Trail Savvy: Off-Road Driving Tips, Skills & Practices - Recovery Points, Soft Shackles & Safety Ratings
SA4x4|July 2019

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)

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

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.

This story is from the July 2019 edition of SA4x4.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 2019 edition of SA4x4.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SA4X4View All
SA4x4

Uganda The Pearl Of Africa

This trip, the very last in the series of stories from Dan Grec’s two-year Africa round trip, details a scary mishap and some extraordinary wildlife encounters

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2020
Chewy, But Edible
SA4x4

Chewy, But Edible

Take another look at those garden pests

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
Auto Perfection?
SA4x4

Auto Perfection?

Adding a six-speed auto to Mahindra’s workhorse ups the game for this value proposition

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Defenders On Tour

The second 2019 Defender Trophy event kicked off in Limpopo and was unique in that participants camped in three different countries…

time-read
9 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Rad Rig The Dream Catcher

Motorhome world’s one-of-a-kind luxury globetrotter

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader
SA4x4

The Difference Between An Overlander And An Offroader

A very important distinction needs to be made between the offroader and the overland traveller; often the two are thought to be the same.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2020
Steelmate TP-S9
SA4x4

Steelmate TP-S9

Solar powered TPMS (External sensor)

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

Light on the dark side

VW AMAROK DARK LABEL

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2020
Monkey business!
SA4x4

Monkey business!

Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are the most widespread of the African monkeys; occurring from the Ethiopian Rift Valley, highlands east of the Rift, and southern Somalia, through the eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia (east of the Luangwa Valley), Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and all nine provinces in South Africa.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2020
SA4x4

GREAT ZOOKS

There are a few mishaps as a bunch of Jimnys tackle one of Lesotho’s premier off-road challenges, Baboon’s Pass

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2020