Kinetic tow rope
 

we are looking into what recovery equipment to take through africa and cant decide on weather to take a kinetic tow rope or not.
We know they are effective at getting you unstuck, ifs theres another car to help. but i assume you would have to also need to have a seperate tow rope aswell, or can you use a kinetic rope as a tow line with out it wearing out?:confused1:
As we could well be on our own for most of the trip would it be a waste of money, and space, to have one?
My thinking is that it is a tool for making recovery easier, so not having one is not going to stop us, maybe just delay us a bit....

your thoughts would be appriciated

rob

KERR ropes are dangerous in the wrong hands and I doubt many locals in Africa would have come across them.

However I would take one, but make sure that you also take two loops (can't remember the technical name) for joining the kerr rope to your car and the towing car - that way if the tow points on the towing car break you don't end up with parts of it (the towing car) through your front windscreen or radiator.

Shackles or D-rings.

A 30' 3" recovery strap w/sewn loop ends. Yes, you can tow with them.

Most recovery straps are harmed because of sharp edges and vehicles running over the rope, creating frays.

Hi,
KERR's work well when your in mud etc - in sand the recovery vehicle will normally dig itself in when the load comes onto the KERR - especially when the sand is real soft - unless you are using a large truck as recovery vehicle - resulting in 2 stuck vehicles.
Much better IMO to use a shovel/air down tyres/sand tracks/air jacks - its the most effective and quickest way.

KERR's also have a limited life - spend your money on a quality compressor, good tyres, some long recovery straps(join em up so you can keep the recovery vehicle on good ground) - and if you have the money/space, a good tirfor hand winch.

Cheers
Grif

Hi,

Just consider this - while using a kinetic rope your chance of not getting hurt are proportional to the the condition of the other vehicle's recovery points. Are you sure the other guy's rusty recovery points are going to be good enough? My advice - take two spades and ask a bystander to help you with the digging.

Err, not really. I guess what Julian had in mid was bridle rope. It's attached to two recovery points to spread the pulling force.

Yes, that's the word. The idea with the bridle ropes is that if one of the recovery points give way the KERR just pulls itself off the bridle rope and no major harm done.

If you don't use a bridle rope more often thn not the KERR contracts pulling with it the shackle as well as post of the tow car - quite a lethal combination to be be flying about - I have seen video footage of this happening to someone and they ended up with the shackle flying through cab like a bullet missing the driver by inches.

<...but i assume you would have to also need to have a seperate tow rope aswell...>

Correct. A KERR is amazingly effective (and very occasionally destructive) but it's not a tow rope, it's a recovery rope.

Though they are most useful in mud, KERRs work great in sand too and can save a lot of digging and pushing (very handy if there are only two people in a car each) - but alone you'll always need a shovel etc for self recovery anyway. Though I always take one now I managed without it for years.

Ch

As previously stated take one of each, if you don`t you may end up having some one try a kinetic recovery with a normal rope, so to cover your bases take one of each, they are relatively light and cheap, so no probs there.

Word of warning they can be dangerous, so treat them with respect, don`t use them if the other vehicle does not have structurally sound recovery points, its not worth it. The other item of extreme importance is to use rated shackles not normal ones, they may look the same, but are not, I will not use someone else`s unrated shackles, make sure you have your own to minimise this problems What other people do is their problem but make sure you have the right gear when you are involved in a recovery.

To add my few pence worth - I would advise taking an ordinary tow rope as well. If your vehicle breaks down you may need to tow it a considerable distance. The tow rope will be dragging along in the dirt (when it goes slack) and will abrade and pick up crap. You want this tow rope to be very heavy duty and one that you are not too precious about. It should also be a good 16 feet long or so - as you dont want to shunt the vehicle towing you.

take it and use gently
 

Any recovery equipement you carry will most probably be used to get other vehicles unstuck.

Personally I like kinetic tow ropes because, when used genlty they allow for a much gentler recovery then any other tow rope. If someone unknown to you is towing you out of problems, don't allow them to built up speed before the rope starts stretching (have the tow rope almost stretched between the cars). Thing is not to use more force then required (it is not mandatory to go nuts with a kinetic rope!)

You shouldn't need to apply so much force as to have that kind of damage being done. A KERR is the best way for a 2 vehicle recovery in sand as the strain is applied without the jerking of a tow rope, but only have about 1m of slack and use 2nd low box, don't be tempted to just floor it, 'cos then you will break something. KERR is only allowed by the military on armoured vehicles because it can be so dangerous in the wrong hands but used correctly in the right hands it is actually far kinder to your vehicles than a standard rope. A KERR rope is not suitable for towing though.
Have proper recovery points fitted to the chassis, then put a good strong bridle between them (I use an 8 ton tow rope) then fasten the KERR to that with a good quality, properly rated Bow shackle. The shackle needs to be rated to a higher level than your rope.

I've used this system consistently with no problems on Landcruisers fully loaded.

Don't forget to dig though, KERR is a piece of the soloution, not the solution itself!
Just because your traveling on your own doesn't mean you won't help or be helped by others.