Offroad-Express

Has anyone got a copy of the latest NZ Hunter mag Issue 38 Dec 2013/Jan2014 Page 104 "Pimp you Ute Part 5". By god what a abortion of a job I think they have done with 4wd recovery.

The buggers have rigged a runva 9500lbs winch on a alloy plate which is attached to a chain, then to two small stainless shackes then to a larger shacked and that sits over the tow ball. (photo shown in mag which i will go back and buy)

No winch dampener and winch operators standing right next to the winch.
This is to pull your ute backwards with this winch.

Cant trust everything you read

Colinl wrote:Has anyone got a copy of the latest NZ Hunter mag (or some similar hunting Mag) they've got a pimp your ute sections (5). By god what a abortion of a job I think they have done with 4wd recovery.

The buggers have rigged a runva 6000lbis winch on a alloy plate which is attached to a chain, then to two small stainless shackes then to a larger shacked and that sits over the tow ball. (photo shown in mag which i will go back and buy)

No winch dampener and winch operators standing right next to the winch.
This is to pull your ute backwards with this winch.

Cant trust everything you read

Got any pics or link to online article

NZFWDA like to see these things to reply with concerns etc etc

I'll swing by in the morn and grab the magazine and scan it up. Standby

I'm not sure a distribution rights or Copyrights so if you want images to take further PM me for email.

Winch stated used is a Runva 9.5XS 9500lb

Well I hope that no one tries this due to the cost and fabrication required.

Bugger that.
Those tiny D shackles aren't rated either, barely strong enough for a trailer safety chain.

holy crap.

you can buy receiver towbar type winch mount things. why not go with one of those????

I've only posted what I think is wrong with the article which is unfair to the magazine which some say I might be taking things out of context. The rest of it seems to have some good advice about trifor and lancor ground anchors etc, I've been reading NZ Hunter for a while now and this is the first time its come up with a article like this.

It is good bring this kinda thing into discussion, I know your intent is not to rubbish the mag, just question this article. It would be like a 4WD mag talking gun safety, not its area of expertise. It would be good to approach the editor of the mag and discuss our concerns and how we perceive the correct and safe portable recovery methods.

cheers Paul.

NZFWDA will be responding to the article and asking for our response to be printed as soon as I am able to get hold of a full copy of the article in question.
Tony Burgess

President NZFWDA

Mudde1 wrote:NZFWDA will be responding to the article and asking for our response to be printed as soon as I am able to get hold of a full copy of the article in question.
Tony Burgess

President NZFWDA

Awesome Tony, all the best for getting it sorted swiftly and smoothly.

I can't believe it that they have done what they have BUT it's even on the tow ball.. recipe for a death if you ask me.. bunch of cocks..

Big wrote:I can't believe it that they have done what they have BUT it's even on the tow ball.. recipe for a death if you ask me.. bunch of cocks..

OR... People who don't know any better and need to be educated on the do's and don'ts of recovery...

The ute looks to have a removable tow bar tongue, Why not buy a winch bracket that slips in there. Probably cost less than the chains and alloy plate.

Unfortunately a lot of hunters will see this and think it is safe, Hopefully they will put a decent sized correction in their next article before someone copies this and gets killed.

Not what one would call a tradesman-like job.

Just looking at it makes me (and a lot of others I'm sure) cringe in anticipation of what's going to let go first and the force that it's going to go with when it does. And we know too with that setup that it's a case of when something's going to go not if.

They kinda got the theory right but stuffed up the practical totally. I mean I'm sure there's any number of people on this forum who could engineer a removable rear winch mount that was safe and worked well if they put their minds to it.

The surprising thing is that this dodgy DIY job made it into print. I would have thought the editorial process would have weeded out any instructional content that was so potentially unsafe.

I'm pretty over the way the whole health and safety thing gets overdone in some ways - like when it's used to try to avoid liability. I mean I don't need the instruction manual on my new battery drill to tell me in big red writing not to insert it into any bodily orifice. I would however expect that the "how to" section in a reputable magazine had been fact-checked enough not to get be killed (or at least give me fair warning that it might get me killed).

I have received a reply from NZ Hunter magazine and the good news is that there will be a follow up article.
His reply to my email is below.

Yes, we are writing a clarification of some points in that article in the next issue. There are a few things on reflection I could have covered better. The minute I saw it in print I wasn’t quite happy with it. I’ve been having a few discussions with some mates of mine who are still in the local 4WD clubs, that I used to belong to for a large number of years when I rallied a D class vehicle, and participated in winch challenges and many club runs. Just so you are aware I have some experience in 4WD recovery.

The tow ball on my truck is not standard, and is rated to 3500kgs. I personally am quite comfortable winching off it with that particular winch for light duty recoveries keeping in mind the number of wraps the winch has on the drum. I wouldn’t allow it to get down to the last layer without replacing it with the proper towing attachment with the rated hook that fits in its place. But you are quite right, I should have used a photo of winching off the proper recovery point, as it does give the wrong impression. I will reiterate this in the clarification.

Yes, there are some standard shackles in the photo as well as some rated ones, because I didn’t have enough with me the day I went to take that pic. That was a mock up, the vehicle isn’t stuck, and we were really pushed for time trying to get those photos. No excuse I know, but I was behind on a deadline! I’m not too concerned about the wrong shackles in the pic as I stated clearly in the article you must use rated shackles, and few of our readers will pick in the photo that they are not. The chain most certainly is rated chain.

My brother in law is a certified engineer, and we used 7000 series alloy, so I can assure you the bracket is amply strong enough for the job, but I will stress this point in the follow up.

Andrew in the photo is 2 metres from the winch rope and satisfied he is far enough away to be safe. Not the 3 metres you state, but we are well aware of the dangers of a flying cable or hardware. Again, we will stress this point and relay your comments on distance from the winch/rope.

The final comment was talking about the life of the recovery equipment, not the strength. It was simply saying you don’t need to buy the most expensive gear used by those who use it every day. I will clarify this also.

Again, you are correct about the proper use of a snatchum, but we are very limited for space as this article isn’t really mainstream for the magazine and there wasn’t room to go into detail on any of this. It was just to give the readers an idea of what could be done. I should have said progressively work up to the 2 metres of slack. With a proper snatchum and recovery points, 2 metres is quite safe in my experience. You can’t get enough speed up in 2 metres to overload proper recovery gear, and I feel I more than adequately emphasised the use of proper recovery points here.

Thanks for taking time to email and post reply, appreciated.

Good to see it being resolved.

Some poor justifications but good overall.