[Probably the wrong sub forum]

Forgive my ignorance on this subject.

Very occasionally I am asked to pull a car out of a ditch. Up until recently I didn't even have a way to attach a recovery strap so I was never able to help. BTW, I am not actively looking for people to pull out, but every time we get 1/4" of snow here all my pals go diving into the ditch for some reason and the entire state shuts down for days.

All I have is a 4x2 4.6L (LS diff) and the factory hitch package.

Last week I bought this:

http://www.warn.com/truck/accessories/shackle.shtml

and the matching hitch pin.

So now I have a hook for the rear of the truck. The front of my truck has no tow hooks. (Yet.)

I figure all I need to do now is get a recovery strap. Which of these should I get? The shackle is 3/4" if that matters:

http://www.warn.com/truck/accessorie...y_straps.shtml

BTW, I have read numerous threads here about safe vehicle extraction, and when I was in the military we did a pile of vehicle extractions although they were usually by helicopter. I have seen a few minor accidents so I am approaching this with a "safety first" point of view. I got winged by a broken flying strap once and it put a hurting on me like you wouldn't believe.

My final question is I understand the recovery strap has loops on both ends than you just put the loop into the shackle of both vehicles, but what do you do if it is an ordinary car with no tow hooks? Loop it around the axle in a cow hitch?

Any links or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

Looking at your options, I'd go with the cheaper 3"x30" strap. The way I look at it, there is always a weakest link; you don't want it to be your strap. If you use it carefully, you should never need the anti-tear part of the more expensive strap. You should also get a second clevis to miximize your options.

Yes, you can tear off a bumper (or more) if you're not careful. Pulling cars out of ditches is not a fun job, especially if it is not your job. Do it safely.

good luck -jim

 

Get a strap without any hooks. You can use a shackle to attach it to a car or just wrap it around something and put one end through the other to cinch it up.

 

I found a FAQ at (gasp) a Tundra forum.

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/133290-post7/

Scrolling down to the nylon strap section, does all that sound legit?

WRT a second shackle, I can't picture how it would be used. (I know, I'm a noob.)