Recovery points !
by Nadim Samara
 
 
 

Land Rovers rarely come with sturdy, offroad, recovery points. The
Lebanese  market does not include military Land Rovers, and therefore,
we usually have  to add on our own type of recovery points front and rear.
Moreover, I will concentrate on coil sprung models only, as they are more
abundant.

 The rear:

 Starting at the rear of our Rovers, the first thing we see on coil
 sprung models are two eyelets on each side of the rear chassis
 member. These are NOT made for off-road recovery. These were
 designed to hold the vehicle in place while in transportation. It is
 highly advised not to use them, as one of these eyelets on an
 extended cable or rope can shatter glass and break limbs off very
 easily.
 The solution for the rear is quite simple actually. Rovers are designed to
 accommodate a central towing hitch, which is very sturdy, and is
recommended
 for use off-road. Now, you can install them with the original LR parts,
 which is a very sure package. However, that will diminish your departure
 angle. Now, what serious off-roaders need
 are those hitches mounted high up, in order not to affect the
 departure angle. Having done mine in that manner, I can assure you
 that it is extremely sturdy, and will barely affect your departure
 angle.

 Now, as far as the hitches themselves are concerned, well, there are
 many types. From the original open-ball, to the LR towing assembly,
 to the NATO 9 ton jaw type, all are excellent. The latter is widely
 used in the military, and is therefore my personal favorite.
 Moreover, it has a locking mechanism that will hold the rope in
 place regardless of the tension.

 The front:

 There are 2 welded eyelets on each side of the front chassis. These
 are NOT to be used for recovery. From personal experience, I can
 guarantee that they are not up to it. While in a recovery situation,
 they bent forward, and were about to snap out of place. We stopped,
 and reassessed the situation.

 Up front, there are some tough problems. Defenders usually come with
 Jate-rings, but not all of them. Now, you have to consider that the
 Lebanese market has few off-road accessories for Rovers. The series Rovers
 have a very strong D-type recovery point, these can be easily
 attached to any steel bumper mounted up front. Now, on Discoverys
 and Range Rovers, well, one must either get a whole new bumper, or
 fabricate some custom recovery points. Certain bull-bars have
 integrated recovery eyelets, such as the ARB, TJM, BRB, and many
 others. Good luck finding one in Lebanon. My improvisation was to
 get my hands on a couple of American made military D-type rings.
 These are attached to my custom bull bar, and have proven their
 weight in gold!

 In conclusion:

 You must check that you have at least one strong recovery point
 front AND rear. If ever in doubt, wrap some sort of loose object
 (rope, jacket.etc) around the tow rope, in order to kill its kinetic
 energy should the recovery point, or the rope, fail.

 Remember that a weak recovery point can act like a bullet, and can
 cause death, God forbid. Therefore, for safety on the trails, make
 sure that you use above average equipment, mounts, and recovery
 points.
 _____________________________
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at:
IPRofficer@landroverunion.com
 
 
 

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