Recovery kits

XBull 11 piece kit , looks like a solid kit for a great price ! Anyone using this kit?

 

I'm also looking for input on recommended recovery kits. I'm considering the following:

http://www.pelfreybilt.com/product/mean-mother-8-piece-recovery-kit/

$421 ARB Premium Recovery Kit - RK9

https://www.4wheelparts.com/Winches...eRq8MjHC8hw_KEzvwwkrGilsbpbsrCchoC3RsQAvD_BwE

 

Do you have a winch?

 

@Pella haven’t decided on winch model yet. Front bumper order going-in soon. I found good pricing on the Mean Mother Kits on CarID.com; 225 shipped for the MMKIT09

The MMKIT09 is about the same price as building an a la carte kit when pricing similar spec’d components.

 

Make your own kit part by part. I think I carry 5 straps, 6+ shackles, 50' synthetic winch extension line, 2 snatch blocks, fire starter kit, and whatever else I can't think of at the moment in a pelican type gun case that I have less into than the ARB kit.

 

I would rather piece together my own kit using the best components I can.

 

I also piece my own equipment. I make sure there isn’t a single weak link.

I would definitely check on the rating of those straps if you plan to get a kit. I spend almost a 1/3 if that price for straps alone.

 

Do you have details or links for what you have? I’ll be getting the smittybilt x20 winch in the near future.

 

That’s what I’m getting =]. Having it delivered same time as my front bumper. Synthetic line.

 

I’m just waiting a few weeks and will put my order in when I get the sso slimline. The x20 seems to be good and fairly priced.

 

It's mostly what I have collected over time or when I seen a bargain. The case is a Plano gun case, because I'm not going to use my actual Pelicans on gear except for guns. About 55-60 on Amazon during a blow out sale. My winch extension was from eBay. A logger ordered the wrong thing and I picked at 1/3 cost. My snatch blocks were new/ old stock of .mil surplace and are rated at an ungodly amount but still small and light weight for 35-40 apiece from eBay also. Good deals can be had if you shop, and buy stuff before you need it. Because when you need it, it's never on sale or you have to pay local price to not wait for shipping.

And anytime you go past a barn sale then stop. Or a garage sale if you see guy stuff out. The good shackles, from years past is how I got most of mine for a buck or 2. Baby shit or woman's stuff filling up the front yard? Keep on trucking.

 

The MMKIT09 kit meets all my desired specs. I purchased via eBay with a cashback offer. I'm not interested in purchasing used recovery gear with an unknown history and the amount I might save on piecing it together is minimal considering the CarID eBay price of 225.00

MMKIT09 includes:
1x 8000kg Australian made snatch strap (will add a Wheeler's 3" strap later)
1 x 8000kg Winch ext strap 10m x 50mm
1x 12000kg tree trunk protector (3mm x 75mm)
1 x 8000kg snatch block
2 x 5 tonne bow shackles
1 x Pair of gloves
1 x Heavy duty storage bag

Mean Mother has several different kits, which allows you to choose your strap ratings:
https://www.meanmother.com.au/recoveryequipment.php

 

These "kits" are a good place to start if you are starting from scratch and are on a budget. usually, though, these kits come with lower quality pieces (to hit a certian price point), so there's always quality to be gained by getting individual pieces.

But also think about how often you intend to use these things. Are you the type to go hard and end up stuck all the time? Then go all out on the highest quality stuff you can, and get the strongest stuff you can. But if you are a normally conservative driver, and just want a few items that will help you out of an occasional bind, a minimal kit isn't such a bad idea. Maybe a couple tow straps and a hi-lift jack will do you fine.

 

Yep. As long as they are decently rated many will be fine. You have a higher chance of being injured by misuse of equipment vs a decent strap compared to ARB. So make sure you watch some good videos online and use the stuff like it's meant to be used.

I had cheaper straps that I'd use most of the time and rarely pulled out any of the ARB stuff until i actually needed it.

As far as the Plano cases, keep an eye on them. Both of mine suddenly filled up with water on a few occasions even though the gasket seemed fine all the way around. So if you have stuff up there that shouldn't get wet, put it in another container as a bit of safety.

 

agreed. It's best to take your new gear out into the wilderness of your front yard and practice using the stuff in a controlled environment. You don't want to be learning how to use it when your truck is high centered on an off camber ascent.

 

I have pieced together my recovery kit recently. Everything was purchased through Amazon. So far, this is what Ive gotten.

Rhino USA D shackle receiver -$30
Rhino USA 3”x 30 feet strap- $40
Rhino USA 3”x 20feet strap- $30
Rhino USA 2x D shackles - $20
ARB large recovery bag - $58

I don't have a winch but should I need to be winched out, I don't expect the person helping me to use his gear to get me out. So in a few days I’m getting these:

ARB tree trunk saver 3”x 10’ -$40
Smitty built snatch block -$31

 

The shackle receivers are mostly a waste... It is just as easy to put the strap into the receiver and put a hitch pin through it.

But extra shackles are always good to have, and in different sizes. I carried a few smaller ones since there are times when a 3/4" shackle won't fit, and then you are screwed. Soft shackles are great for this as well but a solid one is much better if you have to put it around something sharp.

And remember that you can make your own winch out of a hi lift jack. I've used it on a few different occasions when that was the only hope (and it worked).

The last one was when i hit deep mushy snow and the rear started to go towards the edge. I used the hi lift to winch off my receiver in the rear sideways while i pulled it forward with the winch. Without the hi lift the rear would've continued to slide.

 

@jbrandt
@aero3685

From my research it seems the Mean Mother stuff is on-par with ARB and other reputable brands of recovery gear. It is not a budget line of gear; just happens to be on-sale. My use is overland with no plans for highly technical terrain, but I still want reliable gear. I'll post a feedback on the Mean Mother gear after I've had a chance to do some dry runs with it. I currently have a 60" hi-lift and will be adding a industrial strength come along or Warn m8000 or similar winch.

@Pella
FYI, I looked at the Rhino straps and just make note that they are 'towing/recovery' and not 'snatch/dynamic/recovery' straps. Hence they are not ideal for getting a vehicle unstuck since they are static straps vs dynamic. The Wheelers/ARB/Mean Mother are all dynamic. Amazon has the x-bull snatch strap which is a lower priced alternative.

@aero3685 I just follow'd you on IG; I'm planning to do Canada and AK within the next year.

 

Sweet, yeah i didn't look up that brand, was just making a general statement. I had both that full ARB kit along with a bunch of other brands of stuff. I used the shittybilt snatch block a ton, I'm not sure i even ever used the arb one.

And static vs kinetic straps both have their purpose, i used static much more than kinetic, but kinetic have their place. I was able to pull a fully modded 100 series buried in snow out with my xj just because of how the kinetic works. No way that would've happened with static in the same use.

It was a fun trip, but Canada is definitely HUGE. Scoring the right time of year is also a big part of it. I had to deal with wildfire smoke until i got north of Jasper. Then two weeks of mostly rain in Alaska. It was beautiful, but unlikely I'd do the full drive again.

I would do Inuvik instead of Deadhorse or just drive the Dalton highway to the artic circle. Great trip, much easier than most will tell you... Let your card companies know you'll be traveling so they don't deny fuel stops in the middle of nowhere, some places don't have attendants so cash won't help unless you can pay someone else to buy it for you. Always have extra fuel once you leave the beaten path... It'll save you lots of headaches.

When I went exploring off the top of the world highway, I got stuck maybe 30 minutes east of the Alaska border... Took a few hours to get out (permafrost is weird stuff to drive on when you don't know, goes from a tiny bit of mud to nasty mud pit in no time)

But i used my full length of winch line, a 50 and a 30ft strap to be able to reach one tiny tree that barely held. Of course... Taking less risk would keep you free of those situations, but it's not called an adventure for nothing. I kept a safety margin, but that still made me dig out on quite a few occasions.

 

@atxboug

Another tidbit... I spent a bit of time working out an on board shower option.

It was much easier to take showers in gyms/swimming centers/laundromats/climbing gyms or campgrounds (even if you aren't staying there). Anywhere from a dollar to $10 for a day pass plus showers. If i did it again I'd do a 12v heating element in a simple shower tank/shower head setup and run it while i was driving.

I had almost 20 gallons of storage and it was more than plenty. It's not like going across Australia, you're usually near something.