When All You Need is a Good Pull

The Porsche 911 was down to its chassis in a Jumeirah sandlot and was minutes away from being torn apart, fortunately I arrived just in time to stop the well meaning, but clueless, rescuer from attempting to drag the sports car out (and to pieces) with his 4x4. Even from a distance the recovery set up just did not look right and on closer inspection I saw that the strap had been looped around bits of the rear suspension. It was also a static strap with no give. One tug and the Porsche would be expensive spare parts. Within a few minutes I'd reset everything, using the proper Porsche towing eye, a dynamic recovery strap, correct shackles and, with very judicious use of the accelerator pedal, eased the 911 slowly from its sand trap. Recovery skills are not only for the desert, I've done similar recoveries on the beach, as the photo at the top attests, and even in front of a shopping mall.

Having seen far to many botched, damaging or just plain dangerous recovery attempts over the past few years I thought an article on choosing and correctly using recovery straps was long overdue. Just yesterday I witnessed a guy pulling a car free on Sufouh Beach and, although his technique was acceptable, the strap he was using was the wrong type and he failed to communicate what he was doing with the stuck driver and so used far more force than was necessary (and coming close to damaging he rescued cars steering.) Recovering a stuck vehicle starts with buying the proper equipment, not just whatever you find at the hardware store, and then knowing how to use it properly. Even my teenage son knows the drill and has assisted other drivers in rescuing vehicles, much to their macho-image detriment, but at least no cars have been ruined and no-one has been injured.

What's a snatch strap?

Recovery straps. Snatch Straps. Kinetic Ropes. Tug-ems. They go by a variety of different names, most are some form of webbing while some are braided ropes, for simplicity I'll use 'strap' for both types. A recovery strap and a tow rope are two vastly different things, even thought they look the same to the uninformed, all proper recovery straps have the following in common: Firstly they are dynamic, not static, which means that the strap is designed to stretch, not only does this cushion the impact of the pull but it stores kinetic energy in the strap, more on this critical property later. Secondly they have loops at both ends that are either sewn or, in the case of some braided ropes, spliced; they DO NOT have big steel hooks permanently sewn into the ends, avoid these at all costs as they are a fatality waiting to happen. Good recovery straps are not cheap, my main strap (I also carry a spare) cost me AED500 a few years ago and has been worth every Fil. It always amazes me that newbie off-roaders will spend tens of thousands of Dirhams on their cars but will buy the cheapest recovery gear they can find, risking serious damage to the same expensive car or injury, even death, to themselves or bystanders.

The 3 straps to the left are for lifting or towing and are not suitable for recovery.
The two on the right are proper kinetic straps with plenty of stretch and rebound.

You can buy decent recovery straps from most good 4x4 suppliers and some hardware stores but don't expect the salesperson to know what they are talking about, very few do. Look for gear marked for 'recovery' (not towing) and that indicates the strap is designed to stretch. If in doubt stick with well known brands like WARN, Bushranger and SecureTech amongst others. Some strap sets have both a recovery strap and a tow strap in the same bag but a tow strap is NOT a recovery strap as it does not stretch, so if you buy a combined set make sure you know which is which and use the correct strap for the job. Snatch straps should not be used for towing any more than tow straps should be used for recovery. Some hardware stores sell slings that are designed for static loads, these are not suitable for recovery as they do not have the stretch of dynamic webbing, using these means it's a matter of time before you break something (or someone.)

Shackles, shmackles ... aren't they all the same?

Along with a good quality dynamic strap you will need some Bow-shackles. To be precise, you will need rated shackles, not just any old ones you bought off the shelf. Rated shackles come with a working load limit (WLL) stamped or raised on them, common ones in the UAE are 3.25t and 4.75t shackles. I'd recommend a minimum of 3.25t for most off-road use. The pin of the shackle should be the screw-in type, avoid the stainless steel shackles with a simple push-through pin. Firstly they are not rated and secondly the angle at which you sometimes need to pull can severely distort, even break, the shackle. The impact of a highly tensioned cheap shackle breaking under the load generated by a 2.5 ton vehicle trying to free another 2.5 ton vehicle is scary.

A pair of rated recovery shackles, the orange day-glo paint is my addition,
in case I drop the shackle it makes finding it in sand a lot easier.

 In general you will need two shackles, one for each end of the strap. Some vehicles have a recovery hook bolted to the chassis but most vehicles, especially the Japanese ones, have a recovery eye underneath. Make sure your shackles will fit through the recovery points before venturing off-road, the older Jeep Wranglers have a very small recovery loop on the front bumper and I've come across more than one stuck in the desert with gear that didn't fit the vehicle. I now carry multiple sizes of shackle to ensure I can cover any vehicle that needs rescuing.

The recovery eye bolted to my Land Cruiser's chassis. 

So, I just tie them together and tow? Right?

Even the best drivers get stuck now and then, if you don't get stuck you're not trying hard enough. Being able to do a snatch recovery is a basic and effective, but often misunderstood, technique and one that requires practice. As a start, as the name implies this is a snatch and not a tow. Actually, I think the term 'tug' is a better description, snatch implies far more force and speed than is generally necessary, but snatch is the commonly used term. I once ventured out with a friend who had some off-road experience and I assumed, to our detriment, that he knew how to do a snatch. I managed to get my vehicle stuck in a tricky situation and set up the straps in text-book fashion as described below, expecting an easy recovery. Unfortunately my friend tried to tow me out and kept spinning his wheels, digging himself in. By the time I realised what he'd done both cars were stuck and joined by highly tensioned webbing. It took some careful work, a lot of sweat and steady nerves to sort it all out.

The basic technique is that the strap is set up between the stuck and rescue vehicles with a fair amount of slack. The rescue vehicle then pulls off at a moderate pace until the strap stretches taught, storing kinetic energy, it then contracts and it's the strap, rather than the towing vehicle, that pulls the stuck car free. This is why you need a stretchy, dynamic strap so there is no sudden hard jerk to wrench bits of vehicle free and to store kinetic energy, the stretch and subsequent contraction should do the work. If you pull too hard or use a static strap you risk snapping the strap or breaking something on the car. If you ever use steel cable you should be held down and severely beaten with it, imagine a steel cable snapping and flailing through a group of bystanders, especially kids.

This is the routine I have used successfully for many years :

1. Assess: Firstly, check if the car is really stuck. Perhaps they need to lower tyre pressures a bit more to simply drive out. Often a good push will suffice. With vehicles stuck on a ridge, digging sand away from the chassis may be enough to allow it to drive out on it's own. If snatching is required take some time to assess the situation and determine the best direction to do the recovery. Take into account slopes, churned up tracks, soft patches and the length of strap available. Sometimes it's easier to pull the vehicle backwards, other times it might be easier to go forwards. Also consider if you, the driver, will be better off going forward or reversing.
2. Clear: The stuck vehicle will have dug up a lot of sand, push away as much as possible in the direction of pull making a gentle ramp for the wheels. On heavily stuck vehicles also clear any sand from in front of the chassis cross-beams, axles and differential housings. Reducing drag makes recovery easier and safer.
   
   

   

   This configuration allows the shackle to swivel in the direction of pull, putting the pin
   through the eye causes the shackle to distort and this makes removing the pin difficult.
   The pin only needs to be finger tight.

3. Attach: Attach the shackles to the recovery points on both vehicles. Do not simply use the tow hitch or the bumper, the forces generated could tear it loose. Always use the recovery point that is fixed to the chassis. Don't over tighten the screw pin, just finger tight. The tug will cause the pin to tighten anyway and make it difficult to remove afterwards, so don't make matters worse. Because one rarely has the luxury of doing a straight-line pull I tend to put the round part of the shackle through the recovery eye and the strap around the pin, this allows the shackle to swivel in the direction of pull. If the pin is put through the eye then it will slip until the ring is in one of the corners where the pin passes through the shackle. The strap will move to the side of the ring opposite this and you'll have a transverse load that can deform the the shackle (even if it's imperceptible to the eye.) This deformation is why it can be very difficult to remove the pin after a recovery*. Smaller recovery points that don't allow the shackle to pass through might force you to do it pin first, some of the stock recovery eyes on Jeep Wranglers seem to be too small to pass a shackle through.
4. Layout: You need a bit of a run-up to build momentum, so there should be slack in the strap. A good technique is to lay the strap in a zig-zag pattern between the vehicles. This allows you to see if the strap has passed through itself which would result in a disastrous knot when doing the snatch. Knots severely weaken the strap and in a hard tug can sever the strap immediately, I had this happen once while crossing the Wahaiba Sands in Oman and is why I always use the zig zag technique and always carry a spare strap. The remains of the snapped strap hang from a tree in our garden as a swing for my kids and a reminder to me to properly supervise a recovery. To prevent broken recovery points from whipping about and sending a lump of steel through a windscreen or person, cover with a tarp or blanket to act as a damper.
   
   

   

   The strap is laid in a zig zag and covered with something to dampen its speed should something break.

   
   
5. Communicate: Now, don't just jump into the vehicle and speed off. First have a chat with the person being rescued and explain what you plan to do, how far you intend pulling them, the direction to go and that they must ensure their front wheels are aligned with the pull. Make it clear that they are expected to help by driving out, but without spinning their wheels. Explain any hand signals you will use (being in different cars you won't be able to hear each other.) My hand signals are simple: Thumbs up for 'Ready' (and they must acknowledge) and a closed fist for 'Stop'. If you cannot see each other clearly, arrange for a passenger to stand at a distance and relay the signals. Tell your recoveree that if they drive over the strap after being freed that you'll push them back in the hole and leave them there. No, seriously, tell them.
6. Away: Chase all gawkers and bystanders far away. Children are especially curious and so very vulnerable, make sure all spectators are at least two strap lengths away from the recovery and off to one side. Never let anyone stand between the vehicles during the pull. Remember, two vehicles exerting a combined weight of a few tons can send a detached shackle through a crowd of people without stopping, even a strap on its own could be lethal to a child. Keep them far away. On some heavy recoveries I've even raised the hood so that any flying projectiles will strike it first rather than pierce a windscreen and the driver.
7. Recover: Now it's time to do the actual snatch: The stuck vehicle signals that it is ready and is in the appropriate gear depending on if it's to go backwards or forwards. The rescuer drives off at a moderate pace, building momentum. Don't be hasty, a couple of firm tugs is more effective and a lot safer than one almighty jerk. You should feel a gentle tug as the strap tightens, carry on driving for a few metres and then put on the brakes. DO NOT spin your wheels and try to tow the other car out, all you'll do is dig yourself in and then two vehicles will need recovery. After a few seconds you'll feel the strap contract and hopefully the other vehicle will be firmly but gently pulled from its resting place. If the first tug doesn't do it, go back again without driving over the strap, make sure there are no obstructions that you missed the first time and repeat with a bit more gusto, but just a bit mind you. Sometimes it takes more than one pull but avoid repeated, heavy jerks as this weakens the strap (it's not a tow rope, remember.). Once the car is free keep driving to the pre-arranged firm spot. You might need some pliers to loosen the shackle pin, even if it was only finger tight in the first place.

My strap is all dirty, what now?

Even the best quality straps have a limited lifetime, some manufacturers only reckon 10 or so recoveries. In my experience having good technique increases the number of pulls you can get out of strap while poor technique can destroy it in one go. Don't walk, stand or drive over a strap as it forces small sand particles into the fibers and weakens it. If people are getting stuck repeatedly it's a good idea to alternate with your spare strap, the dynamic nature of straps mean they need a rest period to return to their original length and strength. Muddy straps, or those used in salt water, should be washed with fresh water and left to dry in the shade, avoid leaving them lying around in sunlight or packing them away wet. Store them carefully, some come in a strong canvas bag but I made a dedicated recovery box that is permanently in my 'Cruiser.

The recovery procedure sounds a lot more involved than it is, most of these steps are just common sense. I'd rather do a bit of prep work and have an easy pull then struggle or worse, get my own vehicle stuck. If you've never done a snatch before I strongly recommend doing a few practice runs with a friend before venturing far off-road. And please, open that wallet and buy some quality kinetic straps and proper rated shackles. It's cheaper and safer in the long run.

*My view on proper orientation of the shackle, strap and recovery eye is based on experience and having done some reading on industrial rigging. If there are riggers who disagree with this approach I'd be happy to hear from you and make any corrections. 

sunburnt ... and in need of a shave