuck vehicles or winching, but it seems to me that using a chain as a yank-strap is rather dangerous, isn't it? I think the elasticity of a nylon strap is built in to gradually take up the shock as the slack is taken up, and it gradually applies more and more force to the stuck vehicle as the tension is tightened. On the other hand, the chain has no give, and if you give it slack and than jerk it tight, it is prone to fail and become a possibly deadly flying projectile.

Isn't this the case? Isn't this the same reason you're not supposed to attach any recovery device to a trailer ball?
Click to expand...


You are correct, but this is a case of go with what you have in a specific situation.

I bent one of mine getting winched sideways by two 40s out of a place I'll never go again:D and the same bent one took the abuse of a 1 ton chevy hammering on it for about 10 yanks to pull me out of the mud,(locker malfunction)

Dan
 
I heard alot of stories about whether they were good enough or not so I made a couple of basic mods and put on proper recovery hooks.

If I was going to keep the original loops I was going to take them off and get a couple of extra welds on them for piece of mind.

afv.sized.jpg
 
One point that mark is also point out if you are stuck in water or deep mud and you can not see the recovery point, it is a whole lot easier to hook a strap loop over a hook then it is to use a shackle. In the begining I used the toyota hoop as my only recovery point with great sucess. But agree that some look better then others(weld wise). It may behove you to look and reweld them if they look week. later robbie
 
the hooks do indeed need a "locking in" device of sorts as in the photo above.

Sticking down like that, though, one wonders what would happen if you were to sit on a rock and have to go backwards...
 
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