Recovery discussion

[ZomBrady]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned tying lines together? A double-half-hitch won't jam up, is easy to make, and is great under load, and most importantly, you can adjust the length of your tow strap to optimum length. You can connect two tow straps via a double half hitch run through another double half hitch or just the eyelet of the other strap. No hooks, no metal, minimal weight. Am I missing something here?

And as for the trail safety thing, I don't have a problem telling someone that they are doing something potentially dangerous and what not. And it follows that I shouldn't have a problem with what's required to keep me, my family and others safe as the situation ditates.

 

[etaniyani]

speaking of all this trail safety, we went up to azusa canyon earlier today, by the time i got there, around 12, police were at the bottom of the road before you could even get into the mountains. Soon as we got there, i saw a medical helicopter leaving the mountain area. I didn't get any details but obviously someone got injured pretty bad and they closed the whole canyon. Many people dont take safety into consideration especially in the canyon. When someone is towing another truck out, people dont even move out of the way, theyre standing like 15ft away from the ropes with a very large chance of it snapping and hitting someone, which is probably what happened to this person today. If the rope looks torn in any way, dont use it, make sure before you go off road that you have the proper tow points.

 

[Ed A. Stevens]

Id like to know if there is a proper way to attach two straps without choking them together, and making a permanent really long strap. I have a couple of those in my garage, that my kid's used to pull a juniper bush out of the yard...from the street.

-Dan

Joining snatch straps can be safely linked with a D-ring or clevis, but only if the metal is wrapped with a heavy jacket or blanket. The heavy wrap does a few things: it provides cushion when the buckle impacts something and it provides both wind drag and dampening to lower the velocity of the whipping effect.

The recommended safe method is to bundle the clevis and hang heavy blankets on either side of the connection. When the choice is a muddy jacket or blanket, or a safe pull, remember the jacket mess can be washed (much easier than washing up a person). Hang what ever you have at hand on the strap (even wet jeans work, something to tell the girlfriend ... all in the interest of safety).

The method to tie two straps together with a wood dowel (a short piece of closet rod) will help get the straps apart, but the same care to bundle and dampen the link should be observed.

Even the weight of looped together strap ends have enough mass to break a windshield (or put a fair dent in a steel fender and take out a headlight, one of my friends personal experience after a strap failed at Laguna Percebu in Baja).

This is the same principle and advice that should be observed when winching (hank soft mass on the cable to dampen the whip effect).

 

[MJR]

Why would you need anything to connect two straps together? If you have loop ends just loop one through the other, problem solved.

I/we (at the LOST KJ event in Moab) did run across someone out on the trail this year that wasn't part of our group. Two vehicles (a 70's Ford extra cab truck and a stock Cherokee) went down the entrance to Hell's Gate, then turned around and tried climbing back out the same way they went in. The Cherokee didn't seem to have a problem but the Ford came close to going on its side and couldn't make it all the way out. Our group came over to see what was going on. They tried to drive the Ford out but finally had to pull it. Here's where the saftey part comes in. The Cherokee backed down to hook to the Ford. The guy pulls out a friggin CHAIN and hooks it to the Ford's front leaf spring shackle and then connects the other end to the Cherokee's rear leaf spring shackle and not the tow hitch (find out why later). Our group offered to get him a strap or to winch the Ford out but he said "oh that chain will never break" (lucky for them it didn't today). He refused insisted help so we backed up to watch. His wife driving the Cherokee tried to pull the Ford a few times (once the Ford almost pulled the Cherokee back down to the bottom) before he got upset and told his wife to get out and he would do it. So she gets out and then pulls a kid out of a child seat in the back. This really pissed off our group. So he gets in and gasess it getting the Ford up and luckily not breaking a chain today but it will happen someday. Oh and the reason he didn't hook the one end to the factory tow hitch on the Cherokee was he had already ripped out the two saftey chain loops in it!. Here's some photos on the dumbass.

 

[djblade311]

geez....nice. especially when the kid was involved. grr

 

[Lion Grrrrr]

Here's a wright up about flying clevis :exclamati :exclamati



Hartland, Michigan

Posted October 10, 2004 12:11 AM
My best friend Died today at age of 37 over a basic simple mistake!
We where at our truckwars/mudbog for The Moonlight stompers On Duffield RD.

After he broke his front end he decided to still play in 2wd. I had left and didn't see it happen but what happened was everyone got in hurry and lots of trucks stuck with dozers and 6" straps all over the place ...
David was an advocate of safety but we'll never know what went through his head this time... But they broke the cardinal rule of Hooking 2 (small) 3" straps together with a Clevis (which is like a rocket and what killed him) and David was unfortunate to have the brand new strap on his Jeep (they where out of 6" straps that day so he bought a 3") so when the strap let loose from the other Jeep while David was turned around looking backwards being pulled out from the back...The Clevis hit him in the head and killed him instantly..
He was the nicest man I know and would do anything for anyone!
He was survived by his Wife and 5 yr old Son Both where there the wife seen it happen the son still doesn't know and wont be told until tomorrow!
I will post funeral arrangements tomorrow and would request that anyone who cares PLEASE Show up and pay respects to his family..
He died doing what he loved best and the wife said it would be a blessing to her to see all his friend show support!
He was the man that came Up to Grandma’s and yogi’s with me....and if anyone has a picture of us in the Jeep AT ALL could you post it here so we can print it out ...we are doing a collage of him and his Jeep for his wife and also a video of him at all our mud bogs!
We will set up a trust fund for his wife at a later date! I will repost all this info when I get back in town or have my wife do it all because I'm going away for work for 4 weeks But I will get the info to you!
Any donations would be great! Also all videos of that bog and of the video of just him will go to his wife!

SO please use this as a warning and be more careful of using to small of a strap while pulling out people. And try to never use a Clevis in the middle..
David knew this but failed to do it this one time probabley figuring he wasn't stuck back and it would be ok and he paid for it with his Life!


In loving Memory of David Wycoff
Aug 19th 1967- Oct 9th 2004
I was with him all day...we where partners in our truck wars and after the games where over we started the mud bog. He and I pulled a few people out ( we both always loved to do that) we decided to take a run at a hard hole we knew would be a merical to cross. That even 49's go down in! We ran through that hole and went down so hard it bent both leave springs and pushed that shackles back and broke the front drive shaft! So true to sprit Of Dave went up to the garage and change out the front U joint and also the front axle yoke since it was half dead and mostly to blame why the front shaft broke all the time! so we got it all fixed up while My wife is on My Nextel (2 way cell) because she wanted me to come home since it was my last day to see her for 4 weeks!... but it was early so I kept putting it off and having fun! and told her I was going to watch Dave go through one more time because Marie (his wife) was going to drive.... she went right out and drove through a different hole and snapped the Out put shaft on the 205 t-case! All the mean time we were joking about how we just fixed it and she broke it and she was joking and saying it was our cobble job that didn't hold up! So the shackles did it again and after prying them back we decide we couldn’t hurt it any farther so I got in the skid steer and pushed the Jeep down ward to unbend the springs by pushing down on both side of the bumper......it worked! then a huge truck got stuck and the dozer couldn’t get it out so we used my winch on the front of his Jeep and went up to the dozer blade as and anchor and winched him out while the wife was bitching again...So I left my winch duties in his hands and said have fun See ya in 4 weeks. I will call you when I get back!. I went and met my wife at my mother house so I could get a hair cut! Get it all done and was down stairs when My 2 way went off and them yelling for me to hurry up and get back their ..So when I asked what’s up my other friend told me what happened... I threw my cloths back on ( couldn’t go in moms all muddy) and drove about 70 MPH on the dirt road! Since he was about 15 miles away all the while Aaron telling me it doest look go to just hurry up and get there..... Took the ambulance so long to respond ( not that it mattered because he died instantly with out a doubt) that I seen the cops and ambulance pull in 1/4 mile before me! and helped his wife as was putting her in my car to follow the ambulance they walked up to me after I closed the door A guy walks up and hugged me and said (words I will never forget)" BROTHER THEY PERNOUNCED HIM DOA AND WON'T BE TAKING HIM TO THE HOSPITAL BUT TO HURLY" and his dad showed up and while I was waiting for the right time to tell them David was already pronounced DOA some dip**** cop walks up and says it with a strait face that his was Dead and their was nothing they could do and they both fell to the ground.... what a saddle way to tell some one their loved one was dead!

Not to be sick but more to get a point across!

(Edited so his MOM could read)

I’m just thankful that the once that where close by helped him right away and seen what he looked like and stopped Marie before she could get there I seen him after wards. She doesn’t want that picture in her head! I know I don't
She wanted to go in and see him and I told her that she wanted to remeber Dave how he was not how he is!
Our friend in the truck stuck next to him was watching him Heard the Snap and in a split second seen it hit Dave and he slumped right over and never moved again!
So many variables would have stopped this...
None of which I know is anyone’s felt and I’m not beating my self up for this... It was just his time and no one could have stopped it!



Sorry to ramble on but it helps me to talk about it and maybe it will safe some lives .....God does things for a reason!





Regards,

Tom Severin, President

Badlands Off Road Adventures, Inc

310-374-8047

http://www.4x4training.com

Drive the Adventure!


Happy 4 th and party1: safe

By the way if you like to learn about winching Tom is having a class in couple week's

http://www.4x4training.com/winch.html

Lion

 

[TheWarWagon]

speaking of all this trail safety, we went up to azusa canyon earlier today, by the time i got there, around 12, police were at the bottom of the road before you could even get into the mountains. Soon as we got there, i saw a medical helicopter leaving the mountain area. I didn't get any details but obviously someone got injured pretty bad and they closed the whole canyon. Many people dont take safety into consideration especially in the canyon. When someone is towing another truck out, people dont even move out of the way, theyre standing like 15ft away from the ropes with a very large chance of it snapping and hitting someone, which is probably what happened to this person today. If the rope looks torn in any way, dont use it, make sure before you go off road that you have the proper tow points.

Ken and I were both stuck in this mess. We made it to about 1/2 mile behind the accident. An old Toyota Landcruiser took one of the turns too quickly, and rolled down a 100' embankment. From what I heard, nobody died, and the injuries were not life threatening. The shutdown had nothing to do with the OHV area, but there was at least one rollover inside the OHV yesterday. Azusa Canyon can be very scary at times, which is why I steer clear of people getting pulled out.
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