Brand new at this... Recovery/stuck vehicle assist

[Condor757]

Second winter with my truck, last winter we barely had any snow. (N Virginia). This winter I am preparing myself with the purchase of a recovery (snatch) strap along with a set of D-rings and a shackle hitch receiver from Rhino USA, so that I can maybe help out a stranded motorist or have myself pulled out should the need arise. However, having never done this before, I sure would love some tips on the actual procedure, such as acceleration techniques, the use of 4WD-Low, taking out the slack, etc. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Condor

 

[Nukegm426]

First and foremost is make THEM hook the strap to their vehicle! Offer suggestions if asked but make them do the actual connection so that if something on their vehicle breaks they can’t blame you! 4lo and take up slack and pull... if that doesn’t work double check that there’s nothing hanging up the vehicle such as concrete culverts or anything else. Then put some slack in and then pull with a little momentum. The stretch of the recovery strap will help. Full throttle running pulls are not a good idea unless you’ve got experience and things are hooked up well. Even then I avoid them. If you can’t pull it easily or with a light bit of momentum then they need a winch.

 

[Sascwatch]

Solid advice from Nukegm426, while momentum can be your friend it is your enemy if you don’t have proper recovery points on either vehicle. NEVER use a hitch ball for hard recoveries, it’ll do fine with minor recoveries in a pinch.

I prefer soft shackles, but it’s good to keep both at all times. Use a good recovery rope if you plan on using momentum as it will spread out the impact reducing the chance of something breaking, a strap will work for those slow speed 4-low recoveries aswell.

 

[Nukegm426]

I second having both soft and conventional shackles... just make sure they’re rated much higher than you need. Overkill is a good thing with this and stay with quality items not what’s cheapest. The forces your working with can hurt or kill someone if things break. Make sure those not directly involved in the recovery are well away from the area not only in case the strap breaks but in the event an stretching point breaks as well as the car moving in a way you didn’t expect. It’s a dangerous operation but with some simple planning and foresight it’s easily doable.

 

[Condor757]

Good stuff guys thanks!

 

[AmericanRebelution]

My advice is to make sure you don't get yourself stuck too! 2 stuck vehicles can really complicate a recovery.

 

[Coltdefender1911]

Don’t let the vehicle you are recovering hit your vehicle.