Absolutely. If you slowly take out the slack and start pulling SLOWLY, the strap will build up only minimal energy. Every pull should be started that way, unless every second matter (fire, sinking), or multiple pulls won't be possible because of surface deterioration.
I've never used chocks for a recovery. But it is a valid point that sometimes you need to anchor the recovery vehicle. A tow strap can be good for that--attached to the rear and around a rock, tree or shackled to another vehicle or a Pull-Pal. I've also had one recovery from quicksand--a truck had been stuck for several hours when we happened by. It took four vehicles to pull him out ...
Hah- after that video, the best example I can remember of a recovery gone wrong I can recall popped up- 79 series double cab flopped on its side while yanking out a sinking (incoming tide) 200 series. Both trucks were stupidly overweight and the 79 was way too top heavy for the track width. Also classic example that cameras are one of the 3 things that cause us to do almost all the dumb things we do.I've never used chocks for a recovery. But it is a valid point that sometimes you need to anchor the recovery vehicle. A tow strap can be good for that--attached to the rear and around a rock, tree or shackled to another vehicle or a Pull-Pal. I've also had one recovery from quicksand--a truck had been stuck for several hours when we happened by. It took four vehicles to pull him out ...
This video will give you an idea of what he was stuck in (this is a week before the image above, but you can see plenty of other mired down vehicles) ...
3:08 if not forwarded ...
They were not Iowans, then, that's for sure. Keep on spinning those wheels, fool - when you find yourself in a hole it's time to throw away the shovel! People here don't get that - burned up transmissions, melted tires, broken parts and huge holes. Even delivery truck drivers around our parts just don't get it - took me more than a couple of my lawn tractor buckets of dirt to fill holes an LP delivery guy made after he backed down the neighbor's drive to get to my shop LP tank - he even figured he shouldn't have done that. Ice and snow, and quite a hill. The truck lost momentum coming up and what did he do? Literally 15 minutes of spinning tires, back and forth jockeying - it was a lost cause from the time his truck stopped moving, the fool. By the time he was done it took one huge truck to get him pulled out.Of course most of our drivers were very experienced and were quickly able to realize that they were stuck and did not continue to dig themselves into an impossible hole.
The capacity of the strap will have an inverse relationship to its stretch with any given load so it's a balance based on what you want. IMO the mid-size strap/rope is the best option. I have a 24k ARB strap that's served me well.
What do you mean, no comparison? What size Masterpull strap?
Was stuck in deep snow in my TJ on 35's...many feet deep. I wanted to try my new Superyanker for the first time, but my buddy in front of me already had his tow strap hooked up to me. The usual neck snapping, felt like my bumper was going to get ripped off, initial jerk. Got stuck again, this time I hooked up my new kinetic rope. So smooth as the rope ran out of slack and stretched. Then the TJ just popped out of it's snowy death grip! Amazing difference in two identical situations.
