a jacket over a cable or chain will do same thing as that fancy damper linked above.

 

i do carry chains and i have a winch with a cable. the chains i carry are the ones used to tie loads fown on 18 wheelers. i typicallt carry 2-3 of them and they provide that extra bit when winching....esp when i just had a come-a-long..... like i posted earlier i used to have some straps but they dissppeared. i hated them in thr wet stuff and mud they took forever to dry and would strech. chains hose em off and wet or dry they work the same. i do however see the concern we had one break while removing a stump with an 18 wheeler tractor.. it put some nice dents in the back of the sleeper.

 

No one I know that wheels will use chains to pull anyone period, I've refused using a chain to pull someone and hooked my ****** strap up instead.
If the strap breaks no chain links or hooks will be flying through windows or into people the way chains or straps with metal hooks do.

 

A 20 foot chain weights ALOT more than a 20 foot strap.

Plus,in roll over,I'd rather get hit in the head with a strap,not the chain.

 

Takeing a perfect line off road is what its all about

 

Ehh, chains, straps, just use your damned heads! I "use" a 30' strap, tree saver, yada, yada, but I carry chains at times...if they get you out, WIN!! Just remember, safety third....

BTT-

I carry an idler pulley now...ask me why! LOL!! Makes sense though...if yours goes out, and they do, your done! I go places where that could mean serious issues. 75 miles away from the nearest town is a bad place to need a new idler pulley!

 

I had a strap put a clevis through the tail gate of my friends K5 pulling out my runner

A lot less dangerous - yes. Not dangerous - no

 

i don't even use chains when recovering with my tow truck. chains are dangerous, period.

IF you are stubborn and feel the need to use a chain, ONLY use the chain on the end of your winch cable and make sure the WLL of the chain exceeds the weight of the stuck vehicle. get all bystanders away to a safe area, but i still say resist the urge to carry chains.

DO NOT EVER attempt to tug with a chain, no matter the WLL size.

#1 rule. never wheel alone.
#2 rule. have fun and use common sense.
#3 rule. use your own equipment when asking for a tug.
and have fun. don't put yourself or anyone else at risk. it's not worth it.

our sport is serious, many have succumbed to death and or serious injury only because recovery corners were cut.

and remember to have fun.

 

I use a chain everytime with another chain wrapped around at the center....compressor is a good one...sometime you need to air up or down in tire pressure...friends with fulls size trucks always help too lol...I wheel alone alot but its 100 yards from my house but in the city no a place you wanna leave your rig.. proper recovery points ( which I don't have) is good to have..number one for me is if I know im going to be wheeling hard I trailer my rig...back up lights for at night when its raining and you can't see out them big back windows...if your pullin a hey y'all watch this moment..get whatever you want ut of the jeep before you hit it! Lol

 

ratchet straps
spare parts
trimmed down tool set
tree saver, recovery straps, abundance of d rings
coolant
oil
gear oil
brake fluid
atf
flashlights
axe
shovel
tons of drinking water
wire, butt connectors

 

^ This in addition to the above list

Shop rags
Newspaper bags

If you snap a front axle shaft stuff the rags in the bags and jam them in the axle tube after you remove the inner shaft then tape over the hole so the wind from driving does not yank them out.

30 Minute Flares

you can start a fire with them to keep warm, or signal help if needed

Flash Light

 

ok so we have a list of what to carry but what are some of the "Modifications" or areas that are cheap that need addressing for wheeling. i am not talking hardcore stuff like axle swaps or exo cages. the small stuff that often gets over looked that can cause major issues such as axle breathers...

 

Everyone has opinions on chains and I use mine a lot but I'd say we should all agree that you should never link vehicle to vehicle with them. They're good for winches, be it hand or electric and of course great for pulling a fallen tree out of the way or something. There are too many variables when one vehicle is yanking on another to make anything safe.

I believe the MOST important mod is recovery points. Armor, tires and lifts are great but what's the point of having more capability if you can't get unstuck? Tow hooks and hitches are much cheaper than aftermarket bumpers and will save your ***.

After that is recovery gear. At the LEAST have one strap. The more the merrier. Do your research on the difference between a "tow strap" and a "recovery strap". The terms are often used interchangeably but one allows stretching and one does not... I'm a hypocrite because I'm not 100% on what's what lol.

A hi-lift jack and its accessories are very helpful and way cheaper than an electric winch. It can be used as a come-along hand winch and with the liftmate wheel accessory you don't even need jacking points like sliders or bumpers.

Last thing I'd suggest is a ground anchor. Mine is a big steel stick that was marking some lines on my property. The electric company finished, took off and left them in my yard so I grabbed one. I hammer it into the ground if there are no trees around to recover from and it works great. It's not ideal or invincible but it's for a just in case, like getting stuck in light mud in a barren field, alone.

 

Sorry, I guess most of what I just listed isn't a "mod".
Speaking strictly in terms of things to physicaslly do to your Jeep:
RECOVERY POINTS.
Dielectric grease all over your connections under the hood (it is by no means waterproof and won't do much if you go under but it can definitely help from splashes and such).
Breather lines (like you already listed).

 

the bags and rags are a great idea! I always had a roll of mechanic's paper towels (the blue ones) but they were mostly for when I worked on it.

I did have a flash light, its just the batteries always went dead. I kept meaning to buy a wind up flashlight, I just never got around to it.

I also forgot an addition to the list I always had a roll of bailing wire, as mentioned above. That came in handy a few times.