[atari4x4]

zukenutter wrote:

GeckoXL7 your advice is mostly irrelevant.

fixed

[Reubs]

zukenutter wrote:

GeckoXL7 your advice for a noob in a Sierra is mostly irrelevant.
A Sierra owner should carry a light rated strap as a heavy strap will be like using a chain, offering no stretch at all and will damage recovery points. Shakes I think this is the same reason shackles have a bag reputation, anyone can go buy a strap and shackles with no idea how to safely use them.

I've never had a strap or a shackle fail.

X2. According to the "instructions" that are now a legal requirement to be sold with any snatch strap the correct rating for the strap is 2 - 3 times the GVM of the lighter vehicle connected to it.

http://www.juststraps.com.au/pdf/Snatch%20Straps%20Industry%20Guidelines%20Final%20March%2008%20Amended%20pdf.pdf

This is a case of bigger isn't always better - I have 5000 and 6000kg snatch straps and the 6000kg is too heavy for even a fully loaded Sierra.

As for shackles - 3.5T shackles are plenty big enough for a Sierra. I have yet to see a shackle deformed by recovering Suzukis (or bigger).

[zukenutter]

As ruebs suggested in an earlier post, check out the NBS club, good blokes who can show you proper, safe techniques for driving and recovery.
There's plenty of club haters about but if you have no experience and like to learn the right way straight off you won't regret doing a club driver training course. I did one with the Suzuki Club of NSW when I first started 4WDing, it has served me very well and still use those techniques.

[driftdaddy]

The driver day sounds like a great idea. I'm all for leanring how to do things the right way first time. So I'm guessing a 5000kg snatch strap and 3500kg shackles are going to be about right for what I need then?

[Reubs]

zukenutter wrote:

As ruebs suggested in an earlier post, check out the NBS club, good blokes who can show you proper, safe techniques for driving and recovery.
There's plenty of club haters about but if you have no experience and like to learn the right way straight off you won't regret doing a club driver training course. I did one with the Suzuki Club of NSW when I first started 4WDing, it has served me very well and still use those techniques.

The NBS club doesn't do any 'formal' training courses as such - they do however take people new to 4x4ing and shown them the basics of offroad driving in a safe environment with club members on-hand to help out. Currently with any 'new member' trips, there is a requirement for a 1:1 member to non-member ratio to ensure supervision and help if there is any problems.

IMO this is the best way to learn - there are people with same vehicles and lots of experience to draw upon. I joined the NBS club a few years ago when I was new to 4x4ing and have learned a lot from the club scene.

As Zukenutter mentioned there are a lot of 'club haters' on this forum, however there are many benefits to being a member of a club rather than being just another weekend warrior.