Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Just on a trip and one of the vehicles didn’t have a rear tow bar on the custom tray. Before going out for a drive I asked where the recovery point was as I was looking at it while having a cuppa and couldn’t see it.

Anyway the lady said that her (4WD) mechanic and the trainer when she did her 4WD training course told her to use a tree protector and shackle it to the leaf spring bracket at the rear.

Well, I wasn’t really happy with it and made bloody sure I wasn’t going to have to do a recovery from the rear, but what really freaked me out was when I asked her how to attach the snatch strap etc. she didn’t have a clue.

I’m no mechanical genius, but my question is, ‘would the leaf spring bracket be strong enough as a recovery point?

For a light recovery I'd say yeah, but wouldn't want to rely on it for a heavy full on snatch. I've had to use a snatch once around a leaf pack, and it does bad things to the strap. Can't see a tree trunk protector fairing much better

when you hit a pothole at 80km/hr whats holding the axle there? wholy and soley the leaf spring.

Id say the spring is more than up to the challenge strength wise, but getting good attachment that does not lead to cutting of your snatch strap or tree protector is a worry.

The tree trunk protector would certainly fair better wrapped around the leaf/shackle than a snatch strap as the tree trunk strap is alot harder material.

at the end of the day, it is not ideal, but recoveries are rarely ideal now are they :|

we had to do this once and it ruined a strap after one easy tow, not a snatch just a tow up a hill. got jammed on the shackle and ruined the bushes too.

no not strong enough.. i have seen a swb shorty snached from the spring is sheared the spring eye off and then the shackle collapsed and cut the stra caving in the rear door of the recovery vehicle.

scary sight.

definatly strong enough. i recently had problems with inverting my front shackles and the only way to get them back to normal was with a snatch around the shackle. at one stage was well and truly bogged while doing this and still no probs. it did completly fark my snatch by the end of the day, tore it right thru 3 seperate times.

if you can get your hands on a D-shackle thats just wide enuf to slide on either side of both shackle plates, and have the pin on the vehicle side and the snatch attached to the closed end, then you can do it without any damage to the strap. otherwise, just wrap it around and shackle the loop to the standing line of the strap.

Always sucks going away with people with poor recovery points.

However I had to recover a local council truck which accidently fell into a deep ditch and a shackle and strap around leaf spring was enough.
Only way to recover a truck without towhooks at the front unless you want to rip apart there steering or swaybars

Cheers guys,

My main worry was that the connection wouldn't be strong enough and who ever was at the other end would end up with a shackle coming their way.

I still think it was poor that a 4WD specialist couldn't recommend a better outcome, how hard would it be to attach a recovery hook to the chase where the tow bar attaches?

Most chassis have "holes" under the tray. I use the holes.

Takes a bit to tear the hole larger.

Paul