09/24/2023
Off-Roading 101
NO TOW BALLS (or the tow-hitch they are attached to) FOR SN**CH RECOVERIES
This has been in the news a bit recently. People still seem to think it is ok to throw a sn**ch strap over the tow ball when recovering a stuck 4WD. This is a dangerous mistake.
Tow balls are not designed for the stresses a sn**ch strap or even a winch can put on them. Some (Class II) 2" tow-balls are rated as low as 1000lbs. Most Class III are rated between 3500 & 5000 pounds. However, some 2" balls claim to be rated at up to 10,000lbs. The problem is, it is still not enough to recover many bogged rigs safely. If you sn**ch off a tow ball or tow hitch, it can shear off and go flying through the air like a cannonball.
That piece of flying metal has the potential to kill and has done so in the past. In just one example, a lady was killed while recovering a stuck 4WD in deep sand. The tow ball broke off the stuck vehicle and flew through the windshield of the recovery rig, and killed the driver. Such a tragedy, and she was just trying to help out.
Please don't use tow-balls and/or tow-hitches for recoveries. There are easy and far safer options, such as using a Shackle Hitch Receiver or, in a pinch, using the hitch pin.
Wheel Safe!!
NOTE: This is not about towing; it is about sn**ch-type kinetic recoveries of bogged rigs. That is very different than towing. It is far easier to just get and use something MADE for what you are doing and that means far safer too. That something MADE to do this (a simple shackle block) is about $50 (there are cheaper & more expensive ones) and it takes someone about 1 to 2 minutes to install. Sometimes doing it right is truly FAR easier and less expensive than figuring out how to make something work that was not made to do that job. In this case, it is often less expensive too. I hope that explanation helps a little. Have a great day,
Off-Roading 101
NO TOW BALLS (or the tow-hitch they are attached to) FOR SN**CH RECOVERIES
This has been in the news a bit recently. People still seem to think it is ok to throw a sn**ch strap over the tow ball when recovering a stuck 4WD. This is a dangerous mistake.
Tow balls are not designed for the stresses a sn**ch strap or even a winch can put on them. Some (Class II) 2" tow-balls are rated as low as 1000lbs. Most Class III are rated between 3500 & 5000 pounds. However, some 2" balls claim to be rated at up to 10,000lbs. The problem is, it is still not enough to recover many bogged rigs safely. If you sn**ch off a tow ball or tow hitch, it can shear off and go flying through the air like a cannonball.
That piece of flying metal has the potential to kill and has done so in the past. In just one example, a lady was killed while recovering a stuck 4WD in deep sand. The tow ball broke off the stuck vehicle and flew through the windshield of the recovery rig, and killed the driver. Such a tragedy, and she was just trying to help out.
Please don't use tow-balls and/or tow-hitches for recoveries. There are easy and far safer options, such as using a Shackle Hitch Receiver or, in a pinch, using the hitch pin.
Wheel Safe!!
NOTE: This is not about towing; it is about sn**ch-type kinetic recoveries of bogged rigs. That is very different than towing. It is far easier to just get and use something MADE for what you are doing and that means far safer too. That something MADE to do this (a simple shackle block) is about $50 (there are cheaper & more expensive ones) and it takes someone about 1 to 2 minutes to install. Sometimes doing it right is truly FAR easier and less expensive than figuring out how to make something work that was not made to do that job. In this case, it is often less expensive too. I hope that explanation helps a little. Have a great day,
