4X4 Recovery DEATH || My Reaction and thoughts!

😢MY condolences to the family 😢

I have been recovering vech in the military & civilian world for over 35yrs. You are spot on w/ this video & my condolences to the family

Ive always maintained you should wrap strap over back of bar first before anchoring regardless of anchor point or method, if anchor fails this dispels a major portion of energy and the load on strap end is reduced by friction around bar, having dealt with towbars used on rough roads the mounting bolts take a pounding without being obvious, ive always put small welds in places accessible by grinder should you want to remove, this does 2 things, removes constant shear load wear on bolts and gives an easy to see indicator if something is moving enough to crack welds, its all mild steel construction including chassis material, the old rule of thumb 1" of weld holds 2t gives you an idea how much back up is added and how little weld is needed in several places, remember the whole towbar is welded together, never seen a failure of mounts for towbars or bullbars on rough stuff using this practice. Just my 40 odd years experience and evolution of repairs

Recovering off the ball for years w/o issue and saying it's safe, is like saying that you've smoked for decades and don't have cancer or other smoking related disease, so smoking is safe.

Everything you say is true, and for the cost of the correct hitch compared to you and you friends lives cannot be held in comparison, buy the correct hitch dont be a silly billy

I've watched this video in the past, but I do have a question. I'm interested in how the towbar ended up through the screen, if as you mentioned that it wasn't a kinetic rope/strap. If there was no stored kinetic energy, then the strap should have just fallen to the ground.

Question, Is relying on the pin holding in the recovery hitch, still a single shear situation?

Great video, outstanding message on this very dangerous topic. I work for a garbage company in Northern California and I have had to recover large dumpster boxes that have flipped off trucks and the ground. They can weigh anywhere from 5-15 tons loaded. Recovering and flipping these boxes back upright is very dangerous and proper equipment and planning must be in place to perform the operation needed to upright. I know this is a different situation from vehicle recovery, but the same applies. Please plan appropriately and be safe and take the time to perform your operation.

Hey there, what are your thoughts on putting the hitch pin through the recovery strap loop (when you can fit the recovery strip into the hitch hole)?

I have seen this thanks heaven no one was injured

I use my pintle hook for 95% of recoveries as I have 4 trailers with lunette rings. BUT, I build my own receivers using solid 2” bars with 5/8 plate. The plate is milled out for the 2” bar and welded front and back. Plates are drilled and tapped for adjustment and then lock nutted with grade 8 hardware. There’s also a huge difference in pintle hook quality. 25 ton hooks is all I use, most of the Amazon and auto parts store hooks are sloppy junk. I DO NOT recommend the combo ball/pintle. I’ll use my gooseneck ball (B&W) in the bed if I need extra lift on the pull. I also built a winch mount that goes in my B&W hitch, works really well and removes easily.

Think what your doing!!!!!
why use a 6000 lb hitch,,,
6000lb...
and subject it to 25000lb load force???????
WHY

Excellent video. Sheds light on just how dangerous it can be to recover a vehicle.

Recovery in 4wd, is a different word than recovery per ems/ambulance. One can be fun, the other not so much.

As a boilermaker just a comment,drop tow bar angle no good mate and Chinese crap is just crap,Aussie standards whatever ,it's crap.carefull what you wish for mate they will ban snatch straps.i don't agree with you mate cause I lift with an overhead crane over 10 ton at work every day all sorts of ways and I consider you an amatuer

The angled weld is also longer

Im wondering about standards of materials used in drawbars now

I've seen tow ball go through vehicle when it broke off.

How about a "pintle and hook" style hitch?

MY PRAYERS TO THE FAMILY AND LOVE ONES🙏MAY GODS BLESSINGS BE WITH YOU AMEN 🙏 🇺🇸

Good video and message. A tow ball is not a recovery anchor point. It is for towing. I am a Safety Director and I have seen so many injuries when people use the wrong tool for a job. You did a nice job of explaining that a tow ball is the wrong tool for a recovery. Sorry someone had to lose their life for others to learn, but your video will help. Thank you for taking the time. Well done!

100%

Off-topic, but is not caravan and trailer only difference where you step into traffic or not when you enter our exit the caravan/ trailer ?

when ever i have done recovery i have use a NATO hitch as the are better designed for it ore D rings. tow balls are a no go due to not being enclosed so can detach easily

never do a kinetic recovery unless you are using a kinetic rope that is in good working order.
all 3 of the off-road recovery channels l watch say it and the are pro's.
ps. by the pic you showed a kinetic pull was extremely dangerous due to being buried to the axel, slow pull or lift vehicle to brake suction is how it should have been done

I remember someone passing in this exact manner . Ball came off and went through the back window hitting a young girl in the head. Always been told that was a no no from being young.

As a mountain rescue rope rescue instructor I found this video absolutely brilliant. Just at the correct level for a 4x4 driver with no real knowledge. We use a lot of maths, angle and equipment capability when instructing. One remedy doesn't fit all problems.

Thank You!

As a Key Grip and Rigger with 10 years military and 30 in the film industry, I would have removed the hitch, inserted the loop where the hitch was, and inserted the pin retaining the loop. That Spectra rope will break before that pin will.

Thank you. This was eye-opening.

With all due respect, that happened because the hitch was such a long drop hitch, too much leverage.

I have a 🙋‍♂️ question. I understand that tow ball is not a good idea for kinetic recovery, or recovery at all. How about a hitch tow hook? More specifically, i bought the Reese tri-ball with hooks hitch and wondering if the hook is a good recovery point. It is rated at 10k pound.

Thanks for producing valuable safety knowledge to the public!

Nomenclature clarity: The device, bolted or welded to the chassis of the vehicle with the square tube into which a BAR is inserted and secured with a pin and keeper, is a RECEIVER hitch. The benefit of a RECEIVER hitch is that will accept a multitude of standardized BARS (e.g. 2-inch) with various tow/recovery points and configurations (e.g. drop, straight, etc.). The clarifying point is that when performing a KINETIC recovery, it is best to use a RECOVERY bar and not a TOW bar in RECEIVER hitch. Alternatively, there are BUMPER hitches where a tow ball is secured to a hole in the vehicle's bumper. BUMPER hitches typically have very limited trailer towing capacity when compared to a RECEIVER hitch. BUMPER hitches should not be used for any kind of kinetic recovery.

What sort of stresses do those pins take? What is the load on that?

I was alway told by my dad to put blankets over the tow rope/chain. we alway carry some moving blankets with our gear for this purpose. the idea is the blankets will slow the rope if something gives. pulling from the ball is just crazy.

I agree with most of what you said, but I’m afraid that the radius of that soft shackle seas going through the recovery pin is way too tight! That soft shackles gonna get snapped in an instant. They make better devices to provide a better radius. I suspect that recovery insert should be used with a cast shackle with the pin going through the recovery insert. Just a guess, but I certainly wouldn’t do a kinetic recovery off of that set up.!

Cheap metal. there's no way that a quality made hitch it is going to do that.

Years ago i broke a strap on a kinetic recovery. I’m glad it was not a worst case scenario. Being a Good Samaritan and pulling someone out is great, but you’ve got to k ow the limitations of your rig. I now have a kinetic rope and soft shackles. Many modern cars have a tow eye that can be installed into the bumper for a good attachment point. Very good advice and in this video, should come with every tow strap and recovery rope.

From South Africa
1) reserch hydrogen embrittlement in towballs. Its flippen scary, briefly if the normalisation after plating is not done correctly, the hydrogen molocules do not escape and create micro voids at the surface in the steel...
2) put an elastic band between two fingers, and hold it up, close to and infront of your face.
Get a friend to pull the elastic band and stretch it away from your face and when at full stretch let go

The davestating effect.... well thats the same as a kinetic recovery gone wrong... you will have at least learnt a valuable life lesson

3) here in SA fitment of towbrackets is un-regulated, never mind rated fastners, threaded mild steel rod is been known to be used, and under kinetic recovery the ball's not failed, the entire bracket's been ripped loose.... go figure ! Your vehicles may well be suitable, but you never know about the other one.
4) We have the phenomenon of the "duthcman" something similar to a red-neck. Only worse.... and these clowns have now bought a kinetic rope and are just salivating to justify the cost.... YOU TAKE CONTROL OF THE RECOVERY ! NEVER BE BULLIED BY THE OTHER PERSON ! Rather decline just my 3c worth

Sir, a VERY IMPORTANT point to add: The PIN that slides through the Square Tubular WILL SHEAR! I had a Trailer to come loose going down the road. The ball and hitch were still fastened to the trailer. I discovered the PIN had SHEARED. Thank God for safety chains.

I have two sheets of expanded steel that I use to get a vehicle unstuck.
A shovel, two small sheets of expanded steel, and a LONG tow strap placing tension on the stuck vehicle, and without fail, I have recovered everything I’ve ever gotten stuck.

The biggest fail here was the drop hitch. 8" drop. Physics ruled here. The drop hitch increased the torque 175%. In simple numbers, if there was 100 pounds of pressure on the rope, there was 175 pounds of torque on the bottom of the weld. Scale that up. 10,000 pressure on the rope, that is 17,500 pounds of torque on the bottom of the weld.

I am so glad that you brought up shock load. That was the largest part of the failure.

What was not brought up was the suction caused by the mud. This was a classic case of where slow constant pressure, preferably upward to break the suction to extract the vehicle would be best.

A lot of after market hitch-receivers are bolted on, not welded. I'm curious what are folks opinion or experience for recovery purposes? Will they fail as easily as a drop-hitch/ tow-ball?

I've been yanking vehicles and equipment from mud since I was 13.

Please do not use a ball hitch, or any hitch mount for that matter, to recover a vehicle.

FRAME, AXLE, FRAME!

It's better to shred a fender and/or bumper, or yank an axle off the vehicle before using a ball hitch or other hitch mount.

I agree with you what you're saying on this video on the one that solid but the vehicle you're trying to pull out that's stuck if you can't pull it out and put that other system in and you tie to the next

The proof is in the eating, not the proof is in the pudding.

Couldn't of been out better or clearer. From UK 👍(and new subscriber)

I've always been aware of cable and strap safety. I was a Navy brat, dad poundrd it into us.
As far as recovery, I've always tried to get a straight line pull. I'd always hook to the frame if possible.
I've been fortunate, never had a cable or strap break off road or in my short career in the Navy.

Informative and excellent presentation.

Great video, learned alot.