Getting trapped in the mud sucks. The journey is done, further advancement has been stopped, and instead of relaxing at camp with wonderful friends and family, you are trapped in muck. The adventure has come to an end. Even worse, under the worst circumstances, your four-wheel drive vehicle itself can be in danger.
To dislodge anything that typically weighs thousands of kilos and is firmly lodged requires a significant amount of power and possibly a snatch block, and requires plenty of concentration, and mental willpower. When everything goes according to plan, getting back on stable ground is a straightforward task. If something goes wrong, those forces have the potential to come tumbling down in disastrous ways. In this post, we’ll be looking at some of the worst 4×4 recovery mistakes.
This is not a sport for spectators- We are placing this first since it is easily the most overlooked rule in 4X4 recoveries and even the big names get it wrong on a regular basis. This is why we are bringing it to your attention. The process of recovery is not meant to be gawked at by others. There is a wide variety of things that may go wrong, from recovery points that don’t work and straps and wires that break to cars that unexpectedly get traction and fling themselves into crowds of bystanders who are all striving for the greatest Instagram selfie. Keep as few individuals as possible within fifty metres of the recovery, be sitting inside the car with a seat belt on at all times, and be prepared for what to do if something goes wrong.
Tow balls used for recovery- Why is it that some people still don’t comprehend this? When it comes to handling a recovery, a tow ball is nowhere close to being powerful enough. It is possible that it has a rating of 3.5 tonnes and can frequently pull a caravan that is 25 feet long, however, this is being done when it is under a steady down load, not a shock side load. Imagine delicately setting a brick atop a porcelain plate versus hurling it as forcefully as possible at the plate. The sturdiness of the plate remainsthe same in both examples but when you add momentum to the equation, you are asking the plate to do something that it was never planned to do.
Making use of the incorrect points- You wouldn’t go skydiving with your parachute tied to the belt loops of your jeans, and similarly, you shouldn’t execute a rescue from the factory tie-down points. They are made for the sole purpose of securing your car to the assembly line or while it is in transportation, and they are simply not up to the challenge of recovering a heavy load because it is not their intended purpose. When they shatter, which they inevitably will, you might have to contend with a kilogramme of metal hurtling towards you at a pace that is certain to be lethal.
