Stupid vehicle recovery question of the day (SVRQD)

[kcjaz]

Ok, so not as catchy an acronym as SQOD but as I kit out my recovery gear to go with the winch I am adding, I have a lot of these. If there is a thread on this already, please point me to it as I have failed to find it.

First question: Can you mix "static" recovery ropes, straps and shackles with kinetic recovery ropes? i.e. can I use a 30' kinetic rope soft shackled to a 50' tow strap hard shackled to a recovery point on the stuck vehicle? Or could I make a "recovery bridle" (probably not a real term) using two short straps shackled to recovery points on each side of the stuck vehicle connected together and then to the kinetic rope? I know that the regular tow straps and winch rigging should not be shock loaded but it seems to me that you could could use those components in a kinetic type recovery as long as you have a "kinetic link" somewhere in the rigging line to take the shock load. Obviously there have to be at least two hard connections, one on the stuck vehicle and the other on the recovery vehicle.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I’m no expert but I wouldn’t mix kinetic and static for extra length. I think you could use the static to create a bridle and pull with a kinetic, but haven’t tried it. I wouldn’t use kinetic rope in line with a winch at all. I see it as two different recoveries. Generally I think of the winch as being for self-recovery, and the kinetic rope for recovering someone else. I only carry a tow strap as a tree saver or to make a bridle. I use soft shackles for all attach points.

 

[CharlieS]

You might get more results on the winching and recovery forum?

Winching and Recovery

Air-up systems, jacks, winches, recovery gear, on board air and other trail related equipment

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[kcjaz]

You might get more results on the winching and recovery forum?

Winching and Recovery

Air-up systems, jacks, winches, recovery gear, on board air and other trail related equipment

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks. Didn’t know that forum existed. Got sucked down several rabbit holes this morning already!

 

[CharlieS]

I didn’t either until someone here pointed me to it. Those people have probably forgotten more than I’ll ever know about recovery.

 

[tbisaacs]

You should do your own research but...

I’ve done this in a pinch — made a bridle with a tow strap and then shackled it to a kinetic rope. No issues in my case.

 

[greynolds]

Combining a kinetic recovery rope and a winch wouldn’t be a good idea. Since the kinetic rope works much like a rubber band, you would be wasting a ton of the capabily of the winch and possibly cause extra stress on the kinetic rope as well (not sure about that last point).

A winch definitely isn’t just for self recovery though as you can definitely use one to pull someone else out of a jam. Just need to make sure the winch vehicle is anchored such that it won’t be pulled into harm’s way trying to recover the other vehicle.

The recovery sub forum definitely sounds like the place to go for advice though.

 

[kcjaz]

Combining a kinetic recovery rope and a winch wouldn’t be a good idea. Since the kinetic rope works much like a rubber band, you would be wasting a ton of the capabily of the winch and possibly cause extra stress on the kinetic rope as well (not sure about that last point).

A winch definitely isn’t just for self recovery though as you can definitely use one to pull someone else out of a jam. Just need to make sure the winch vehicle is anchored such that it won’t be pulled into harm’s way trying to recover the other vehicle.

The recovery sub forum definitely sounds like the place to go for advice though.

Agree that combining kinetic and static when using a winch is not a good idea for the reasons you state. My question is about combining the components for a snatch type recovery using another vehicles momentum. I posted that question on the other subforum as suggested. FWIW, I am a little apprehensive about snatch recovery's as they seem more susceptible to stupid creeping into the equation.

 

[greynolds]

Agree that combining kinetic and static when using a winch is not a good idea for the reasons you state. My question is about combining the components for a snatch type recovery using another vehicles momentum. I posted that question on the other subforum as suggested. FWIW, I am a little apprehensive about snatch recovery's as they seem more susceptible to stupid creeping into the equation.

Yeah, definitely need to make sure nothing is going to break because there’s a ton of energy in those kinetic ropes (which is, of course, why they work).

 

[afgman786]

You should do your own research but...

I’ve done this in a pinch — made a bridle with a tow strap and then shackled it to a kinetic rope. No issues in my case.

I've done this too

 

[mcgaskins]

I have some solid guides from extremely reputable sources, and they agree it's ok and even good practice to use a static strap like a tree saver to create a bridle and attach a kinetic strap to it. Here is an image directly from a handbook on best practices. Something to keep in mind is they suggest tying kinetic straps directly to each other instead of joining with a metal shackle for obvious reasons - see second screenshot below. Recovery is one of those topics that can be discussed forever, and everyone will have a slightly different opinion. I personally think you should always adhere to best practices when possible, but there are times when the situation calls for being creative and using whatever you have to extract a vehicle. I once had my 100 stuck in a marsh that was quickly filling with water threatening to drown it, and after 5+ hours we eventually got it out using the winch, winch line extension, kinetic strap, and tree saver all daisy chained together to attach to a truck over 100' away with tow truck wheel chocks under it because it would just sink into the ground or slide backwards under any tension. We literally used every single piece of equipment in both vehicles to get it out, so keep in mind in the real world you need to be resourceful and creative sometimes to get the job done.

 

[TimCFJ40]

Be careful when you are combining static and kinetic lines to ensure that you have a plan for when the kinetic rope unloads. When it's just two vehicles tied together it's not going anywhere, but with another line, potentially a shackle or other connector, plan for what is flying when the rope unloads. Also, you wouldn't want to use a kinetic rope for a fixed anchor such as mounting a snatch block etc.