Tow Bar for Off Road Recovery

Another noob question so get ready to roll eyes...

The 'gentleman' who sold me the land rover advertised it with a brand new tow bar but when I turned up to pick it up it was at 'his workshop' and he would courier it to me. 1 Month and 20 odd phone calls later and no tow bar

So anyway I want to do some pay and play next weekend, I have fitted two Jate rings to the front but presumably I need to fit a tow point onto the back. Do I need an adjustable height LR006310 or do I just bolt a tow ball to the flat plate that I have on the back?

Cheers one and all.

Just bolt it on.. That's what I have done. Adjustable ones are for if your high landy is towing a low trailer..

whats wrong with putting jate rings on the back?

Just put some jate rings on the rear or bolt a tow ball on the back, you don't really need a plough on the back do ya?

Do not use a standard towball for off road recovery it is bloody dangerous.
They are not designed to handle the forces involved recovering a well stuck landy. Apart from that slings etc slip off. Google it and you will see all of the horror pics when they snap and fly through the air. Most guys use nato tow hitches for off road recovery. Use a strengthening plate behind it and high tensile bolts. Or just use jate rings

A toe ball is fine for most green laning. A pay n plate site might be different. If you are green laning on roads that get you that stuck, you shouldn't be driving them.

:5biagree: Please don't ever use a standard tow ball for off-road recovery! It's too bloody dangerous for the reasons already given!

OSD

Mine has a pin that drops through I use. Behind the ball.

Thanks peoples, I'll see if I can get away with sticking one of the front jate rings onto the back until I get a chance to buy some more.

Hadnt thought about tow bars letting go, can imagine it would be pretty nasty.

Oh yeah a ball of heavy metal coming your way is scary! Never had it happen to me but heard a few stories.
I use the drop pin aswell. Never had a problem.

I have yet to see a tow ball fail, its usually the bolt or even the rear cross member come off!! If you are using a solid bar then a towball is more than adequate, as long as its fitted properly i.e. bolts of correct spec and spreader plates etc . If doing kinetic recovery then its not suitable for such use , and its a dangerous procedure however you go about it !! As above if greenlaning then should not really be needed ?

It is useful to fit a towball on the front, if you have a solid front bumper, because it means you xan use a tow-bar to be recovered home if yu break down.

Tow ball is more than adaquate. if mounted securly and correctly and not on a drop plate.

They are used for Team recovery which is far from the average snatch recovery. Tow balls far exceed minimum standard for the event. They will not cope with numpties using strops instead of ropes tho. Not alot will.

Fit with correct rated bolts and correct spreader plates and you will be fine.. As said a cheap fit is a couple of jate rings but they are a pita on the rear unless you have a rope attached perm.

P.s make sure your xmember is in good nick aswell.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQyl2EzXD1k]ALRC National trials 2011 Team Recovery - YouTube[/ame]

Tow balls are just fine if fitted correctly.

I've been using standard 3.5 ton tow hitches to extract stuck vehicles for the last 13 or so years and have yet to sheer one.

ratty said:

I've been using standard 3.5 ton tow hitches to extract stuck vehicles for the last 13 or so years and have yet to sheer one.

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And you never will

sible88 said:

Oh yeah a ball of heavy metal coming your way is scary! Never had it happen to me but heard a few stories.
I use the drop pin aswell. Never had a problem.

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Think everyone has heard stories but never seen it happen.


As Ratty says normal towballs are fine for pulling a stuck vehicle outof the ****ty stuff. What they're not suitable for is, Pillocks doing snatch recoveries.

I have ball & pin hitch. where ball and pin are 1 piece. rated to 3.5tonnes.


Though I have just bought a receiver hitch from newbury. So that'll be going on soon..

redhand said:

Think everyone has heard stories but never seen it happen.


As Ratty says normal towballs are fine for pulling a stuck vehicle outof the ****ty stuff. What they're not suitable for is, Pillocks doing snatch recoveries.

I have ball & pin hitch. where ball and pin are 1 piece. rated to 3.5tonnes.


Thought I have just bought a receiver hitch from newbury. So that'll be going on soon..

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And they make a nato clamp hitch that fits in the receiver also and will never let rope or strap come off. I use 30k snatch strap and never had a problem ever

Fur Trapper said:

And they make a nato clamp hitch that fits in the receiver also and will never let rope or strap come off. I use 30k snatch strap and never had a problem ever

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Yep I have a Nate Pintle already But might get 1 of these.

redhand said:

Yep I have a Nate Pintle already But might get 1 of these.

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Whats the cost on the Nate pintel and that one you just showed? We also havee them with the big eye like the nato ring all cast as one!