Gear to Carry

Talking of recovery gear, make sure you carry a few essentials. Cheap tow ropes you get at the local DIY motorist's shop are simply not up to it. A nylon three-strand rope, 24mm in diameter and 4.5 metres long, with a 12-tonne minimum breaking strain, is your most useful general towing rope. The stretch factor that you get with nylon takes all the shock and jolting out of the towing operation. And before now I've pulled a 38-tonner off a dangerous bend on the road with one of these.

The second heavy-duty rope is the Kinetic Energy Recovery Rope (KERR), which I developed, with Marlow in the mid-80s, for light-skinned military vehicles. It is a special nylon 8 strand (four lying one way and four the other) rope, again 24mm in diameter, but eight metres between sleeved eyes with a 12-tonne minimum breaking strain. Before use, check the safety instructions, as these can be dangerous if used incorrectly.

A KERR rope being used for light recovery

Carry a Jackall high lift jack and an adaptor if necessary and a plywood base for soft ground use, to change wheels or jack a stuck vehicle up out of deep ruts. You can use one as a short pull winch using a couple of alloy chains and shackles. And with a top clamp you can also use the high lift to either spread or clamp items.

Carry a shovel, preferably a pointed-mouth type, which can often come in useful. My personal preference is a good metal-handled spade, ideal for digging out a rock, filling a rut or digging yourself out. When changing a wheel use the shovel to lift it onto the studs, making the operation much easier.

Carry a couple of shackles, no less than ¾ inch, preferably one 'D' and one large Bow. For towing and attaching, these are invaluable. When greenlaning I carry a bow saw, machete and a pair of long-handled pruners to cut any overhanging undergrowth.

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