Basic recovery gear for full size?

rrflyer

New member
Planning a last minute trip wi5 my new ram 2500, we’re heading to Durango, Moab, Ouray next week for about 3 weeks.

I’ve had 4runners in the past and mostly trucked along fire roads and such, not looking to do anything hardcore but figured it’d be a good idea to have some basic straps/shackles at least.

Can you guys point me in right direction for some heavy truck stuff?
 

1stDeuce

Explorer
Get a 3" by 20' strap at least. 30' would be even better. A shackle or two is always a good idea, since lots of vehicles have only two loops, not hooks. I also carry a smaller shackle that I can use to drag cars around by their tow points. I'd also carry some sort of receiver for the hitch, if your truck has a hitch. A standard no-drop reciever with no ball would be my preference, so you can pin the shackle through it and solidly connect the strap. Or a shackle mount for the hitch if you have one...

An extra hitch pin never hurts either. In a pinch, you can cram the loop into a hitch and put the pin in and pull fairly good. A hard pull on a heavy truck and you're going to bend the pin, or possibly break it, but lighter vehicles don't seem to do any damage.

Unless you're really pushing the limits of your new truck, not much more should be required. Even my old standby the hi-lift stays at home these days... It's useless with most modern bumpers anyway.

I would also suggest some other "equipment"...
I always carry a tire plug kit. The rocks around Ouray can be sharp. And with road miles comes the worry of picking up a nail, screwdriver, file, etc. Plugging a tire is so much less hassle than changing one, especially on the trail.
I also carry a 12v compressor. The $30 compressor from HF has worked for me for YEARS. I have OBA in the Jeep, and a hard mounted Viair in the truck now, but I still use my HF compressor occasionally. It gets pretty slow above 40PSI, but you shouldn't need more than that for normal use anyway. Fill up to higher pressures at a station.
Of course a simple tool kit is a good idea, even on a new truck. Never know when you might have to vice grip off a brake line, or tighten a loose fitting or clamp or bolt.

If you do plan to go offroad, you might see if the lowest air dam under the front bumper can be easily removed with a few screws or push rivits. Pulling it keeps you from mangling it and leaving pieces of it on the side of the trail...

Even if you don't end up using these things on your truck, you may meet someone less prepared, and it's always nice to be able to help out someone else. (Karma and all that...)

I'd also suggest that for the trails in the San Juans, you'll probably want to air down some, if only for the improved ride. The trails north of Silverton are not terribly difficult, but they are fairly rough. Dropping to ~30psi for a mostly empty truck would be appropriate, and would not be a problem for shorter or slower trips down the tarmac.

Aside from the heat in Moab, it should be a good trip!! I had heard that the road to Animas Forks is now plowed open, and there are several HUGE slide areas along the way.
Have a good trip!!!
 

chet6.7

Explorer
Check out Bubba Rope,soft shackles have some safety advantages.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
tree saver
hilift jack
hilift winch kit
winch shackles
extra chain and/or winch rope
truck claws
shovel
chainsaw

That bit of kit is all I need for recovery, for at least the past 20 years. Electric winches are nice, but optional.
 

Bigc3031

Member
Hilift for full size trucks isn’t the most useful tool since there aren’t a lot of points to actually use it unfortunately. I’d suggest a good quality bottle jack with plenty of lift and a more power puller for your winching.
 

chet6.7

Explorer
Planning a last minute trip wi5 my new ram 2500, we’re heading to Durango, Moab, Ouray next week for about 3 weeks.

I’ve had 4runners in the past and mostly trucked along fire roads and such, not looking to do anything hardcore but figured it’d be a good idea to have some basic straps/shackles at least.

Can you guys point me in right direction for some heavy truck stuff?
Can you say what you already have? How long of a list of gear you should have do you need? :)
 

rrflyer

New member
I’ve got a rear Rhino rear shackle hitch
Front factory recovery points
A 20 foot 28K lb rope
I carry a plug kit
cheap inflator
Floor jack

Not gonna push it hard, it’ll be me my 3 and 5 year old and my 6 month pregnant wife. I guess I was just worried with the truck being so much heavier than the yotas
 

CCH

Adventurer
I'm a relatively new convert to Maxtrax for my truck. Have had the opportunity to use them, and am thoroughly sold on the concept for many self-recovery situations.
 

Binksman

Observer
I'm on a trip now... A bottle jack has replaced all other jacks for actual use. I keep a couple blocks of 4x4 wood in the tool box- they come in handy in all sorts of ways- chock blocks, stacking under tires, jack stand, anvil, spacer to keep things away from the window in the bed, once used one as a metal brake to fix a bracket. A 20 ft chain and a short recovery strap.

Made it to my destination just fine, but had to "recover" my dad's riding mower from where he got it stuck on the dirt bike track, so planning came in handy already :)
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Ouray County's latest conditions:

(Note – Crew 1 and Crew 2 work concurrently)
Crew 1: Yankee Boy -- OPEN
Crew 2: Red Mountain Town – Open the Main Loop-- OPEN
Crew 1: Corkscrew – (in progress)
Crew 2: Engineer Pass (in progress)
Crew 1: Imogene
Crew 2: Crews will move to help open Imogene after the completion of Corkscrew


What the avalanche debris up on Engineer Pass looks like at the moment.

524636

524637
 

1stDeuce

Explorer
Ophir is open as of yesterday, as is Stoney Pass. I thought I heard they have the road open from Silverton to Animas Forks, but that's not what the FS says...

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sanjuan/alerts-notices/?cid=FSBDEV3_002300

I had heard earlier this month that Engineer may not open this year, but it appears they're working on it now...

If you're in the vicinity of Stoney Pass, see if you can get up to the Buffalo Boy tram house... Probably not open yet, but that's my fav spot to hang out for lunch. :)
 

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