Broke My Towbar!

[HotFourOk]

Hey guys,

Was doing some wheelin in Hillsborough Quarry today and my bro in law got stuck in a big bog hole.. (Lifted Dual Cab Rodeo).. absolutely stuck in good!!

So I got my OpLock snatchy out and hooked it through his towbar and shackled it onto mine (Where the towball usually goes through).

I pulled him out after 2 goes.. but to my dismay, the welds that join the towbar to the chassis broke!! Im gonna put my pics up soon.
Has anyone else had this happen?? I thought towbars were a good recovery point.
I am thinking in future to snatch from the chassis points underneath the car rather than using the towbar. Even use a small strap to spread the weight between the two points.

Nick.

[Maggot4x4]

They should be bolted not welded

[runnin4life]

i think you can only use the hayman reese styles the one with the removable tounge

not sure on that one

cheers
elliot

[RUFF]

They should be bolted not welded

I think he means where the main section of the Tow Bar is welded to the mounting brackets.

I guy up here in brisbane lost both legs because of a modified tow bar that detached itself from the back of his 4wd while snatching. I cant say i have never snatched from a towbar but im very carefull when doing so unless its a Haymen Reece style Towbar and even then im still carefull.

[RED60]

Whats the story on the 2 legs off guy? Sounds like a myth to me! I'm not sayin your fibbin, I jus like to find out the facts..

[runnin4life]

ide say its pretty possible

ive seen a guy with a foot that was just a shell of flesh after a dodgy recovery point snapped off and got launched from the snatch strap and landed fair in the foot

no pretty

my old man uses his hayman reece tow bar all the tip but he pulls the tounge out and slides the strap in and puts the pin throught the drawbar and the eye of the snatch strap

[ozy1]

here we go:::::::

http://4wdnsw.org/cms/modules.php?op=mo ... =0&thold=0

By now you have all probably heard through the grapevine about the horrific four-wheel driving accident that occurred recently. If not, in short, it involved a snatching incident where the recovery point was torn off the vehicle, striking a young man, basically shattering the bones in both of his lower legs, resulting in two compound fractures.
This article is an extract from the Suzuki 4WD Club of QLD president's report for June.

One of the rules of snatching in this sport is to first attach the snatch to a secure position on the vehicle; which this person did not do, his first mistake. Secondly, it is imperative to stand well clear of the vehicles being snatched, his second mistake.

For those members who were unfortunate enough to witness the outcome of this gruesome incident I hope you have been able to deal with the visual images that have certainly lingered in my mind, even though a few weeks have already passed. Again to those members, I thank you for staying with the ‘stranger’ before, during and after the medical emergency teams arrived – FIVE hours later due to the terrain. I’m sure the young man will be very grateful after he comes to terms with his sudden loss. To those people from another club who drove by and did not even offer their help, shame on you. Unfortunately, this is what the world is coming to.

I have been involved in four-wheel driving for several years now and this is the first time I have seen the results of a snatching accident. It is certainly not an experience I wish upon anyone. So please, if you see snatching taking place, MOVE, MOVE RIGHT AWAY. If you are spectating and an official asks you to move while competitors snatch, MOVE, not just one metre or two, but enough distance so you are out of harms way. If this means you need to get up from your chair or blanket or maybe even lose your prime position, just do it. If you need to lose sight of the ‘action’ for a small amount of time so be it. If you see others snatching and are doing it incorrectly, be bold, go up to them and correct them, tell them this horror story if you have to.

NOTE: We came across these people shortly before exiting the Ormeau area after mapping out a night run. Neither the Suzuki club nor any of its members were involved in the actual snatching that took place

[RUFF]

Whats the story on the 2 legs off guy? Sounds like a myth to me! I'm not sayin your fibbin, I jus like to find out the facts..

Ozy just posted the Story. Thanks Ozy. Its just like the Myth about the guy snatching his tracktor out over on Morten. He placed the Snatch strap around the Tow Ball and when the person in the 4wd took off the ball broke off and hit the guy on the tracktor in the head killing him instantly. Someone else can find the story. I realy couldnt be bothered. It happened just a short time after the other guy lost his legs at Ormeau.

[RED60]

Lost both legs.

Had compound fractures to both legs.

You spot the difference

[ISUZUROVER]

Lost both legs.

Had compound fractures to both legs.

You spot the difference

Not concrete evidence... from here: http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/inde ... readid=363

But seriously, I was on Moreton Island Xmas time and there was a write up on the window of the Bulwer shop window passing on thanks for support etc. I asked the shopkeeper what it was all about and she told me that a guy was helping pull a 4by out of soft sand with a tractor and a snatch strap, something let go and he got hit in the back of the head with shackle + car bit and was killed in front of his wife and kids.

I always remember snatching with fond memories and never would have heeded such advice as standing clear, but that was a different kind, not of the four wheel variety!

The gentlman that was killed on Morton was a very well known local and was actually recovering his own vehicle. He had attached the snatch strap around the Tow Ball. it was the tow ball that killed him. He was a close friend of a friend of mine.


I beleive the guy who was hit with the rear bar at Ormeau in SE QLD has since had his legs amputated . They didnt even have a recovery point it was wrapped around a piece of bar on the rear of the vehicle. The guy who wrote the story that is featured in the above link is a mate of mine and was there within minutes of this happening. The police had impounded the vehicle and the strap involved. And there is an investigation happening at the moment. The person who did the work on the vehicle(built the rear bar) is allso under investigation. The vehicle was that stuck that it burnt out a high mount winch trying to recover.

[HotFourOk]

So do you guys snatch off chassis mounts rather than towbars??
Should I only use it as a last resort?

I'll post up a couple of pics in the morning..

In the US earlier on, a guy was killed when they snatched off a tow BALL.. it sheared off and it flew through the windscreen and killed him. Biggest no-no ever.

[ISUZUROVER]

So do you guys snatch off chassis mounts rather than towbars??
Should I only use it as a last resort?

My front and rear recovery points are bolted directly to the chassis. The front ones with 2x1/2" Grade 8 bolts, the rear with 4x7/16" Grade 8 bolts.

EDIT - plenty of people snatch off the hayman reece style receiver, but you remove the tow bar first, and either insert the snatch strap into the tube, or replace the tow bar with a specially made recovery point.

[RED60]

So the pin on the haymen reece type bars is high tensile or is it the configeration of being inside the tube that gives it more strength?

[bigbluemav]

Lost both legs.

Had compound fractures to both legs.

You spot the difference

Not concrete evidence... from here: http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/inde ... readid=363

But seriously, I was on Moreton Island Xmas time and there was a write up on the window of the Bulwer shop window passing on thanks for support etc. I asked the shopkeeper what it was all about and she told me that a guy was helping pull a 4by out of soft sand with a tractor and a snatch strap, something let go and he got hit in the back of the head with shackle + car bit and was killed in front of his wife and kids.

I always remember snatching with fond memories and never would have heeded such advice as standing clear, but that was a different kind, not of the four wheel variety!

The gentlman that was killed on Morton was a very well known local and was actually recovering his own vehicle. He had attached the snatch strap around the Tow Ball. it was the tow ball that killed him. He was a close friend of a friend of mine.


I beleive the guy who was hit with the rear bar at Ormeau in SE QLD has since had his legs amputated . They didnt even have a recovery point it was wrapped around a piece of bar on the rear of the vehicle. The guy who wrote the story that is featured in the above link is a mate of mine and was there within minutes of this happening. The police had impounded the vehicle and the strap involved. And there is an investigation happening at the moment. The person who did the work on the vehicle(built the rear bar) is allso under investigation. The vehicle was that stuck that it burnt out a high mount winch trying to recover.

This one's true. I did the original post on the 4wd Monthly Forum. There was a note in the window of the shop @ Bulwer thanking all for support after the tragic loss, written by family of the victim.

Regards

[bigbluemav]

Lost both legs.

Had compound fractures to both legs.

You spot the difference

Not concrete evidence... from here: http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/inde ... readid=363

But seriously, I was on Moreton Island Xmas time and there was a write up on the window of the Bulwer shop window passing on thanks for support etc. I asked the shopkeeper what it was all about and she told me that a guy was helping pull a 4by out of soft sand with a tractor and a snatch strap, something let go and he got hit in the back of the head with shackle + car bit and was killed in front of his wife and kids.

I always remember snatching with fond memories and never would have heeded such advice as standing clear, but that was a different kind, not of the four wheel variety!

The gentlman that was killed on Morton was a very well known local and was actually recovering his own vehicle. He had attached the snatch strap around the Tow Ball. it was the tow ball that killed him. He was a close friend of a friend of mine.


I beleive the guy who was hit with the rear bar at Ormeau in SE QLD has since had his legs amputated . They didnt even have a recovery point it was wrapped around a piece of bar on the rear of the vehicle. The guy who wrote the story that is featured in the above link is a mate of mine and was there within minutes of this happening. The police had impounded the vehicle and the strap involved. And there is an investigation happening at the moment. The person who did the work on the vehicle(built the rear bar) is allso under investigation. The vehicle was that stuck that it burnt out a high mount winch trying to recover.

This one's true. I did the original post on the 4wd Monthly Forum. There was a note in the window of the shop @ Bulwer thanking all for support after the tragic loss, written by family of the victim.

Regards

[HotFourOk]

EDIT - plenty of people snatch off the hayman reece style receiver, but you remove the tow bar first, and either insert the snatch strap into the tube, or replace the tow bar with a specially made recovery point.

Yeah, on the car I was pulling out we put the loop of the snatch into the tube and the pin went through it to hold it. It seemed really strong to do it that way. Yet I dont know if them pins are rated..maybe get a rated one??

I think I will snatch off chassis points from now on and not towbars