You tube link re: kinetic recovery straps

[Deleted Member S]

After reading all the post & this is my 2p worth :roll:Regarding the tow ball as a recovery point I think alot depends also on how much use it has had & the condition of it :? looking at mine I think it's only ever been used a couple of times before I got the truck as it's still all nice & shiny :roll: As for the tow bar it's self I would think it'll be fine as it's a bit of a monster as HB will be able to comfirm as he's got the same one fitted to his

 

[Deleted Member]

Can you attach anchor points to the tow bar!! or would this weaken it??

 

[Terranosaurus]

As for the tow bar it's self I would think it'll be fine as it's a bit of a monster as HB will be able to comfirm as he's got the same one fitted to his

Yes but I take mine off for anything worthwhile cos its the towbar that gets you stuck n the first place on the T2/Mav, makes a great plough.

 

[JonathanM]

Andrew, please give me an indication of what level of proof you wish me to provide - you seem to require a still warm body to prove the point.

I have provided links to an article by David Bowyer on Difflock (an authority on offroading) that supports the notion that using a towball as a recovery point is a reasonable thing to do - and also to an article that proposes the use of a locking shackle on a towball as a safe and strong means of recovery. The article contains test results that support the notion that a towball can provide a stronger recover point than is usually provided by recovery hooks often installed as standard on 4x4 vehicles. The article also provides support for the strength of materials data that I posted earlier which indicate that disintegration of a towball is unlikely to occur.

Up tp press, you have made a few assertions about the unsuitability of a towball as a recovery point for any kind of recovery and have provided only a single link to an article that doesn't provide enough detail to support what you have said. I would certainly be interested in any documented cases of towball fragmentation that inform your views. I certainly haven't seen any.

Cheers
Andrew

Andrew, whatever, you seem to demand a level of evidence that I will freely admit is beyond my means. I've actually provided 2 links, one the original video, and one from an australian governmental organisation, both of which advise not to use towballs for recovery.

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

Can you attach anchor points to the tow bar!! or would this weaken it??

on tow bars for vehicles since the law change (in 98 was it) would it cause bigger problems with insurance etc if you started altering things?

This whole thread has thrown up some very simmilar debates to the one on what thigs to take off roading that ran not long ago!

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

another random thought!

I havent fitted a tow bar to a terrano for awhile but! doesnt it mount directly to the plates that form the existing rear recovery points, with three bolts on each side?

if so when using the tow bar you are using the original recovey points but with the tow bar as a bridel instead of a strap?

what do you think?

 

[Deleted Member S]

Can you attach anchor points to the tow bar!! or would this weaken it??

Cosmic you could get something made up like JonathanM has on the back of his as I think you both have the same type of tow bar :?

 

[jace]

tow bar must be strong in two directions downwarards then forwards and backwards when you tow/brake with trailer/caravan on back granted not a dead weight like stuck patrol but must be some kindve strength built in, another thought would be if you left metal shackle on tow bar permanent could it not rattle around wearing away metal on hitch?

 

[JonathanM]

Can you attach anchor points to the tow bar!! or would this weaken it??

Cosmic you could get something made up like JonathanM has on the back of his as I think you both have the same type of tow bar :?

Please note that this isn't type approved!!! Which is what Plank is referring to for vehicles after 98(??). If you have a flange type bar, fit a towing jaw.

Watling towbars made that shackle mount for me, www.watling-towbars.co.uk

 

[Deleted Member]

Hi peeps,i meant the cross bar that is in between the recovery points!
could i put some recovery points on this??
:lol:

 

[JonathanM]

Hi peeps,i meant the cross bar that is in between the recovery points!
could i put some recovery points on this??
:lol:

Do you mean something like welding points to the towbar, or simply looping the strop around the towbar on itself?

Welding would mean the bar is no longer type approved, so in law would invalidate its use, an accident while towing a caravan that was attributed to the modification to the bar would invalidate insurance .

Looping a strap over the bar and on itself could be done, however this action would weaken the strap somewhat, I've heard mention of the rating being reduced by as much as 40% by doing this.

 

[Deleted Member]

Yeah, that's what i meant...guess it's not a good idea then :?
Will just have to find some other way,if i ever have the need to tow with a strap!! :wink:

 

[thor]

I have just bought a decent strap...I hope......14 ton breaking-complete with shackles. :lol:
Now I need to get under the back and see if I can get something decent fabricated. 8)

 

[Terranosaurus]

Easiest way with the T2/Mav is to drop your tow bar of when going green laning or pay and ply, its only 6 bolts, easy to do and it gives you way more clearance, this leaves you able to use the 2 points that are already there at the back. You need to do something with your electrics though - but thats probably wise anyway, thers a really old thread somewhere about removing the electric point from the tow bar, wrapping it in a plastic bag and cable tying it up behind the bumper as they tend to get knocked about or even off if left in situ.

 

[thor]

Ta...hummingbird.

I will have a look and sort it over next few weeks. 8)

 

[Guest]

I searched for the post on moving electrics, but I wrote it over 2 years ago so its probably gone now 8O

On the Mav I put the bracket for the electrics on an elongated bolt with a second nut. I remove the nut and bracket for offroading, place the whole lot in a plastic carrier bag and tie wrap it into the void inside the bumper.
Two minute job, that saves expensive damage and slighly improves my departure angle.

Of course now you can buy a shackle/receiver to replace the towball making it better still. These were unavailable when I wrote the original piece.

 

[greasemonkey]

cm do these fit on a standard tow bar not swan neck and where from

 

[Guest]

No mate not to a standard bolt on ball, just the removeable type, only two places I know of that stock them at moment are Scorpion racing and Disco parts.

 

[JonathanM]

The other option re towing electrics is very simialr to the solution that Andy suggests, but instead of the standard sockets get some of the "in line" ones from somewhere like Towsure, easier to tuck away under the bumper, mine get strapped to the towbar crossmember when not in use so it looks just like there are no electrics.