Help me build a simple recovery kit

[surfyjeeper]

You mentioned you like to surf which means a beach. Get an 18” square ¾” plywood to use as a support for your jack when it is needed. Marine plywood works great. For beach use I would recommend a long handle shovel, saves the back and allows you to clear out under the frame and axles easier.

That's really good to know. Unfortunately there aren't many beaches you can drive on around here, but eventually I want to take it on some overland surf spot scouting missions down Baja, bet I'll put this to use down there!

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[Mocopo]

Sounds like the shovel is the first thing I'm getting. That's exactly what I was picturing, would love to get one that clips on the roll bar. Glad to hear those hold up.

That's good to know, I might even get a buddy to help me practice it once or twice before I actually need to use the straps. Doesn't sound like it's too hard with a little patience though.

So thaaat's what those are for, lol. Was wondering why I wouldn't just use D hooks.

Can snatch straps be used without another vehicle? I've heard of people attaching them to trees and going into reverse to build up some tension. Is this safe to do (assuming I get a tree saver)?

Snatch straps CAN be used with any other vehicle, as long as you know the strong points to connect to. thats what the soft shackes are for, to give you more options with where you can connect.

As for the method you mentioned about hooking up to a tree... are you thinking of a kinetic rope? the one that stretches like a rubber band?

 

[roaniecowpony]

Since you're in Socal, you're likely to do some wheeling in the desert and that means sand. With the drought in full swing, we're not likely to find much mud for quite a while.

For a sand recovery, the shovel and some pieces of carpet will do as well as a $200 traction board. Some carpet stores will let you dumpster dive in their remnants for nothing. Get a couple good sized pieces, maybe 4. Pieces should be about 2-3 times wider than the tire and maybe 5-6 ft long as a minimum. Free is cheap.

For the shovel, you mentioned finding one that mounted to the roll bar. Be careful, they get crazy money for little machined clamps that are custom made to take the money out of your wallet. You can buy shovels from $10 to hundreds of dollars for custom made stainless steel with machined anodized colored aluminum. HomeD might fit your wallet better. If you are want something compact, a surplus military trenching shovel that folds was the standard for many generations of jeepers.

 

[AcesandEights]

...

The one thing I was a little surprised you didn't mention is a hi lift. I don't know much but I was under the impression that these are a pretty important piece of gear. Is it not as necessary as I thought?
...

No, please.

Thanks for the links! That kit looks like a solid starting point. Any thoughts on those soft shackles vs. d hooks?
...

Soft shackles are the new, in, thing. D-rings are good too.

Prices can be pretty cheap, depending on what you want or need. You can build a kit pretty cheap:

https://www.harborfreight.com/soft-shackle-58168.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/34-in-d-ring-shackle-black-63743.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/78-in-d-ring-shackle-black-58625.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/9000-lb-capacity-3-in-x-30-ft-recovery-strap-60579.html

 

[Thane]

Ditched my hi-lift for this hydraulic jack/stand. Big base, way easy to operate and stow, big base, safe, unlike the farmer's jack.

https://www.amazon.com/Powerbuilt-6...efix=jack%20stand%20lift,aps,117&sr=8-14&th=1

 

[roaniecowpony]

If you're handy, make your own soft shackles. The rope is about $2/foot and you need about 3-4 feet to make an average one. There are plenty of videos online on how to make a soft shackle. Here's a simple one.



Here's a cheap source of genuine Samson Amsteel Blue Dyneema SK-75. The 3/8" diameter is the standard for winch recovery shackles. If you're doing dynamic recovery (yanking with another vehicle from a running start, with a "snatch strap") you might consider using 7/16" or 1/2" rope.

Samson AmSteel® Blue 12-Strand Dyneema SK-75 Synthetic Rope (sregear.com)

 

[jaymz]

In my experience, Hi-lift jacks are better for pulling than they are for lifting the vast majority of the time. And a come along is much better suited for that. That said, getting into a situation where you need a tug is going to be a miserably long day without an actual winch, or another vehicle with a strap of some sort. Avoid it at all cost.

It probably goes without saying, but don’t use a soft shackle on anything with a sharp edge. Figure out how many you think you need, and buy a couple more - just in case.

I’m partial to a full size shovel, but they’re kind of a pain in the ass to carry. I carry one of those military style folding shovels for that reason. Thankfully I don’t need it often.

 

[Antonio]

I’m in for suggestions on a good foldable shovel, last thing missing from my recovery kit, thanks

 

[AcesandEights]

Remember, a come-along or hi-lift requires you to bring rope, cable, chain, straps, etc. They only hold a small amount of cable themselves (none for the hi-lift). If you're using one, it is nice to have something that doesn't stretch, like chain or cable, because you use some of the effective pulling length in stretching the strap for instance.

That all being said, the cable, chain, straps can take up quite a bit of space in your rig, and I really don't think the come-along/hi-ift are anywhere as useful as a shovel if you're alone, or a strap if you're with another vehicle.

 

[Mocopo]

I’m in for suggestions on a good foldable shovel, last thing missing from my recovery kit, thanks

I use the cheap camping one from Cabelas:

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/coghlans-folding-camp-shovel-with-saw

has a saw in the handle... I don't really care about that, I just like that you can extend the handle a bit.

 

[The White Rabbit]

Your “simplest” option is a basic snatch strap. Get someone to give you a tug and voila. You don’t even need shackles. (Snatch straps have fallen out of favor with many overlanders, but they will often get the job done, don’t cost too much, are easy to carry, and don’t send metal bits flying around if they fail.)

If you want to be able to self-recover, traction boards and a shovel are the cheapest and safest option. You’re young. It won’t hurt you to work your butt off with a shovel.

So I guess my answer is traction boards, a shovel, and a snatch strap.

(I have a feeling that, by page 5 or 6, of this thread, this kit will no longer resemble “simple.”)

Good advice and prediction.

 

[Mudduck]

sounds like a good macgyver episode. "let's get this jeep unstuck with nothing but a roll of tape, some plastic wire, and a can of dip"

you're young? and know who Macgyver is?...... Story isn't jiving already Sir.

 

[Gaffer]

A hi lift jack won't work on plastic bumpers.

 

[Mocopo]

A hi lift jack won't work on plastic bumpers.

I strongly disagree, it will lift that bumper right up!

The rest of the jeep will stay put, obviously... =)

 

[roaniecowpony]

As for which jack to get, you have a better chance of 100 people agreeing on what restaurant to go to for dinner. It's been debated to death on this forum.

The HiLift jack is the iconic jack, but many here won't use them or prefer not to if there's an option. Then there is the dyed in the wool believer that the HiLift is the only jack worth considering. What I can say is that a bone stock jeep has a lack of adequate lift points to make good use of one. The proponents will often be guys with highly modified jeeps that have many hard lifting points for their HiLift. So, if your jeep is bone stock, look for a different jacking solution.

Here's a video on alternatives for off-road. I went with an oversize 24" lift scissor jack, which fits in my storage cubby compartment.

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