Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

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Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by Peter Connan »

For those who haven't seen it:

Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by Mad Manny »

As I said on the 4x4AG Forum:
A snatch recovery.
Of a well stuck truck in mud.
Using a non kinetic strap.
Attached to a dropped towball.
With no safety measures.
Was always going to end badly...

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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by JohnBoyZA »

Sad, RIP.

Great vid.
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by Spike »

While he discusses it in great detail and explains it in engineering terms, at the end of the day it's basic common sense. Anybody can look at something and realise ooh that might be risky, or Ag I'm just going to to give him a gentle pull it will be fine.
The root issue is we have a 4x4 generation that's recovery mindset is limited to just attaching a snatch strap to whatever is at the back and yanking as hard as possible. They don't know any different. All the alternatives and finer details have been lost in the annals of 4x4 history.

(In a South African context common sense is a moot point because everybody on a 4x4trail will have been drinking) :oldtimer:
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by Spike »

On reflection that was a cynical post. Factual, but cynical, and adds no value to the thread. Sorry. It's monday morning
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by iandvl »

As posted elsewhere, I'm not a fan of snatch recoveries. The forces present in a snatch are insane and there is very little real control in the process. Granted - there are occasions when a snatch is required, but most of the time I prefer to recover in a more "controlled" manner.
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by JohnBoyZA »

Agreed Ian, however in AD or any other environment with soft sand where you have little traction it's sometimes the 'only' option. I find that the major cause as highlighted by Spike is QQQ and secondly, to save face, people rush the recoveries. I once found a gaggle of enthusiasts with a LR being recovered on the one side of the dune and a big 200 LC on the other side of the dune and he ripped off the recovery mounting. When I tried to explain that he could not recover the other vehicle through the dune, he simply ignored me. Didn't stay to see the final outcome.
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by iandvl »

Agreed John.

As I said, it is sometimes the only option. I've seen this on River Trip. I think it was 2016 when Anton (Mamba here on the forum) got bogged down and the only option was a snatch. I think Tinus did the snatch. The thing is - it was done safely and people stood well clear.

The Toyotaholics and Kurt Darren crowds ( QQQ QQQ) also don't help. And then let us not mention egos. This is what presumably was the beef with the 200LC you are speaking of. I presume he had a 'holics sticker ? :rolling: :rolling: :rolling:

Sadly, similar topics have been posted on various forums for ages. But people don't seem to learn. The problem I have with it is that there often seems to be a lack of training and a lack of common sense. Still, this could have been avoided, and the loss of life is very sad.
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by Peter Connan »

I have been watching all of Matt's Off-road Recovery's videos for a few years now, and for the last year or so also Casey LaBelle's videos.

Both these guys use snatch ropes a lot, and have allayed my fears about using them a lot.

However, because they do so many recoveries they are experts at judging how much force will be needed and at determining what equipment and setup will be needed to affect the recovery, and I simply don't have that much experience.
In more than a decade of trying to get stuck, my snatch rope has come out of it's bag only a handful of times (one of them being the recovery Ian mentioned above on the river trip).
Therefore, I will employ more safety measures than Matt or Casey, but on the other hand I don't see the need of avoiding snatch recoveries completely.

But what Manny says above is absolutely true, and Spike's comment is also true. If there is dop, walk away.
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Re: Fatal tow-ball recovery failure

Post by iandvl »

Back in 2014, the Nissan Club had (I think it was the folk from Secure Tech - or perhaps Glynn Demmer) perform a "failed snatch recovery demo" at one of the events. I think Cedric drove the Patrol tasked with performing the snatch. It took a few attempts. The "dents" in the bonnet in the images below were from one of the "failed-failed snatch recovery demonstrations". However the other images will show where the shackle went straight through the bonnet - the holes to the side of the intercooler vent.

In short, I've seen several comments on other sites sort-of-saying everybody would have been fine if the bonnet had been open. I say possibly.
20141206_151850.jpg
20141206_151844.jpg
20141206_151839.jpg
20141206_151835.jpg
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