5 Types of Recovery Straps

Snatch Strap

Snatch Straps are attached to a recovery point on a vehicle, are capable of 20 percent stretch when under load, and this kinetic energy is used to help in the recovery of vehicles. Keep this snatch strap in your 4WD and make sure you don't get trapped while off-roading.

Equaliser Strap

A Equaliser Strap is used to equally distribute the load on the vehicle over two connection points during a recovery thus halving the load to reduce potential breakage or damage to vehicle.

Tow Strap

A Tow Strap is designed to tow a vehicle over short distances as opposed to simply ‘recovering’ the vehicle. This is perfect to towing crook vehicles from the bush, out to the public road where the vehicle can be collected by a tow truck safely.

Winch Extension Strap

The purpose of a winch extension strap is to provide extra length when your hand or electric winch can’t quite reach the vehicle you wish to recovery. No one ever wants to fall short of a safe anchor point, having one of these in the back is a must for any 4x4 fitted with a winch.

Tree Trunk Protector Strap

Unlike a snatch strap or recovery strap, a tree trunk protector is designed with a wide polyester webbed strap to even the weight load to prevent damage to trees and the winch cable when winching.

Essential 4x4 Recovery Gear

Hitch Receiver

A hitch receiver is a safe and dependable way to recover a vehicle from the rear towbar point and is able to be used with most general winch and strap recoveries.

Air Damper

An air damper is used to reduce the recoil of a winch rope or recovery strap in the event that failure should occur. A good air damper has pockets which can be filled with sand or soil to increase its mass, and therefor its effectiveness in arresting a broken strap or rope.

Rated Bow Shackles

Bow shackles, also called anchor shackles, have a large O-shaped loop and can handle adjusting loads. Make sure your bow shackle has been tested to AS2741-2002 standards.

The Humble Shovel

Not only is it handy around camp, a quality shovel will make digging yourself out of a bog much less painful. Choose a long handled shovel so as you can dig all the way under the vehicle; or a 3 piece shovel that allows you to have either a long handle, or a D handle.

Traction Boards

Traction boards are an effective means of self-recovery. When used correctly a vehicle can often drive straight out of a bog in sand or mud. They can also be used as a shovel, base plate for a jack, and much more.

Snatch Block or Winch Pulley

A perfect kit addition for any four wheel driving enthusiast, a snatch block increases the versatility of any vehicle mounted winch. This will allow you to reduce the load on a vehicles winch by half, as well as aid the ability to winch from different angles if straight ahead is not an option. When winching off a fixed position, the winch from the stuck vehicle will pass through the snatch block and return back to reattach to the tow hook. This will then allow for the weight of the vehicle to be spread evenly.