Trail Savvy: Off-Road Driving Tips, Skills & Practices - Recovery Points, Soft Shackles & Safety Ratings

This is the second instalment of a two-part guest column by Henk Vallentgoed of the South African company Securetech, in which he debunks some braai-side myths about recovery gear and discusses the essential things that you need to know. (Read Part 1 on our website, www.sa4x4.co.za)

Remember, always buy the best kit you can afford, and seek professional advice to ensure that it is properly certified and up to the recovery tasks you are likely to encounter.

Practise how to use your recovery gear in a safe, controlled environment, and when you do hit the trail with your mates, set ground rules so that you know how to work together, and have a plan in place for an emergency situation.

Rated recovery points Rated recovery points on most 4x4 vehicles are very rare. The advent of airbags and crumple zones on vehicles have ended the era when bull bars were produced with recovery-eyes as a standard. Only a few vehicles such as the Land Cruiser Troopy, 76 wagon/79 pick-up, Nissan GU and Y61 Patrol, and the Land Rover Discovery 3 and 4, have a factory-rated rear recovery point as a standard option.

Very few manufacturers of 4x4 vehicles or aftermarket equipment make any effort to produce a proper attachment point for recovery straps.

The best recovery points are attached directly to the vehicle chassis using high-tensile steel bolts. They should never be welded to or bolted to the bull bar, as this is potentially a weak and improper recovery point. Attaching a recovery point as an afterthought by welding or bolting it onto a bull bar is a sure recipe for disaster. The bolts used to attach a bull bar should also be inspected and checked that they are high tensile steel, and not mild steel.

Using a towbar as a recovery point is also not a good idea, as far too many towbars are attached with only two bolts per side, and most make use of mild-steel bolts. This type of bolt has a low shear force, and will break under shock load when one uses a kinetic rope or strap for recovery purposes. A towball should also not be used as a recovery hook, as it is not designed for this and will cause damage or death if pressed into use for this purpose.