Safe towing techniques and tutorial (how to and how not to)

[jed the spread]

So following on a little for those who were at Syncropendence last weekend these are the two videos I said I would post up.

For those who are wondering what the hell I am on about last weekend Simon (AKA Tomanytoys) Clive and I got our heads together and came up with some safe ways to tow and recover. All of us on this forum at one point has had to be in a recovery situation and all of us at some point have done things that we were not supposed to do. Its not that there was any immediate safety risk but having shackles joining two snatch strops together, maybe pulling a very stuck van out using two vans pulling hard on one tow bar etc does carry a safety risk and it only takes a couple of extra minutes to learn something and apply it.

I have been studying a fella called John Ridge from Stoney Ridge Acedemy in South Africa and he is a well respected 4x4 chappy. He has a lot of really good info and training so I thought I would learn from him as he knows what he is talking about and is very experienced. This year at SP10 we were able to put into practice some of the tutorials that John Ridge has been good enough to share and they work a treat and although now they seem obvious I have never before the last event seen them put into practice. To see the techniques being used by us just looked right and were controlled and looked neat. I hope they will be used from now on and if any of us that are able to slightly modify their vans towing points like Simon's doka or maybe he or Ian (if he has time) can come up with a cost effective solution so we can use safety straps too. The back of Simon's Doka IMHO is perfect and the front of Aiden's is perfect though not so bolt on but very cheap.


Here are the two videos I promised to share with you guys. The first one is from John Ridge and shows what we practiced at the weekend and how effective it was, especially joining the two strops and using the news paper trick. The second is one that I have found a couple of years ago and stored that shows you pretty much exactly what John is trying to avoid and the consequences of what happens when everything is not controlled and worked neatly.

How to do it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JBnxSqp ... gG_fKEiHrQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How not to do it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8lMxYnG ... gG_fKEiHrQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


I hope this is useful.

Jed

[Fabzzz]

waow...... mmmm the "how not to do" is quite scary...

[Tinium]

Glad I watched the "how NOT to do it" first, the "how to do it" has calmed me down again! John's got that air of calm and knowledge about him like Ray Mears that makes you want to learn how to do things the right way. Thanks for sharing, will def look at more of his videos.

On a similar note, are there any resources (videos/sites/books) out there that people recommend for off-roading, recovery techniques etc? Interested in learning more, and hopefully will have the van MOT'd for the next meet to get more hands on experience

[orcecaveman]

The fella who keeps asking questions and then answering them himself. I think i'd have tolerated him for about 2 minutes before stuffing a bow shackle in his mouth. Other than that, they looked quite competent

[silverbullet]

The right way is packed with "common sense" but as has been said, until it's spelled out would you necessarily think of every part of the operation?

Having had a 3-ton karabiner #pop# while just moving a small hatchback many years ago with my Rangie (thankfully it shot clean under the towed car) I can fully appreciate the use of safety loops.

Who here would actually have a dry newspaper in the wagon anyway? Ok, maybe Patrick

PS I am getting there with the recovery brackets, honest.

[silverbullet]

I just watched the "wrong way" again The scariest thing is those young lads who still couldn't help but stand and gawp close by, even after the hawser and the shackled strop had both failed and gone flying past and the narrator had said "mind out lads" etc

Managing idle bystanders is half the challenge with any recovery situation, I'd say.

PS some of the comments in the last few days are a bit of a laugh. The Aussies don't rate us Poms at all!

[Syncrobaz]

Nothing new there Just mention the Lions, that'll take the smile off their faces!!