5th Gen rear recovery

Hey guys, so recently I started thinking about what would happen if I or someone else needed help being pulled out of a sticky situation and wasn’t sure whether I should use the under carriage “tie down points” or the hitch with a factor55 and a d ring. I won’t be getting a rear bumper or winch any time soon so I wanted to know what the safest and most reliable route would be. Thanks!

 

The hitch works just fine.

 

I agree with whippersnapper, the hitch is fine. Unless someone installed a second tie down, there is only one and it is on the left. I actually added a second one on the right.

 

Gotcha! Thanks guys! Yeah I saw the left and right tie down but read that they aren’t meant for that so hitch was my other option

 

You don't even need the hitch recovery point. A hitch pin with the looped end of the strap thrust through it works fine. The only "concern" with that is chafing the strap on pulls that aren't perfectly straight - but I don't worry too much about that.

 

$30 AUTOBOTS Tow Hitch Receiver 2", 45000 Lbs Break Strength Shackle Hitch Receiver with 5/8" Hitch Pin, 3/4 D Ring Shackle, Towing Accessories for Truck Trailer Recovery Off-Road Black&Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DXZPCM2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

You can get a decent shackle hitch receiver and hitch pin from someplace like Harbor Freight or Ace Hardware for ~$25-$30. As pointed out above - just the looped end of the strap around a hitch pin would work fine for a relatively easy/straight pull. But, for a non-straight pull on something that is stuck pretty good - a shackle hitch receiver would be better. I usually carry two shackle hitch receivers with me - one for my vehicle, and one for the other vehicle that I am pulling, or is pulling me. I don't off-road - at least not to the extent that I would need hardcore recovery gear. I've got a good tow strap, hitch receivers/shackles, couple of soft shackles - enough that I could pull someone out of a snowy ditch or off a pile of snow. I've got a couple of sons that do some dumb shit like I did when I was their age - I recently pulled my son's car off a pile of snow that he got high centered on while trying to back over. What I paid for the very basic recovery gear I keep in the back of my 4Runner was way less that what it would have cost to have a tow truck come pull him out. And it was well worth not having to get under the vehicle, laying in the snow at 5 degF, and try to dig him out.

 

That's funny, I actually carry two hitch pins for the same reason; just my cheaper version of thinking it through to rig up the second vehicle...

 

Yep - doesn't require a lot of thought if pulling on a hitch, from a hitch. Honestly, I'd probably shy away from pulling someone's vehicle, that I don't know, out of a ditch unless I could hook up to a hitch, or obvious other recovery point. I wouldn't want to make a decision on what I could hook onto and pull on, without breaking it, for someone else's vehicle. Once you start making the rigging of the recovery gear more complicated - you better know what you are doing. Especially if you are attempting dynamic/kinetic recoveries. You better understand what you can/can't pull on safely and what the weakest link in your rigging is - and what will happen if that weakest link fails.

 

Oh for sure, I'm not pulling out strangers. That's a "them" problem.

 

My rule on pulling someone else out is they hook up their end (I'll pay attention to make sure I don't think anything is going to come flying at me). Any damage is on them, they hooked it up. (And yes, I have pulled plenty of strangers out of snowbanks).

 

Yeah, I'd probably try to help a person in a snowbank or snowy ditch who was otherwise stranded. Your advice about having them hook up their end AND paying close attention to avoid anything really stupid is dead on. I think we are talking about slow/steady pull, static, roadside recoveries. Assuming you have adequate traction - it doesn't take much to pull someone from a snowbank/ditch. Pulling out a vehicle that is up to its hubs in mud is a whole different deal.

 

One more thought on the shackle hitch receiver vs. just using a hitch pin. As I said before, attaching the tow strap/rope to the hitch pin would probably work fine for relatively easy straight pulls. However, if attempting to do a kinetic recovery with a stretchable rope/strap on a really stuck vehicle, or for any kind of non-straight/hard pull, I'd suggest using a shackle hitch receiver. With a kinetic recovery a lot of the pulling force comes all at once - rather than gradually with a normal recovery rope/strap - and it can be difficult to estimate and control the pulling force if taking a good run at it to stretch out the rope/strap. You may not break the hitch pin in a recovery like this - but you could easily bend it inside the hitch enough that you would not be able to remove the hitch pin without cutting it - which would suck almost as much as breaking the pin during the pull. Also, if doing anything other than a dead straight pull, you've got a good chance that your rope/strap may chafe on the inside edge of your hitch. I know we are not talking about a knife sharp edge - but it is a sharp corner and it wouldn't take much to damage your rope/strap if pulling hard at an angle. I think $35-$40 bucks for a shackle hitch receiver to prevent you from damaging a $150-$400 kinetic rope is a good investment. Heck, my 20' recovery strap probably didn't cost any more than my shackle hitch receiver - but for $40 if it prevents an unexpected failure of the strap its worth it to me. Sorry for the long(ish) post - and something very similar has probably been posted on here somewhere else - but I'm an old engineer and can't help thinking about shit like this

 

Shooter, that's what engineers do... think it through then do the right thing.

Me? PE EE w/ 30 yrs international & domestic experience. Retired @ 60 but still hold my license.

Heck even my morning coffee is an engineered product...

 

Yep Shorty, we can't help it. BSME/MBA - 36 years of product design, mechanical/thermal analysis, engineering management. I'm 60 and will be punching out within the next 18 months, or so. If I had a dollar for every time my wife rolled her eyes at me when I was explaining why something worked/didn't work/catastrophically failed - I'd be retired already.

 

Same here. A couple of years ago there was a guy sideways into a snowbank. The driver wanted to tie off on his plastic front end..it was some kind of Minivan or something. I was like nope... ive dragged a couple out using rear hitch block with shackle. But slow drag..not kinetic drive and jerk. Even then its problematic on most vehicles.

 

I’m saving to ship one of these to Canada

 

I’ve been using the 41.22 hitch slider for a while. It helps protect the spare tire and works great with soft shackles.



Before that I used the basic harbor freight hitch D ring. Which still lives on board in a recovery bag as a means to hook up to someone who does not have a rated tow point.

Just don’t use a hitch ball! The factory tie down points are actually pretty tough and will take a lot of force if needed

 

@WhoDoiFollow OP - if you want to be serious and really know how to do recoveries properly, suggest you take a class and go out and practice a few times. I had a bad memory from when i was little and playing out there with cousins and being stupid really, where someone got hurt (not bad) the winch line broke and of course there were idiots around it and got to them. It is best to practice when there is no pressure, and you are thinking straight rather when you are in the situation and maybe time is not on your side, or it is dark, rainy, all of those factors come into play, and on top of that it is your first time. Remember your first time?

Here is a few shots of an outing I went to about two years ago. Just practicing, this was all setup as a potential recovery situation. COMMUNICATION is key.

I am supposed to try and get the 4R there out of trouble. I am with blue 4R, my pals in the back waiting for me to act on.

and I am using my weekend road warrior recovery tools, just all the stuff the boys commented right up above in the thread. I could have connected to the hitch too.

we got this one connected to the hitch, we were trying to use the Jeep in the back as a pivot or tight down in case it "would flip" or go down the "Hill". The mission was bring the 4R carefully up while using pivot points. or the idea was that.

The best shot at the end of the day....everybody safe and sound. I know the guy on the right is out of place in this forum.

In all seriousness, please practice and don't let a real situation be your first lesson, it could safe your life or others.

 

Kinda got a human centipede thing going there

 

Damn, +$100 shipping!

 

Good stuff there ChessGuy. In addition to some of the recovery techniques your pictures show you practicing - I think it is also good for people who will be doing these types of recoveries to be somewhat familiar with their recovery gear. Some people tend to assume that parts/gear made out of metal, whether it be part of the vehicles' frame, bolted/welded to the frame, D-ring shackles, etc... - are always the strongest link in what they have rigged up. People will lay out $400-$500 bucks for a 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" diameter kinetic rope, and think they are bulletproof, but not understand that the 3/4" D-ring shackles they paid less than $20 for have a significantly lower minimum break strength than the rope. They also don't have an understanding/appreciation of the kinds of forces that can be imparted in a kinetic recovery. Not saying they need to have an engineering degree to do this stuff - but they need to have a basic understanding of what the weakest link in their rigging is and what will happen if that weakest link fails. If that weakest link is a chunk of metal - a good part of that chunk of metal is going to be moving at high velocity when it fails. We've all seen the videos.