Self Recovery Gear?

Wasn't sure what forum...so here goes.

So this fall I'll be spending a lot of solo time hunting up in northern Maine. In the past, I've generally been with at least another vehicle, so my recovery gear was pretty limited:

- Recovery straps of various lengths (these stretch)
- 4 ton come along (2:1)
- Hi Lift jack
- folding shovel
- traction pads

Now I don't plan on getting stuck (who really does), but I want/need some new/additional items for self recovery.

I'm thinking the following would be a good basic kit:

Couple of snatch blocks?

Is it better to go with cable extensions of various lengths for the come along? Or go with non stretchable straps? Thinking the cables would be better to use with snatch blocks.

If I go with straps, how do you connect 2 together? Just loop the ends together....no metal hooks for certain.

A couple of tree straps?

A couple of 3/4" D shackles?

Any input is welcome....thanks!

 

Is a winch out of the question? A come along will do work. If you are not in a hurry to get out.

Sounds like you have everything else.

 

Yes...winch isn't an option at this time. I'm ok with the come along as I'm not doing hard core off roading...I figure if I'm stuck it won't take much to nudge me out.

My come along has 12' of cable...so I don't know if I should get an extension section of cable so I can use it & be more flexible with the snatch blocks, or try a few different lengths of good non flexible tow straps (30', 20' & 10') to allow for possible scenarios.

 

I've been stuck a few times in northern maine and I'm always alone when it happens. You can use the shackles to connect the straps, best way to do it. Have one shackle for each point of connection, a shackle for the snatch block to strap, a shackle for strap to truck, a shackle for rope to rope connections. Two snatch blocks is good they make it easier to run your gear and can increase your pulling power, and snatch blocks and shackles are two things it never hurts to have extra of. I have one snatch block and sometimes I need to get creative, wish I had two maybe three. Your come along sounds like mine. It has 12ft of cable but only about 6ft of it is 4 ton because you cant use the block hook on the cable when running out all 12ft.

Now straps are good for vehicle to vehicle pulls, anchoring snatch blocks to trees and connecting the come along to the truck. They don't work good running through snatch blocks. So now you could run wire cable or winch rope. I use winch rope because it's easier to store in the truck. I keep 140ft of it in the truck and have had to use it all plus a 20ft strap and the 12ft of cable on my come along. Now if I had an extra snatch block or two and some more shackles I could have done it easer.

It's a good idea to have more rope than you think you will need. Sometimes the trees aren't close to where you get stuck or you need to get creative with your pull.

This is where I bought my rope and shackles. The have ropes with an eye on each end that works good for what you want to do with it. http://amsteelblue.com/

Here's a few pictures of a stuck from this april. The front got down into the ditch and just stayed there, good layer of ice under the snow. If kept backing up I would have hit a stream and going forwards would have just put the whole truck in the ditch. The good trees were spread out and given the lengths of rope and strap I had this was the setup I came up with for pulling the truck back up on the road. I don't mind wrapping a strap around itself and that's what I did on the anchor tree for the snatch block. I also used the strap to suck up the gains I made with the come along. I put heavy shirt on the blue rope where it went around the anchor tree to protect the tree and rope.

Using a come along to get a truck out of the ditch takes time. I had to load the come along up as much as I could and then back the truck up because the come along would not pull it right out of the ditch, but it did help me back straight up out of the ditch.

 

Awesome info...just what I was looking for. I had seen that winch rope (but didn't know if it would go through the snatch block) and will go that route, with some short straps thrown in for trees, etc.

Thanks!!!