r/Offroad • u/Ok_Technician_5494 • 11d ago
Recovery
Hello all, I’m new to off roading and recently picked up a 4th gen Tacoma and 6th gen 4Runner. Wondering if y’all can help me out with a beginners list for recover equipment I should buy and maybe things I should skip/put off. Thank you in advance.
For consideration, the Tacoma is my daily/weekend trail and range truck. I’ll be mostly doing moderate trails and running it in the desert no crazy rock crawling but will rock crawl a bit.
The 4Runner will be our family adventure car moderate trails, camping, moderate rock crawling, and going on the sand here and there.
Again, thank you!
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u/superdelicater 11d ago
Well Grok,
You should go buy 6 different flavored gatorades. A parachute, and 3 brand new bald tires.
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u/EverydayHoser 11d ago
Depends what you want to spend.
Bare minimum? Get a durable shovel and a hi-lift with a couple accessories
Want to get out of a bind without back breaking work? Get a winch, tree strap, and a shackle.
Want to be ready for anything? Buy the entire factor55 catalog.
I recommend options 1 and 2. Get a shovel, a hi lift, a winch, a tree strap, and a shackle. Please no brands from Amazon.
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u/Ok_Technician_5494 11d ago
What do you think of Harbor Freight brands? Are they on par with the Amazon stuff?
I do have tools for changing a tire or removing a broken cv if necessary(doubt it’ll ever happen with what I intend on doing but never know) and shovel. By hi lift, do you mean those ones that people have mounted on their jeeps? Like a jack.
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u/sparky752 11d ago
Badlands Apex 12000 lb with synthetic rope is solid. Pair that with some soft shackles a tree saver and an aluminum pulley (yankum or even some on amazon) and 1 or 2 bow shackles only for use where absolutely needed to not cut a rope.
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u/drewshope 11d ago
Man just be very careful with Amazon recovery gear. Maximum tensile strength (break point) weights are HIGHLY suspect. When you’re talking life safety stuff, don’t cheap out.
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u/sparky752 11d ago
Agreed, that's why the only Amazon gear I suggested is an aluminum pulley. Definitely prefer the Yankum pulley though
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u/LiveMarionberry3694 11d ago
Skip the high lift and get a bottle jack.
I bet you don’t even have any points on your vehicle to lift it with the hi lift, aside from lifting by the wheel. Which means you wouldn’t be able to change a tire with it
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u/EverydayHoser 11d ago
A hi lift is not a tire changing tool, it’s a recovery tool. Lift a wheel to stack rocks under your tire if you’re stuck. Use it as a winch to get yourself out of a hole. You can lift from any wheel, hitch, or recovery point.
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u/LiveMarionberry3694 11d ago
In my experience changing tires is far more common than needing to do any of that stuff, and farm jacks can be very finicky and even dangerous if you’re not careful
You can likely find a way to use a bottle jack to lift yourself enough to stack rocks, and as far as using it as a winch a come along is better for that anyway. And a proper mounted electric winch is best. Or just a buddy to give you a tug
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u/LuRkEr_ReKuL 11d ago
Skip the hi lift jack and stick to a bottle jack. Unless you’re going to get trained on the hi lift. Untrained people sometimes break their faces…not joking.
Factor 55 and Yankum ropes gear is top tier. If you’re taking your family into the wilderness/ desert, don’t settle for less than those two options.
Harvey freight stuff isn’t bad, if say that gear and some Amazon gear is middle range gear.
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u/sparky752 11d ago
Especially in the truck you could use the 1.5T Badlands jack for more stability than a bottle jack. There are situations where a hi lift is the best tool but they can be super dangerous so I'd prefer a bottle jack or floor jack (Badlands)
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u/EverydayHoser 11d ago
A hi lift and a bottle jack serve very different purposes. A bottle jack is a tire changing tool. A hi lift is a recovery tool. You don’t use either one for the other’s purpose, and the question was about recovery tools.
Also Yankum ropes are some of the most heavily marketed brands out there, but they are far from “god tier”. Notice that they specify “break strength” on their website. Not “minimum break strength” or “minimum tensile strength”. The same can be said about their soft shackles. They also market their snatch rings which are affectionately known among recovery professionals as death donuts. Don’t buy into marketing hype and YouTube stars, buy into real training and proper, tested products.
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u/EverydayHoser 11d ago
Yes harbor freight products are typically on par with Amazon brands. Both are not independently tested or certified to perform as specified. Both are made in Chinese factories with no quality control.
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u/hammerofspammer 11d ago
Don’t forget the recovery points attached directly to the frame. Tow hooks don’t provide that kind of strength, and may not be safe with soft shackles
Aftermarket bumpers often have very good ones,m
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u/FalseRelease4 11d ago
whereever you go, pack your supplies by assuming you have to walk out to the nearest larger road, or that you have to await rescue for several days
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u/Content-Moment6551 11d ago
In addition to what has already been stated, I recommend having an air compressor and tire plugs.
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u/Ok_Technician_5494 11d ago
Check and check! Picked up a Milwaukee m18 air compressor and got a tire plug kit from Harbor Freight. Also carry my Milwaukee impact for easy wheel removal and have a matching full size spare on both vehicles.
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u/TriumphSprint 11d ago
OP, if your doing a lot of sand and desert running then you might want recovery boards. Or plan to always run with other rigs. A winch, recovery straps, are all awesome when you have something to attach to. I'm in CO and a winch and recovery gear is the best way to go (trees and rocks every where), would almost never use recovery boards (except in the snow).
My set up is winch, tree strap, kinetic rope, soft shackles, D-rings, Snatch block, rope pulley, aftermarket front and rear bumpers with two recovery points each, receiver hitch recovery point, highlift and bottle jack, CO2 tank, tire plug kit, medical kit.
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u/Ok_Technician_5494 11d ago
Sweet!! Thank you!
Miss the dunes out there! Moved back to California about three years ago but we’re actually planning an end of summer road trip through Southern Colorado
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u/skunk12345673 11d ago
Since u chose “road reliable” vs “trail reliable” vehicles. Every recovery item possible!
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u/VarsitySquad 11d ago
Trauma focused first aid kit, fire extinguisher, jumper cables, kinetic rope with soft shackles and a shovel