What size chain for recovery?
06-01-2008, 12:57 PM
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What size chain for recovery?
What size chain is best for recovery for our size vehicles?
I've always used tow straps before, but I need chains now to be able to use my hi-lift jack as a winch / come-along.
I'd like to get plenty of size for safety, but I'd also like to get enough length of chain with not a huge amount of weight.
I've always used tow straps before, but I need chains now to be able to use my hi-lift jack as a winch / come-along.
I'd like to get plenty of size for safety, but I'd also like to get enough length of chain with not a huge amount of weight.
06-01-2008, 01:25 PM
#3
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dont use chains for pulling people out.... IF you are going to use it with a highlift as a hand winch use whatever floats your boat. i have 3/8" x 20' i bring just in case.
06-01-2008, 06:47 PM
#4
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You need 3/8" Grd 70 transport chain with grab hooks for the hilift accessory kit.
It should ONLY be used for reasonably "static" situations, and never in a dynamic recovery.
It should ONLY be used for reasonably "static" situations, and never in a dynamic recovery.
06-03-2008, 10:49 AM
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Chain sucks. Its heavy and dirty. But it doesnt suck more than trying to recover something with a highlift. So you will be adding a side of suck to a extra large order of suck.
Buy a winch. There are many cheap crappy ones these days, that should work fine for you. It doesnt sound like recovering is something you plan to do often.
Just my 2 cents
Buy a winch. There are many cheap crappy ones these days, that should work fine for you. It doesnt sound like recovering is something you plan to do often.
Just my 2 cents
06-03-2008, 12:05 PM
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I don't care what a chain is rated for...I won't use it to recover anything.
Get a looped-end recovery strap and call it a day. They make a ton of them that are pretty comparable in price to a chain of the same strength and length.
Be safe!
Fink
Get a looped-end recovery strap and call it a day. They make a ton of them that are pretty comparable in price to a chain of the same strength and length.
Be safe!
Fink
Last edited by Fink; 06-03-2008 at 12:23 PM.
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06-03-2008, 03:10 PM
#10
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Chain sucks. Its heavy and dirty. But it doesnt suck more than trying to recover something with a highlift. So you will be adding a side of suck to a extra large order of suck.
Buy a winch. There are many cheap crappy ones these days, that should work fine for you. It doesnt sound like recovering is something you plan to do often.
Buy a winch. There are many cheap crappy ones these days, that should work fine for you. It doesnt sound like recovering is something you plan to do often.
Yes, hilift winching is slow and tedious. But, if done properly, it is safe and effective, and you NEED to have a hilift anyways, so all you're carrying is the accessory kit bag with a section of chain.
Buying a cheap crappy winch will plague you for the rest of your days. I consider a winch a "life critical" device. You want to know that it will work PERFECTLY, EVERY time or someone could get really hurt or your truck really damaged. Save up to buy a quality winch. The pleasure of use will survive long after the price is forgotten.
If the choice is Hilift accessory kit (and the necessary, but not included section of chain) or a cheap winch - take the accessory kit EVERY time.
06-03-2008, 08:43 PM
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I 1,000,000 times DISagree.
Yes, hilift winching is slow and tedious. But, if done properly, it is safe and effective, and you NEED to have a hilift anyways, so all you're carrying is the accessory kit bag with a section of chain.
Buying a cheap crappy winch will plague you for the rest of your days. I consider a winch a "life critical" device. You want to know that it will work PERFECTLY, EVERY time or someone could get really hurt or your truck really damaged. Save up to buy a quality winch. The pleasure of use will survive long after the price is forgotten.
If the choice is Hilift accessory kit (and the necessary, but not included section of chain) or a cheap winch - take the accessory kit EVERY time.
Yes, hilift winching is slow and tedious. But, if done properly, it is safe and effective, and you NEED to have a hilift anyways, so all you're carrying is the accessory kit bag with a section of chain.
Buying a cheap crappy winch will plague you for the rest of your days. I consider a winch a "life critical" device. You want to know that it will work PERFECTLY, EVERY time or someone could get really hurt or your truck really damaged. Save up to buy a quality winch. The pleasure of use will survive long after the price is forgotten.
If the choice is Hilift accessory kit (and the necessary, but not included section of chain) or a cheap winch - take the accessory kit EVERY time.
Highlifts are IMO the most dangerous tool in the offroad tool box BY FAR!! Ask me how I know!
If I was on the trail and some guy pulled out a hi-lift and chain for recovery I would disappear in a hurry!
06-04-2008, 02:02 PM
#13
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you'd be better off (faster AND safer) with a really long length of synthetic line and a dozen snatch blocks and hand pulling your rig out.
chances are you'll wish you could just hook your winch to a tree while your doing any other method. nothing beats a winch, even a cheap/slow one.
Al
06-04-2008, 04:56 PM
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Alot of these guys are very negative about chains. They should ONLY be used for static pulling(no jerking!!)) like you would be doing with your jack. It is a 100% reliable, manpowered, never fail extraction device, and if not for winching, then for jacking the truck and putting crap under the wheels. I was out with a friend, 2 trucks, no winch, and we both got stuck(him while manouvering around to get me out). A highlift would have had us out in 30min. but instead, we spent the rest of the day and most of the night getting out. As a cheap last resort tool that can mean 10 hours stuck or 30min stuck + 9.5 hours of wheeling, you decide. If money is no object, the winch is the way to go, I have one now, but my highlift still rides in my tool box as back-up. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it! 3/8ths inch or heavier grade 70 chain would be my rec for your application as a minimum. Thats what I carry. 5/16s inch cable is what most winches run, you could use that too. The stronger the rating, the better. NEVER use a tow strap for extraction with your jack. They can stretch and are not static enough for that application.
06-05-2008, 02:32 AM
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Ok thanks tc and brooklee1000 - 3/8 grade 70. That's what I needed. I'll probably get some cable too, to extend my reach. I know only to use it (the chain) for static pulling.
Me and my brother have been planning a trip up the through Canada and the Alcan highway for a few years now.. We were both going to drive our trucks so we could do different things and not get on each other nerves too badly. Gas prices almost caused us to cancel the trip, but we decided we could do it with just one truck. It's a little hard to use a tow strap when you've only got one truck, and that's the reason we'll need the hi-lift and chain. I remember helping my grandfather winch his tractor out of the mud with a hi-lift, but that was back in the 80's - too long to remember exactly how to do it.. I seem to remember there was a way to do it so he didn't have to completely reset the rig each time it got to the end of the jack. we'll have to brush up.
Some of you guys sound like limp-wrists!
Yeah, lots of stuff can hurt you. Use your tools right, use your head, and take your time. You all stay nice and safe at home. - I'm going to Alaska!
Me and my brother have been planning a trip up the through Canada and the Alcan highway for a few years now.. We were both going to drive our trucks so we could do different things and not get on each other nerves too badly. Gas prices almost caused us to cancel the trip, but we decided we could do it with just one truck. It's a little hard to use a tow strap when you've only got one truck, and that's the reason we'll need the hi-lift and chain. I remember helping my grandfather winch his tractor out of the mud with a hi-lift, but that was back in the 80's - too long to remember exactly how to do it.. I seem to remember there was a way to do it so he didn't have to completely reset the rig each time it got to the end of the jack. we'll have to brush up.
Some of you guys sound like limp-wrists!
Yeah, lots of stuff can hurt you. Use your tools right, use your head, and take your time. You all stay nice and safe at home. - I'm going to Alaska!
Last edited by 4x4; 06-05-2008 at 02:56 AM.
06-05-2008, 07:51 AM
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Me and the rest of my wimpy friends will be waxing our mall crawlers
06-05-2008, 09:50 AM
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06-05-2008, 10:04 AM
#18
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I dont even carry a hi lift anymore just beacuse most of the situations you cant use one safely. I just wheel with a partner now, or I dont wheel. period.
i carry a cum a long just in case with 40ft of strap
*i dont wheel anymore except snow... before, when I wheeld a lot, wheni had my 85 runner, the 2nd thing I got was a winch. (1st was the bumper)*
i carry a cum a long just in case with 40ft of strap
*i dont wheel anymore except snow... before, when I wheeld a lot, wheni had my 85 runner, the 2nd thing I got was a winch. (1st was the bumper)*
Last edited by n16ht5; 06-05-2008 at 10:07 AM.
06-05-2008, 10:07 AM
#19
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A come along with chains is much safer imho. I have used a 3 ton hoist and some heavy rated strapping and tress to get myself out before. Much easier to setup than a hilift and safer.
