Are You Attached

by David Bowyer

Welcome to my new pages on recovery techniques. There is a lot to write about as the subject is huge, whether your interest is Greenlaning, Off-Road competitions or simply on-road towing.

Whenever you are attaching ropes with shackles for recovering or wire rope hooks for being winched, it is vitally important to make sure that you are securing to a proper recovery point fit for the job, using BZP (Bright Zinc Plated) 8.8 high tensile bolts.

I will always remember many years ago, during ice and snow, I passed a Reliant Scimitar that had slid off the road into the verge. I naturally stopped with our Range Rover and offered my help.

Out came my tow rope which I duly attached to the Range Rover's tow ball. I asked the Reliant driver where he wished me to attach the rope to on his vehicle as there was no front recovery point. He said "It's OK to secure the rope to 'that tube' under the spoiler".

This I did and asked him to let his clutch out as I started to tow him back on to the road. The only trouble was as I started to pull forward, I ripped 'that tube' out from under his vehicle! After apologising I realised that this tube was part of the fibre glass body strengthening and nowhere near good enough to tow on. I eventually carefully recovered him by securing the rope to his axle, but the moral to the story is:-

Only use designated recovery points to secure to!

Is your chassis sound?

All recovery points must be soundly constructed, and fitted in such a way that they can't spring apart or fly off if either a heavy, or Kinetic energy recovery rope is to be used. Such recoveries should be employing the use of a 'bridle' which requires recovery points attached to, or in line with each chassis leg. The use of a 'bridle' halves the load on each towing point.

This is very important, especially with an older Series vehicle or an early Range Rover. Over the years, mud, water and salt from either winter gritted roads or living in coastal areas slowly deteriorate a Land Rover chassis, usually at the front or back, just where you are going to tow from, or be towed!

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(c)Goodwinch Limited 2006