Snatch Straps

Vehicle recovery straps, commonly referred to by off-road drivers as snatch straps, are one of the most commonly employed items of off-road recovery gear.

Correctly used, they are both safe and effective for extracting bogged vehicles. They are made from a heavy-duty nylon or polyester type webbing. When the recovery vehicle slowly and steadily applies a towing load via the strap to the immobilised one, the strap due to its elastic nature stretches considerably. The energy thus temporarily stored in the strap helps to ‘spring’ or ‘snatch’ the bogged vehicle out.

The energy stored in them and the loads applied to the strap during recovery can make them very dangerous items if they aren’t used correctly, especially for bystanders. In fact there have been fatalities as a result of their improper use.

From October 1^st 2008, all straps supplied in Queensland must carry markings that are stitched on or otherwise permanently attached detailing specific consumer information and a prescribed warning statement.

Required information includes the brand name, identification of the Australian maker or supplier, a batch code or serial number, instructions for correct use and the minimum breaking strength. It also has to recommend that the minimum breaking strength should be between two and three times the vehicle’s GVM and that the strap must be suited to the GVM of the lighter of the two vehicles involved in the recovery. Incorrect strap selection relative to GVM could see the strap fail or if too heavy for the job, the recovery points ripped from the vehicle to become deadly missiles.

The mandatory warning statement highlights the danger of not using the strap in accordance with instructions and of using vehicle attachment points such as tie-down eyes and towballs as they are not designed for vehicle recovery.

Similar standards are likely to be adopted nationally.

Snatch Strap Selection

For snatch straps to work as intended the strap has to be matched to the GVM of the lightest vehicle involved in the recovery.

Given that you may not necessarily know what weight of vehicle you may be called upon to recover, and it wouldn't be practical to carry a selection of straps, we suggest every vehicle should carry a strap suited to its own GVM. The correct strap should then be able to be selected.

It's probably also worth pointing out that if the strap is too light there is a risk of it breaking. If it's too heavy it won't stretch, and therefore won't provide the desired assistance. If it is too heavy it may also increase the shock loading on the attaching points and increase the risk of catastrophic failure.

Using snatch straps for vehicle recovery

(Do Not attempt this unless you are fully conversant with the following)

• It’s important to only use the right equipment that’s in good condition, correctly rated for the vehicle masses and loads involved and always follow instructions supplied with equipment.

• Don’t use straps that are cut, badly chaffed or otherwise damaged. To keep them in good condition wash mud, sand etc from straps after use with clean water, dry, and store in a canvas bag.

• Straps aren’t intended for use as lifting slings or for conventional towing duty. Don’t write on them with marker pens either.
• Carefully assess the situation, including best direction for vehicle recovery (forward or reverse) and other possible hazards. To ease exit, clear mud or sand away from the stranded vehicle’s wheels bearing in mind direction of the snatch and if it’s bottomed out try and clear under its belly to get the wheels back on the ground.
• Position the tow vehicle in line with the stranded car (no more than 10° from straight) with the distance between them about two metres less than the unstretched strap length. 
• Lay the strap out between the cars without twists or kinks and attach to the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended (consult owner handbook) or other properly engineered recovery points. DON’T use tiedown eyes, towballs/towbars, bullbars, suspension components – they aren’t designed for recovery loads which could be as high as 8 tonnes! Vehicle damage and serious/fatal injuries can and have resulted from failures!
• Form an S-shape loop of the ‘spare’ two metres near the strap’s middle. A proper recovery damper bag (inexpensive) or heavy blanket draped across the strap near its mid-point to act as a recoil damper is strongly advised.
• If shackles are required for vehicle connection, only good quality load rated shackles (working load limit, minimum of 3.5 tonnes) should be used, hand tighten pin and back off ¼ turn to help avoid seized pins.
• Avoid joining straps where practical. If required, due to terrain etc, only use correct joining techniques - NEVER use metal objects including shackles - they can become deadly missiles if anything fails!
• To join two straps, take the end of strap A up through the eye on strap B. Reach down through the eye of strap A and grab strap B behind the eye and lift up through the eye of strap A. Continue pulling strap B’s entire length through. Pull the resulting joint tight with a rolled up magazine inserted across the joint between the two straps. See photo. This will prevent over-tightening and allow the straps to be separated after use.

Onlookers should not be in front, between or behind the vehicles and must be at least 1.5 times the strap length to the side. Agree on suitable signals between the vehicle drivers with one driver directing the process. The recovery vehicle steadily accelerates forward at about 10 –12kph – a big ‘run and jerk’ shouldn’t be used. Steady momentum and strap elasticity does the job. As the slack in the strap just takes up, the stricken vehicle’s driver also attempts to drive out of the bog. Be smooth, avoid wheel spin and don’t use excessive speed or continual jerking.

Picking the right gears to use for both vehicles will need some judgement, but as a starting point use 1^st gear for the recovery car and 1^st or reverse for the bogged vehicle, depending on direction of recovery. Vehicles with a transfer case should use1^st or 2^nd low range.

After three unsuccessful attempts other methods such as winching may be necessary.

To ensure safe, effective recovery techniques are used, we recommend undertaking a suitably accredited off-road driver-training course.