Bridle options for (winchless) recovery

What are you guys using ? Particularly with the 5th gen factory front hooks. I know they aren’t rated for vehicle recovery, but they look plenty stout to me for static recoveries anyway. I certainly wouldn’t attempt a kinetic pull with them unless I was buried & out of options. I also prefer to distribute the stress across 2 points & center the pull for better control of the recovered vehicle in most situations- regardless of the recovery point integrity.

A static tree strap looks like a good option & the engineer in me says the longer the better to minimize (inward) stress on recovery points…say minimum of 15 ft. Maybe just go ahead & get a second 20’ strap instead of the shorter tree strap ?

I currently carry an ARB snatch strap (highly recommend) & 4 soft shackles which have served me well over the years in my 2 Tundras. Just want to entertain a bridle option for the weaker 4Runner hooks & particularly the really weak recovery points on some vehicles I may assist. What say you guys ?

 

I'm not clear on what a bridle is. But if he/she is cool then I would use 2 points of recovery if they avail themselves using a straight pull or even double (fold over) the straps on the each point then shackle the triangular mess to one strap. I don't think another 6 popper is going to do any damage to those transport points. If the winch is used throw in another part. Don't mind the ideal conditions.... I'm in between trips and bored shitless on a beautiful summer evening. Side note you may have already known- keep your straps out of the sun when not in use or drying out. UV rays damage the nylon.

 

Great winch solution….thanks for the pics !
Here’s a pic of what I’m referring to by a bridle- involving a recovery vehicle & a recovered vehicle where the front Toyota transport hooks must be utilized.

I’m winchless & don’t have an aftermarket bumper. I’ve changed the thread title to reflect that

 

I would use your hitch as pictured. In your pic you have doubled the capacity of the strap and divided the load on the recovery points. Who honestly knows
at what point will failure occur? The main component of any hitch is ourselves.... make safety a priority in recovery operation.
We can replace bumpers and rigging. You know the old saying " stupid hurts."

 

Perhaps we can get others to chime in on their experiences. Thanks for the topic OP.

 

You can use the factory transport points for static recoveries but I'm not going to encourage it, acquire real recovery points if you're going to be offroading in a position where you may need a pull. As for bridle configuration I personally set it up the way you do, the ends secured to the vehicle and a static strap threaded through to allow lateral movement if necessary.

 

I recently took a recovery class and you're 100% correct about it needing to be long enough to not create inward force.

If I remember correctly, each leg of the bridle needs to be at least 2x the distance between attachment points.

I had a 10 foot tree saver for this purpose, but have realized it's too short. I think at least 16 feet is needed.

 

Looking hard at this Bubbarope tree saver. It’s 16’, static & has a nice protective sheath to minimize friction force where 2 straps join. It can also be used as extra pull strap if you need more length than your original

 

That seems perfect! It's worth it to spend the money on quality, rated recovery gear. I'm probably going to pick up one of these soon too.

 

Wife and I are up next week for a winching 101 class at the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area. Offroad Consultants are the instructors. Looking forward to class and a couple days camping.

 

Awesome! Have a great time. I really enjoyed the class that I went to, I'm sure you two will have a great time as well. I don't have a winch, and I don't know if I will ever get one, but it was nice going just to learn about the safety and getting some hands on time with the actual gear and doing a couple of recoveries with winches.

 

Finally found a video confirming much of what I suspected. This bloke has done his homework.

 

@Piney, Thanks for the video. Now I understand what a bridle is. If you had told me to basket the front lugs to attach a winch I'd been all over it. Looks like the hitch I recommended at the top of thread would be a no go. I can't stress enough to be SAFE. I've seen rigging fail, (not in recovery) you can't get out of the way fast enough. Information is power.

 

I just use soft shackles and get em on , where ever i can, 99.99999% using the (rear) receiver with a shackle block.

Edit- i also prefer my kinetic rope over any type of "strap/tie down". I've only tugged 7 people out of a mess, and used my soft shackles and kinetic (yankum) rope for all, and all where successful. Last one, was a lady trying to drop off mail in someones mail box, and she was hung up on the gutter. And all, on my rear receiver with shackel block.