|
recovery
1 Attachment(s)
Well first off... i have been a silent member for a while now - just doing some research on what to do with the runner...
I must say i have never been so pleased with a vehicle as i have been with this one! Currently we are enroute to alaska driving the alcan. both my wife and i are towing fully loaded 6x12 uhaul trailers with a combined fully loaded weight of 9500 lbs. My rig (stock 4runner limited) doesnt even seem to be fazed! Yesterday my wife hit a slick patch of road and wiped around a few times then the momentum of her trailer took her into the ditch. i pulled over and unhooked the trailer and started getting the recovery gear ready... there was no way i could unhook her trailer and do it one by one so i had to pull her hooked up. Boy was i impressed!!! dropped her in 4lo and low gear then went in to get her - got her out with little issue. The point of the post is to ask for advise or tips for recovery - as we are going to alaska im sure there are many things to do with her! |
Getting Unstuck Technique IMHO: When using 4lo (or 4hi) to get unstuck lock the center differential. It'll allow you to have full control of the engine output. If the center diff isn't locked the VSC will cut the power way back. In delicate, low-speed, low-traction situations I think 'we' can do better than the nanny systems.
This may ignite a flame war but "when I was a boy" we used to do better in the snow by selecting a higher gear. It reduces the torque making it easier to control the spin. Another term is tractable, the rpm will go up and down a bit instead of holding exactly constant rpm even when the vehicle doesn't maintain a constant speed. That helps maintain the traction rather than break traction. In standard shifts it was common to feather the clutch and start out in 2nd gear when it was very slippery. Many auto's that have a 'winter' button take off in 2nd or 3rd when the button is pushed. If the surface was the type where some spin was desirable to burn down to better traction the higher gear helped with that too. So... If I was stuck in the snow I would lock the center diff, try gentle throttle application* in 4hi and maybe some rocking back and forth. That's just me... Off-roading with rock and mud involved 4lo is probably more desirable. The slower wheelspeed afforded by 4lo is generally very desirable in the off-roading scenario. *I say gentle because of another thing. The ATRAC loses effectiveness at high power settings and RPM's above 2500 or so. You want the ATRAC function helping out as it provides the limited-slip functionality for the axles. Recovery: Here the assumption is the pulling vehicle has fairly good traction. 4lo is a great choice for the pulling vehicle. The torque multiplication and lower wheel speeds make it ideal for pulling a stuck vehicle. Pull from the front or back? Pulling from the front is done, I have done it but it has some serious short comings. IMHO it should only be done slowly, gently and for easy pulls. Based on the pic I might have pulled the 4Runner out from the front. It would really depend on how much traction the tow vehicle had. If I had good traction and I suspected no yanking/snatching would be required I might consider it. My point is don't do it but never say never... What's wrong with pulling from the front? 1) A device in the trailer hitch receiver is stronger than the hooks and much stronger than a single front hook. 2) The trailer receiver won't 'tweak' the right-to-left frame rail alignment like hooking up to one front tow hook could; especially true if you're yanking/snatching. 3) The axles can handle more torque pulling forward due to the angle cut gears which are designed to run 'forward' not 'backwards'. The transmission is better off going forward too. 4) If you break a strap, a shackle or are using a less than ideal 'tow-rope' (with metal hooks) it can whip fast and smack the front of the vehicle. Will it break the windshield and kill you? Maybe, maybe not. Could the same thing happen through the rear window? Maybe but less likely IMHO (even though the glass is weaker there's seat's etc in the way). Here's my main point for pulling from the rear: When the strap breaks and stuff flies all over it messes up the back of my car. Pulling from the front may launch a broken hook/shackle through my radiator leaving me with 2 stranded vehicles. Gear: A true recovery strap is the single most important piece of equipment. You may want two as often times they are shorter. Of course, it is worthless without a good way to connect it to the 4Runner and the vehicle that's pulling (or vice-versa in most cases:bigok: ). You need a couple of good, appropriately rated shackles for the front tow eyes and a shackled receiver insert. IMHO, there's varying grades of this equipment. I believe in good equipment but I know that doesn't always happen. What's important is HD enough to handle a sharp 'tug' on your 4800lb 4Runner (that assumes some stuff in the Runner). I also know there's a balance due to space limitations. None of us want to ride with a vehicle full of stuff but we all want to have exactly what we need. There's a great thread on winter survival stuff here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/genera...ival-pack.html Below are some links to the type of recovery equipment I was talking about. Many of the 4 wheel-drive houses have pre-packaged kits and very high quality kits. The stuff below will get the job done and give you some ideas. Amazon.com: recovery strap: Automotive If this link 'times-out' go to amazon and search "recovery strap" in the search window. Also scan the bottom where it says, "Customers Who Bought Items in Your Recent History Also Bought". You'll see D-rings and other good stuff including a "Receiver Shackle Bracket". I'm not saying Amazon is the right place to buy but it's a good place to shop... |
okay thanks... any input on techniek?? a canadian that was driving by said to pull it out with my nose instead of the tail.... but by the time he said that i had her on level driving ground.... why would he say that??
|
Quote:
|
Good on you on a "REAL" road trip. I'm still trying to plan mine.
I read that you were getting your tow kit ready. So this info might be known to you already, but it doesn’t hurt to share it. It will benefit someone where. One thing that I have learned and would like to share with you is that a "tow rope" does not stretch and it is used for towing and not recovery. You should not use this kind of cord/rope for recovery, especially if it has hooks on the ends of it. Those likely are also not rated and might break off and go flying into the air hopefully not into your body or face. Use a real rated "snatch strap",it has some elasticity. When you attach this cord and you pull on it, the cord/strap will stretch. This makes it so that it is not such a heavy blow to the truck when it is tugged, and also the stored energy in the stretching of the cord needs to go somewhere; the cord will want to re-compress or recoil, and so it will actually help to pull the stuck truck out of it's "stuckness" Don't tie cords in a knot around a tow hook recovery point. Instead these Snatch straps will have a loop at the ends. Attachment 23768 Pass that loop into a rated "Bow Shackle or D ring", Attachment 23769 do not use the "D" rings you get a hardware store they are not rated and might break apart under the pressure. Also If your truck has 2 recovery points in the front and in the rear, well you can also attach a shackle to each one of those 2 infront or rear. Then pass a recovery strap between the shackles to link them together, and attach the towing snatch strap in the middle of the strap linking the 2 shackles together to spread the load, so that you are not pulling your truck up from just one corner. You can also get a receiver shackle that fits into your hitch.Attachment 23771 Attachment 23772If the snatch strap is used in muddy or very dirty area when you get a chance you should wash it up with water so that the dirt and mud doesn't become hardened around the strap which will cause the strap to lose elasticity. Slow, steady and gentle is the name of the game here. With the proper straps and attachment points this is made much safer and with that proper snatch rope you will let the elasticity in the rope do the work for you. You might also want to get a chain with hooks. Attachment 23770 But Never ever use a chain for recovery. But if you come across something in the road like a tree branch or some other debris you don't want to drive over you can attach the chain around it and pull it out of the way. Use the chain instead of the tow straps or snatch straps so that the straps don't get scuffed up and then begin to rip up. What I am still needing to figure out being that it's still only a couple of weeks that I have my 4runner, is if the 2 recovery points I can see under my 4th Generation 2003 4Runner Sport are solid enough to be pulled from, or do the pulling. Are the factory rated and can be used for some heavy pulling. Or are these just for show, and light duty but not really off of the road, pull me out of a ditch kind of pulling. Good luck, have a good time in Alaska. |
Quote:
RE: hooks. Everyone says to avoid straps with hooks. I don't see anything overly wrong with the hooks themselves if they are appropriately rated. I think the main issue is that in general, straps that come with hooks are not strong. Quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_death_triangle - why not to use this method http://www.climbing.com/print/techtips/tttrad224/ - second sketch (left) shows the prefered way to equalize a load between two anchors Quote:
Great post with lots of good information. I agree it with everyting you said except the above points. I will also add that you entire recovery system is only as strong as it's weekest link. A super strong strap is of little benefit if your harware is not at least as strong. It is my opion that the strap itself should be the weakest link. If the strap breaks you have a peice of nylon flying through the air. If a piece of harware breaks you have a piece of metal flying through the air. |
Awsome info.. Thanks... this will come in handy. and like i said i am very impressed with the 4runner! this was my frist Real 'in the sh*t' however i might have miss stated what i ment to say - i was the 4runner, that was recovering my wife in the trailblazer which ended in the ditch. we both are towing a trailer and as you see i droped mine and pulled her still attached to the trailer. combined total weight fully loaded 9500 lbs... very impressed!!!
Once again - thankyou for your advice! anyone in anchorage area? |
Quote:
|
Quote:
Good snatch straps are expensive. Tow ropes are not. If you're trying to pull a car a mile down the road most don't want to use the expensive snatch strap as it will inevitably get dragged on the road and torn up a bit. Most 'tow ropes' are so cheap you can almost view them as disposable. |
Since we are talking recovery and pulling and safety...While I don't own a winch whenever I've seen one in operation usually they put some sort of dampener like a heavy leather bag equipment might be stored in, or an old heavy coat onto the line. Would anyone say this technique is recommended for when pulling or tugging with a snatch strap or tow rope? The weight is supposed to keep the line from flying all over the place, but instead be pushed down to the ground.
|
Quote:
|
From what I've read, people cover metal wire winch lines because if it breaks, it becomes a deadly whip. Synthetic rope lines tend to just fall on the ground when they break, so most don't cover them.
|
A couple reasons you dont need to cover a recovery strap. It is Nylon and if the strap fails it will most likely fall to ground or have minimal snap, whipping. What you need to worr about is if the hook or shackle fails but stays attached to strap then it gives the weight and projectile to cause injury/ damage. For this reason you never conect 2 straps together with a shackle. If you need to link two straps together you feed them through each other. Also it is highly likely that if you do try putting a damper on the strap to keep it from flying after failure is the damper will just fall off with first jerk/ tug.
|
is that ga licesnse plate
|
yep sure was... now its an alaska plate...
|
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:44 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2026, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by
DragonByte SEO (Pro) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2026 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by
Advanced User Tagging (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2026 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
***This site is an unofficial Toyota site, and is not officially endorsed, supported, authorized by or affiliated with Toyota. All company, product, or service names references in this web site are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Toyota name, marks, designs and logos, as well as Toyota model names, are registered trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation***Ad Management plugin by RedTyger