Recovery Kits and Snatch Block w/ Synthetic Line

[UNC Rubicon]

I’ve been looking into buying a recovery kit. I’ve looked at everything from Barricade, to Smittybilt, to Warn, to ARB. I really don’t want to spend $300-$400 on a kit if I can avoid it.

All of the kits I’m looking at have snatch blocks included - some don’t specify if you can use them with synthetic line.

My questions are....

Which recovery kit would you guys recommend?

Would it be better to piece one together on my own? If so, links to quality gear?

What snatch blocks do you recommend for synthetic rope?

Thanks for the help guys.

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[47Jeepster]

I bought the Smittybilt winch accessory kit (sells for ~$134). The gloves are sized for your wife and I didn't want the chain, but the other individual parts added up to more than the kit ... so, I bought it. My winch has synthetic line.

The synthetic rope is susceptible to heat and to sharp edges. Check your snatch block for a U-shaped groove that will fit the winch line. Some snatch blocks have a V-groove ... okay with steel, but not so good for synthetic line. The Smittybilt groove is ~ 9/16" wide and I'm using a 7/16" line ... that's a good fit. Clearance between the pulley and the side plates is less than 1/8", so that's also good. Check your snatch block for burrs ... especially if you previously used it on a steel line.

No matter what George Strait sang, we don't have beach front property in Arizona, so I've skipped the bubba rope for now ... it really seems to shine in the sand. More concerned with getting hung up on a rock, in a hole, or slipping off the trail where recovery equipment seems to be a better choice. Like you, I didn't want to invest a fortune in recovery equipment, nor did I want cheap stuff that might let me down when it's needed. The Smittybilt stuff was a good compromise.

This could probably be the best addition to your recovery kit ... it certainly is to mine:

 

[caged]

i piece mine together. i like to carry a few recovery straps, reason being, is they need time to relax after a good tug. but if you're going to tie a couple together, there is a right way and a wrong way. using a stick or rolled up floor mat in the knot will let you untie it. if you just loop two straps together, you will not get them untied ever again.
and snatch blocks, i usually carry a few, along with a few tree saver straps. just be sure to have enough D shackles to use all these straps in complex situations, say, having to do a reverse pull with a front mounted winch. it's not as easy as it seems.

you can always grab a kit to start you off, and build from there.

i like warn.

 

[Bilymac]

Check out the Gator Jaws as an option for a shackle, in lieu of a metal D shackle.

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