Basic Recovery Gear Setup

[Dandy Taylor]

Been spending a lot of time researching different things to add to the truck (bed rack, rock sliders, ...). It occurs to me that best thing to start with might just be getting recovery gear first. Given that, what do you guys recommend for a basic (i.e., I'm not buying a winch right out of the gate) recovery kit. What are the bare essentials?

 

[Ubiety]

Tow strap/rope and solid recovery points front and rear; shackles to make connections. Lots of people like the MaxTrax like recovery boards. If I did not already have a tow strap I would spend the extra coin on a kinetic rope for that purpose. Shovel.
Once you get a winch you will want tree saver(s) and a snatch block and possibly a sand anchor if you are in a sandy locale (I see you are in Utah).

 

[GunRunnersActual]

Maxtrax, snatch rope, tow rope, soft shackles, recovery points on the truck like a receiver hitch block, shovel, tree saver strap. Factor 55 is a good place to start. Straps and shackles won’t do much for you if you don’t have a second vehicle with you. If you are solo, a winch is basically a must when you find yourself in a situation that traction boards and shovels can’t solve

 

[Ubiety]

What I should have added is that it is going to be locale dependant. I am in the PNW and nearly always have a big tree to winch off of. In the desert I might look harder at the sand anchor and recovery boards.

 

[GunRunnersActual]

What I should have added is that it is going to be locale dependant. I am in the PNW and nearly always have a big tree to winch off of. In the desert I might look harder at the sand anchor and recovery boards.

I run the Dead Man for my earth anchor

 

[Walkers]

A come-a-long or a ratcheting strap winch are fairly inexpensive, albeit manual, winches.

 

[bgenlvtex]

Winch is the top of the list.

Don't ever put it in 4WD until you can't go further in 2WD and you will likely never need recovery gear

 

[Desert Runner]

Tow strap/rope and solid recovery points front and rear; shackles to make connections. Lots of people like the MaxTrax like recovery boards. If I did not already have a tow strap I would spend the extra coin on a kinetic rope for that purpose. Shovel.
Once you get a winch you will want tree saver(s) and a snatch block and possibly a sand anchor if you are in a sandy locale (I see you are in Utah).

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Basically what Ubiety say's, will cover the. very basics. That kinetic rope is a better option over a recovery strap. It has the ability for multiple 'pulls' vs a couple from the strap (looses it's stretch). Prices have come way down on some basic offerings (Chinese). When your ready for some upgrades, a couple of soft shackles and a couple of steel clevis' types, in case of sharp attachment points on your undercarriage.

X=Bull recovery boards or CLONES OF, will do you fine and save you a bunch of money if getting stuck is a rare probability for you. Shop around as prices vary. Places like Amazon are a good place to research products from actual users who will point out the pros and cons of the equipment. Being in the desert, trees are rare, so for me boards get the nod. The ground in many places is like concrete, so shovelling would be a last resort.

If you have a trailer hitch, get a receiver 'stinger' . Sometimes it is easier to extract and recover backwards rather than forwards. I basically have the same issue posted above....."If I did not already have a tow strap I would spend the extra coin on a kinetic rope for that purpose". This is my plan also, as I stated, prices have come down quite a bit and I plan to fix this hole in my gear soon,

What Gunrunner Actual says is good advise. If you carry a more complete kit, your options open up. This is especially true if running solo, and waiting for someone to be driving by.

 

[Dandy Taylor]

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Basically what Ubiety say's, will cover the. very basics. That kinetic rope is a better option over a recovery strap. It has the ability for multiple 'pulls' vs a couple from the strap (looses it's stretch). Prices have come way down on some basic offerings (Chinese). When your ready for some upgrades, a couple of soft shackles and a couple of steel clevis' types, in case of sharp attachment points on your undercarriage.

X=Bull recovery boards will do you fine and save you a bunch of money if getting stuck is a rare probability for you. Shop around as prices vary. Places like Amazon are a good place to research products from actual users who will point out the pros and cons of the equipment. Being in the desert, trees are rare, so for me boards get the nod. The ground in many places is like concrete, so shovelling would be a last resort.

If you have a trailer hitch, get a receiver 'stinger' . Sometimes it is easier to extract and recover backwards rather than forwards. I basically have the same issue posted above....."If I did not already have a tow strap I would spend the extra coin on a kinetic rope for that purpose". This is my plan also, as I stated, prices have come down quite a bit and I plan to fix this hole in my gear soon,

What Gunrunner Actual says is good advise. If you carry a more complete kit, your options open up. This is especially true if running solo, and waiting for someone to be driving by.

Thanks Gents. I have experienced the solo "fun". About a year and a half ago, I blew a tire about 3 hours into the desert. Not too bad until I found out my stock jack isn't tall enough to lift the truck high enough to change a tire. Took a while but my son and I got it changed. Right after getting it wrapped up, someone finally drove past. Good times. Going back out, I want to make sure that I'm better prepared. I'm in the desert as well, so not much in the way of trees. Here's what I'm looking at then,

Come-along (Winch eventually)
Hi-lift or other jack
Kinetic Strap
Recovery Points
Shackles
Traction Boards
Shovel
Deadman Earth Anchor

Sound about right?

 

[K12]

Come-along (Winch eventually)
Hi-lift or other jack
Kinetic Strap
Recovery Points
Shackles
Traction Boards
Shovel
Deadman Earth Anchor

Sound about right?

Good list and its similar to what i would recommend. Deadman eath anchor would be destination appropriate only if its something you would use in the trails you go down. I would add that for traction baords getting a total of 4 board, one for each tire. When i got stuck, in about 12" of mud, I would have been out solo if i have 4 boards instead of two. Luckily I had a friend I could tow strap up to that pulled me out with the use of the two traction boards.

My recommendation is to be prepared and KNOW how to use the recovery equipment that you have. The goal is not to get stuck but the powers of the universe will do what they will. When gping down dirt, mud, paths air down the tires and it will help keep you out of trouble. But when you get there it doesnt matter what you have if you dont know how to use it properly. Recovery boards are great, tow straps and kenetic ropes will get you out of most situations if you have someone to help you. If you are traveling solo the dynamic of necessary recovery gear changes.

 

[Ubiety]

Good list and its similar to what i would recommend. Deadman eath anchor would be destination appropriate only if its something you would use in the trails you go down. I would add that for traction baords getting a total of 4 board, one for each tire. When i got stuck, in about 12" of mud, I would have been out solo if i have 4 boards instead of two. Luckily I had a friend I could tow strap up to that pulled me out with the use of the two traction boards.

My recommendation is to be prepared and KNOW how to use the recovery equipment that you have. The goal is not to get stuck but the powers of the universe will do what they will. When gping down dirt, mud, paths air down the tires and it will help keep you out of trouble. But when you get there it doesnt matter what you have if you dont know how to use it properly. Recovery boards are great, tow straps and kenetic ropes will get you out of most situations if you have someone to help you. If you are traveling solo the dynamic of necessary recovery gear changes.

Good point! Add tire pressure gauge and compressor to the list. You can get one of those fancy air down tools but those are a convenience and not necessary. Tire plugs, tire goo, field replaceable valve stems... The list is endless for a while ;)