05/09/2024
It is springtime again and there will be plenty of new wheelers out there, so here come some older tips and hints aimed at those who don't know these things yet.:
Off-Roading 101
NO TOW BALLS (or a ball hitch) FOR SN**CH RECOVERIES
This has been in the news far too many times. Unfortunately, people still think throwing a sn**ch strap over the tow ball is okay when recovering a stuck 4WD. This is a dangerous mistake.
Tow balls are not intended or designed for the stresses a sn**ch strap or, in many cases, a winch can put on them. Some (Class II) 2" tow-balls are rated as low as 2000 lbs. Most Class III 2" balls and hitches are rated between 3500 & 6000 lbs. (SAE says 5000) That is insufficient strength to recover many bogged rigs safely when using rolling (kinetic) sn**ching techniques. If you sn**ch off a tow ball, it can shear off and go flying through the air like a cannonball.
That piece of flying metal has the potential to kill and has done so in the past. In just one example, a lady was killed while recovering a stuck 4WD in deep sand. The tow ball broke off the stuck vehicle and flew through the windshield of the recovery rig, and killed the driver. Such a tragedy and she was just trying to help out. A similar death occurred in 2022 when a hitch and ball broke, went through a windshield and killed a man in front of his family.
Please don't use tow-balls for recoveries. There are easy and far safer options, such as using a Shackle Hitch Receiver or, in a pinch, using the hitch pin.
Wheel Safe!!
©️Richard Hiltz 2018
