RECOVERY KITS REVISITED There s a few new kids on the block since our last recovery kit review so for this issue, we got back to work. BY SAM PURCELL. mr4x4.com.au Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures 49
BEST quality BEST value ARB Premium Recovery Kit It s a very interesting exercise to start analysing recovery gear, and assessing what makes for a good kit. I found this out over a year ago, when we did our fi rst recovery kit review in Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures magazine. In that review, we found the Big 3 in 4X4 aftermarket land did bring home the goods. ARB got best quality, Ironman 4X4 got best value, and the TJM kit got best overall. Now that some time has passed, this is something worth looking into again. Seeing as most of those kits haven t really changed much, we decided that we wouldn t run over old ground for this review. Instead, we have scoured the marketplace and picked up seven new kits that we didn t include last time around and had a close look at them to see what you get for your money. IRONMAN 4X4 Large Recovery Kit BEST overall TJM Recovery Kit Large BUSHRANGER X-Pack JUST STRAPS 4WDKIT4 HONOURABLE mention TERRAIN TAMER Recovery Kit 50 Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures mr4x4.com.au OZTRAIL 7 Piece Recovery Kit OPPOSITE LOCK Snatch and Winch Recovery Kit
MEAN MOTHER 8 Piece Recovery Kit The fi rst thing I like about this Mean Mother kit is the fact that it s Australian-made. Other than Just Straps, I m not aware of any other companies doing this so tip of the cap to Mean Mother. A big, rectangular box has a well-organised interior, with some great extra storage on the outside. The webbing and stitching on the tree straps looks neat and well done, and they are well presented. There s an 8-tonne snatch block, which looks to be serviceable through accessible circlips. This is stored in a Velcro neoprene sleeve, which would be handy for keeping mud and grit in (or out) and avoid it spreading through the other gear. Also, there are two yellow 5-tonne shackles, and a pair of traditional loose-fi tting rigging gloves. So overall for the $269 asking price, this is an impressive recovery kit. The only item missing is a strap dampener but you can pick one up for $49 from Mean Mother. $249 Well organised bag, Australian-made straps and good value. Missing a strap dampener. mr4x4.com.au Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures 51
MEAN MOTHER 8 Piece Recovery Kit This kit is largely the same as the other recovery kit by Mean Mother, but it costs a little more money. Where that money goes is into some beefi er, higher-rated straps. The yellow snatch strap is the same; if you want an 11-tonne strap to suit your heavy rig, you have to opt for one of the heavier-duty kits. The winch extension strap is noticeably larger, and has an 8-tonne rating. It also has the two neoprene sleeves near each eyelet. The winch extension strap is a nicer, more premium unit as well with a stout 12-tonne rating. Otherwise, this is the same kit: Same great bag with plenty of extra storage, same snatch block and shackles, and same leather gloves. The extra beefi ness on the straps is nice, and they make for a more premium overall package. Whether the high ratings and fi nishes are important, for your kit, is up to you. Another note here is some red plastic sleeves for keeping the straps separated and organised. the other kit, the straps are also Australian-made a rarity for straps in Australia. $319 Nice, well-rated straps in a good bag. No strap dampener. 52 Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures mr4x4.com.au
OPPOSITE LOCK Pro Winch Kit Whilst Opposite Lock s recovery gear has been out for a while, the company has just recently put together this separate Pro Winch Kit so we thought we would have another look. The snatch strap is a big, 10-tonne 10-metre unit. It s not going to stay white for long, but at least you can keep a keen eye on how much dirt it ingests. The other straps aren t skimped on either with a 5-metre 8-tonne tree trunk protector and a 10-metre 4.5-tonne winch extension strap. There are two 3.75-tonne and 4.75-tonne shackles in this kit enough for 99% of recovery situations. The gloves are padded, tight-fi tting neoprene units, and you also get a white bridle sleeve that can be fi tted to any of your straps. There is a 5-metre drag chain included with the kit (which while it isn t rated for recovery use, is a very handy thing to have onboard). And to complete the picture, there is an 8-tonne greasable and rebuildable snatch block. Where this kit does lose points, like last time, is that the shoulder strap is very weakly stitched onto the (otherwise great) bag and lets go almost straight away. $438 Four shackles and a drag chain are great. Big, beefy snatch strap. The shoulder strap breaks, making a heavy kit a bit awkward. mr4x4.com.au Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures 53
VRS Full Recovery Kit VRS has been making a pretty comprehensive range of electric winches for Australian 4WDers for a number of years now, catering for the middle range with 9,500 and 12,500 pound ratings. The company is now supplementing this with a new range of recovery gear and kits so we thought we would have a closer look. The VRS Full Recovery Kit comes with just about everything you need to get out on the tracks. A 20-metre 5-tonne winch extension strap is joined by a 10-metre 8-tonne snatch strap and a 5-metre 8-tonne winch extension strap. Visually, these straps aren t made to as high a standard as other straps on test; but as long as their ratings are true, there shouldn t be a problem. Interestingly, the neoprene sleeves are stitched in place on these units; and advice on the tags about joining straps with shackles should be definitely ignored On the plus side, two 3.75-tonne shackles are joined by an extra 4.75-tonne shackle and an 8-tonne greasable and rebuildable snatch block. The bag, while it doesn t rate compared to other bags on this test, does feel sturdy enough to go the distance in the back of a 4X4. The bag doesn t sport as much storage acumen as other bags but the advantage here is that it s less bulky. $299 Great value for money, with a strap dampener. The quality of straps is not as high as other kits. 54 Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures mr4x4.com.au
DRIVETECH 4X4 Mammoth Kit The Drivetech 4X4 kit comes in a sturdy, nicely-made bag which fi ts a surprising amount of gear. There is room for more, too, via a large zippered pocket on the outside and plenty of other nooks inside and out. The extras of a bush saw, folding shovel and head torch are nice additions that would come in handy; but let s be honest, you buy a recovery kit for the real gear. I have to say however, I carry a similar folding shovel to this and it does come in handy for its size. Onto the serious gear: All of the Drivetech 4X4 straps look quality, with plenty of neat stitching around the eyelets and folds. You get two 4.75-tonne shackles, plus a third one that comes with the steel recovery hitch. And of course there is an 8,000kg snatch block, which is serviceable and rebuildable. Unfortunately, there is no strap dampener in this kit something that would need to be remedied. For the price of $350, this kit represents pretty strong value for its inclusions. $350 A great bag, with plenty of smart extra storage. No strap dampener. But there is room to fi t one. mr4x4.com.au Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures 55
OUTBACK ARMOUR Winch Utility Kit This is a very impressive recovery kit, which comes from a different plane of thinking than other kits on the market. The bag is a rectangular-shaped vinyl job, which could take advantage of smaller storage spaces. Outback Armour really prides itself on the quality of its recovery gear, and you can see this in the product; it oozes quality, and is well thought-through. If it counts for anything, the snatch block (10,000kg) is one of the nicest we have come across; and the gloves are bloody nice as well. Three shackles (two 4.75-tonne and one 5.75-tonne) live in their own hi-vis vinyl case along with a similar-quality big strap dampener. Most of the space in the case is taken up with the winch extension strap: It s 20 metres, and rated to 10 tonnes, so it s a monster. If you re planning on using your winch extension strap very often, it would be hard to go past this one. The tree trunk protector strap is also a beefy 10-tonne rating and it s five metres long. All of this beefy quality does come at a significant price of $389 quite a bit for a winching kit. But you can see where that money goes. Quality-wise, this kit s unrivalled. It isn t complete, but it does cover your bases from a winching point of view. To make a total package, all you d need to add is a snatch strap. $389 The best, in terms of overall quality and fi nish. You d want to add a snatch strap to complete the picture. 56 Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures mr4x4.com.au
OUTBACK ARMOUR Comp Snatch Kit This is another kit from Outback Armour, tailored just for snatch recoveries. So you don t get a winch extension strap, a tree trunk protector or a snatch block. You do get a very nice 6-tonne 9-metre snatch strap, and a 10-tonne 3-metre equaliser strap. This equaliser strap is noted for use as a bridle but we can t see an issue with using it as a smaller extension strap or a tree trunk protector. What you do get, similar to the other Outback Armour kit, is the huge emphasis on quality. The bag is fibre-reinforced PVC and is almost too nice to get dirty. Three shackles a 5.75-tonne and two 4.75-tonne items are included. The big one is quite impressive; but its size does limit its application, and the rating is approaching overkill for most situations. For my own uses, I would be happier with a third 4.75-tonne unit instead. The gloves are the best on test, and the smart inclusion of a small strap joiner is very handy for escaping bind when using multiple straps in anger. And it s nice to see a big heavy strap dampener included in the kit. Some might baulk at the price of this kit but considering the quality and inclusions, I rate this as good value. $254 Great overall quality, very nice gloves. You ll need to tailor a kit to include extra winching gear. mr4x4.com.au Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures 57
CONCLUSIONS The most impressive gear on this review has to be the Outback Armour gear. You can tell that these guys have approached this new product line with a clean slate, and are focusing purely on quality, functional gear. Everything feels top quality. The only bugbear for me is that there isn t a complete kit for snatching and winching so you d have to specify a kit from Outback Armour, or buy a winch kit and a snatch kit. From a value-for-money point of view, the VRS kit does give the biggest bang for your buck. Although the extension strap is only 4,500kg, it is 20 metres long. The snatch strap and tree trunk protector are both longer than average (10 metres and five metres). The overall quality does leave a bit to be desired, but you have to weigh up for yourself whether that matters in a recovery kit that s going to get used. If I was to buy a budget-conscious option from this group, I would probably pick up the cheaper Mean Mother kit because the bag and straps feel much better to me. An extra 10-metre extension strap costs you $45 if you want 20 metres of extension, but you re still short a strap dampener. Going up another step price-wise, you re paying an extra $70 for the premium Mean Mother kit with beefier straps. Otherwise, the Drivetech 4X4 and Opposite Lock kits pack a lot of punch in different forms. Having a drag chain (whilst it isn t really good for recovery gear) is a very handy thing. Four rated shackles are great; as are the flash gloves. But the weak shoulder strap is quite annoying. The addition of a recovery hitch in the Drivetech 4X4 kit is great along with the added bonus of an extra shackle. The head torch, saw and shovel (for me) fall into the nice to have handy category. The Opposite Lock kit is the most expensive owing mostly to that 5-metre drag chain which is probably worth around $80. Because you get an extra 10 metres of extension strap with the Drivetech 4X4 kit, and the smart extra storage that the bag has, I pick it as my favourite from the group. BEST quality BEST value BEST overall OUTBACK ARMOUR Winch Utility Kit MEAN MOTHER 8 Piece Recovery Kit DRIVETECH 4X4 Mammoth Recovery Kit Mean Mother 8 piece Mean Mother 8 piece Opposite Lock Pro Winch Kit VRS Full Recovery Drivetech Mammoth Outback Armour Winch Utility Outback Armour Comp Snatch CODE MMKIT02 MMKIT09 OLRGKIT4 VRSFKIT DT-RKLGE OAWINCHKIT OACOMPSKST Snatch Strap 8000kg, 9 metre 8,000kg, 9 metre 10,000kg, 10 metre 8,000kg, 10 metre 8,000kg, 9 metre N/A 6,000kg, 10 metre Winch Extension Strap Tree Trunk Protector 4,500kg, 10 metre 6,500kg, 3 metre 8,000kg, 10 metre 12,000kg, 3 metre 4,500kg, 10 metre 8,000kg, 5 metre 4,500kg, 20 metre 8,000kg, 5 metre 5,000kg, 20 metre 12,000kg, 3 metre 10,000kg, 20 metre 10,000kg, 5 metre Bridle N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 10,000kg, 3 metre Shackles 2x 5 tonne 2x 5 tonne 2X 4.75, 2X 3.25 2X 3.75, 1X 4.75 3 x 4.75 2 X 4.75, 1X 5.75 2 X 4.75, 1X 5.75 Dampener no no no yes no YES YES Gloves leather leather padded neoprene padded neoprene leather rigger fitted leather lined fitted leather lined Snatch Block 8,000kg 8,000kg 8,000kg 8,000kg 8,000kg 10,000kg N/A Other Instruction manuals Instruction manuals Load Bridle Sleeve, 5 metre drag chain Instructions Headtorch, brush saw, recovery hitch, folding shovel Hook Strap, Instructions N/A N/A Hook Strap, Joiner Strap, instructions Price $249.00 $319.00 $438 $299.00 $350 $389.00 $254.00 58 Pat Callinan s 4X4 Adventures mr4x4.com.au