Front recovery points question.

[jjdbike]

Hi folks

I have a 2011 4Runner 4 wheel drive SR5. I’m a north east surf fisherman & I drive on some pretty deeply rutted soft sand. I’ll start by saying, yes I air down properly & make sure it’s in 4wd. I also drive slowly and carefully. I have yet to be really stuck, although I’ve been in a couple close calls w/ my pervious Xterra. I do not plan on getting stuck but unexpected things can & do happen & people do make mistakes ( I make them all of the time). I want to be as prepared as possible just in case.

That being said, I’m getting a heavy duty shackle bracket & D-ring shackle for rear OEM hitch.

I installed a Curt front hitch. It’s rated for 350 lb max tong weight, 3000 max trailer weight & 9000lb straight pull.

When on the beach I will have a cooler & rod rack locked in to the reciever. The front hitch also has two steel rings or loops welded onto the bottom of the bar. One on each side of the bar (right & left latterally). Considering Murphy’s law, If I get stuck it’ll be on a pitch black night in a noreaster w/ cold sideways sleet. I don’t want to have to mess w/ unlocking and removing the rack and installing the shackle bracket.

My original plan was to use a bridal attatching to each of these loops welded to the reciever bar. The rack rides really high so it wouldn’t interfere w/ the bridal.

My problen is I didn’t trust that those loops were strong enough, but I couldn’t find any other place to attach to the frame in the front as the front hitch used every available attachment point that I can see. I called Curt and they said “they are strong enough because that’s what they were designed for”. Still not convinced I took it to my local body shop. He also couldn’t find any other appropriate looking frame attachment locations from the front. He also said that the way those loops are welded to the hitch bar that they are strong enough to use as a recovery point. He said he thought the hitch bar would bend before the welds would break.

I was reassured until I saw something online quoting “ASR’s Site". It said that "The shock loads developed can multiply the force applied many times, so that a stuck truck requiring a 10,000 lb steady pull to free, can cause a shock-load of 50 000 lbs if jerked or yanked suddenly.” It also recomended a recovery rope that was two or three times the GVW of the vehicle. Since mine loaded is probably 6500 or better, that would be 19500. Then they go on to recomend a kenetic recovery rope rated at 33,500 for vehicles like mine.

Now back to my original question, would you trust attatching a Kenetic recovery rope of 33,500 by way of bridal to welded loops on a front hitch rated at 9000 lb max straight pull? I don’t see any other viable options at this point.

Opinions, suggestion and advice appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
JD

 

[85RedRunner]

Pics help...

But, no..I wouldn't use those welded loops for snatching.

You say that you don't see any other viable options..but removing the rack and putting that shackle in there would be it. The recovery rope is nice, but comes with a very inflated price. You will be perfectly fine with 99% of the 3" - 4" recovery straps...and if you're still not convinced, you can have 2 or 3 extra ones for the price of one "rope".

Do not use a "tow" strap.. or anything with metal hooks on the ends. All bystanders need to stay back at least the distance of the strap (radius).. and it's a good idea to have some weight draped over the middle of the strap.

If all else fails, get recovered from the rear.

 

[jwkilgore]

Maybe I'm missing something, but what about the two OEM recovery points? On my 2011 SR5 they are heavy steel loops welded under the frame. Or does the receiver mount to or obscure those hoops?

Personally I'd contact Curt directly. The hoops on either side of a hitch receiver are typically only for connecting the back-up safety chains, and as such probably aren't rated for full pulling force. Yes, they've got to be strong enough to hold if the trailer comes off the ball, but that's a long way from the force of a snatch when stuck in soft sand.

Another problem with snatching from a hitch shackle is that all the load is carried through the receiver hitch pin. I've seen several videos where the pin failed and sent the hitch flying, sometimes through the windshield of the vehicle being snatched (or the rear window of someone trying to snatch you using a front-hitch). So be careful with the hitch shackle you have for the rear. The 4Runner also has factory recovery points welded to the rear of the frame. Use a D-ring attached to those before you use a ring attached to a hitch.

Also, yes, snatching can greatly magnify the force on the vehicle. This is why you aren't supposed to snatch using chains or tow straps. Only use stretchy or semi-stretchy straps or ropes rated for snatching or recovery. You can get a 30,000-lb recovery strap for $30-$50, but a usable-length kinetic rope is considerably more expensive. You can also use a short 10' kinetic rope spliced with a soft shackle (gator jaw) to a longer snatch strap.

 

[jjdbike]

Maybe I'm missing something, but what about the two OEM recovery points? On my 2011 SR5 they are heavy steel loops welded under the frame. Or does the receiver mount to or obscure those hoops?

Personally I'd contact Curt directly. The hoops on either side of a hitch receiver are typically only for connecting the back-up safety chains, and as such probably aren't rated for full pulling force. Yes, they've got to be strong enough to hold if the trailer comes off the ball, but that's a long way from the force of a snatch when stuck in soft sand.

Another problem with snatching from a hitch shackle is that all the load is carried through the receiver hitch pin. I've seen several videos where the pin failed and sent the hitch flying, sometimes through the windshield of the vehicle being snatched (or the rear window of someone trying to snatch you using a front-hitch). So be careful with the hitch shackle you have for the rear. The 4Runner also has factory recovery points welded to the rear of the frame. Use a D-ring attached to those before you use a ring attached to a hitch.

Also, yes, snatching can greatly magnify the force on the vehicle. This is why you aren't supposed to snatch using chains or tow straps. Only use stretchy or semi-stretchy straps or ropes designated for snatching.

Thanks for the reply.
The front hitch is mounted using those OEM loops attached to the frame.

I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying about the reciever hitch pin concern. I’m talking about a specifc reciever insert designed to hold a D-ring schackle. Yes it needs to be held in the reciever by a heavy pin. I understand it that insert is solid and supports the pin so it resists bending.

If I used that D-Ring schackle insert in the front hitch, is that not a solid safe snatch point?

I will check out the OEM rear recovery points for sure. Thanks for that tip.
JD