Basic recovery setup?
 

So today I decided it was time to get a basic recovery setup in my rig for A) when I inevitably get myself in a jam and B) being a good samaritan. I am wondering what all I should really carry?

I picked up a 20ft, 7,000lb recovery strap, but am unsure of what to use to hook it to the jeep; hooks, shackles, anything else... Also are there other basics I should be carrying? I do carry a shovel. This is mostly for winter type situations, as this is not a mudder or rock crawler. It's a dd that also shuttles me and my kayaks up and down mountains.

C4X4 tow hooks up front and a hitch shackle in rear. But an upgreaded rear bumper with built in recovery shackles would be best.

i would do a bigger strap, depending on how much lift u have a 48 or 60" hi lift. anything over 4.5" lift i would carry a 60". a chain, d-rings, idk kinda the basics right there. u already carry a shovel. thats what i have and have gotten my self out of some sticky situations with them. oh and for the tree huggers and to save our trails never use a chain around trees.

Yup, I'm a kayaker and have to deal with a lot of tree huggers(I also am very environmentally conscientious and live with a leave no trace philosophy) so I know about no chains on trees ;) I do intend on replacing the rear bumper(and front eventually as well with a winch), but that's a ways off yet. And after I get my new rims installed next week and get my next paycheck I intend on getting a hi lift(I'm only lifted 2" so I intend on getting a 48" Xtreme).

Bigger strap? As in longer or higher weight rating? That hitch shackle is a great idea, I will definitely get one of them. And check on the tow hooks up front. Thanks.

Do you have any friends with an XJ? When I got my front tow hook, I split it with a friend and we both paid half. Just a thought.

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/...0/100_2888.jpg
class 3 hitch with shackle receiver
http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/...0/100_2874.jpg
Hi country offroad products shackle brackets.

I keep a 3"x30' recovery strap with a 9,000lb working load, a few extra shackles, and a tree saver strap. I also have a hi lift

lol, I wish, my ragtag group of kayaking buddies drive Subarus, Jettas, an Exploder, S10, Focus, Saturn, a Vibe, an Odyssey, a Cavalier and one guy has a Wrangler(but hes moving to San Francisco in June :(). So as you can tell it's my responsibility to get us to the rivers in the mountains that are 4x4 access only :laughing:

Hey philly I like that. You got a link for those shackle brackets? If not, no big deal, I'm sure I can find it.

Hi Country Offroad went out of business. The C4x4 front tow hooks with bracket is about as good as it gets without an serious front bumper upgrade.
The 48 inch Hi-Lift is all you will need. I use a 40 inch long chain with hooks to loop the chain around the axle, and attach to the uni-frame area, when I need to jack the axle and lift a tire off the ground. ( only takes about 7-10 inches of lift that way )
A 2 inch wide 30 long strap and a 6 foot 2 inch wide tree strap and the Hi-Lift will get you out of most situations. ( If you have to make a knot in the recovery strap to shorten it, put a stick in the knot, or you may never get it untied again. ) Ask me how I found that out!:laughing:

Unfortunately the company has closed there doors.


GRRR u beat me to it.

You need to find another group of Kayakers...lol The ones I go with almost all drive big gass guzzlers. But then we kayak from the beach for fishing. Nothing better then yakking out a pound of meat for shark fishing...:w00t:

Nice, I have mad respect for fishing from a kayak! That is hard work. And yeah you'd think a bunch of class IV-V+ whitewater kayakers would drive some off-road rigs, considering the locations of some of the best gnarly rivers, but alas I am stuck with my crew, but I love 'em, great guys, and they always have my back on the river and that's all I really ask for. I take pride in being the one that is looked to to get our gear and our asses to the hard to reach places!

Bummer about Hi Country Offroad. But at least you guys have me goin on the right direction, I will have some sort of setup for the front soon. And definitely gonna get the hitch mount.

Edit: for the record my buddy's Diesel Jetta was getting 52mpg on our last road trip, I was getting 18 with 4 kayaks on top and a rear full of gear. I was jealous.

i keep a 30'x17,000lbx2.5inch ARB snatch strap, a 30'x30,000lbx4inch Keeper tow strap, and a 15'x12.000lbx2inch Keeper tow strap, a hitch shackle (5,000lb), and a hitch hook (5,000lb). and i have a class 3 hitch on the back and 2 10,000lb hooks on the front.

i also keep a 48"hi-lift and a toolkit. it's come in handy a whole bunch,and i haven't (yet) found a situation where i need anything else.

I used the c4x4 hooks for about 6 years or so and they have held up. I did recently upgrade to a nice bumper, but would recommend those hooks for anyone sticking with a stock bumper.

I want one of those ARB straps, but man, those things are spendy. The strap I bought today is a 20' Keeper and it says 7,000 lb. max vehicle weight, but uses 15,000 lb. webbing, so not sure which rating to go by there...