Stropping the axle is a procedure in the REME recovery manual, and a technique that used to be vaunted, and a few years ago, you could actually buy an axle bridle 'kit', basically winch-cable, permenantly attached to the axle at the swivil flanges, and looped up to the chassis and held on cable ties that would 'pop' when recovery force applied.
Using a strop on the axle isn't a convenient way to bridle, and you cant put the strop on ahead of getting stuck; but does have merit.
Caution is to lay the strop carefuly at the swivil flanges and over the hokey brackets, the strongest section of the axle, and where the line of action is 'best'.
when stuck, its the axle that is subject to most drag, and recovering from the chassis means that the entire recovery force has to be transmitted through the chassis and suspension to the bit that's stuck, the axle.
Bridling off the axle, line of force puts the recovery force where the resistance is, lestening the force on all intermediary links.
Its particularly advantageouse on a 'snatch' recovery, as the shock force goes straight to where its most needed, and isn't 'damped' by the suspension or body rock, and there is less chance of riping out a recovery point or such.
YES can put a very high load on the axle, but if you are employing a high energy recovery technique, thats true wherever you bridle.
As said, you dont just loop round the tube, you take the bridle round the swivil flanges, where the casing is strongest and forces have best line of action.
And We'reTalking about a Green-Lane Disco here, not a challenge truck, and a bloke that doesn't want to trim his valence!
Come ON!
If he doesn't want to trim his valence, he's NOT going to be taking it into very 'extreme' situations, is he?
If he gets stuck, not likely to be up to the chassis gloop, in the bottome of a gulley!
Not likely to be employing a high energy recovery, where applying a tube crushing force likely to be a worry.
Mean while, bridling off the axle means he doesn't have to trim the valence, and when recovering, low angle of action should mean that the valence wont get fouled by the bridle.
