So I picked up a tow strap for $16 at Atwoods before a trip last weekend. GRIP (Grand Rapids Industrial Products) heavy duty tow strap, 4"x30', says 20,000 lbs capacity. They have their tow straps and recovery (snatch) straps grouped separately with tie downs in between, but I'm still wondering if this is really a tow strap? In person it is really a green-ish color, but that could just be that the factory mixed up the color wrong. Comparing this one to straps labeled for recovery, this one seems to have a tighter weave and no stretch that I could tell.

I got this to use with my hi-lift for winching in addition to my chain, most likely around a tree, so sort of a make-do tree protector. Later on I'll fork out the $$ and get an ARB, both a static and dynamic. So, general consensus, does this look like a static tow strap, or should I take it back and look for something else?

 

Great question. I just bought the same strap yesterday and had the same thoughts when I saw the pricing.

 

Looks like a tow strap to me although I wouldn't use something that long to tow. It's pretty long for a tree protector too.

 

I was thinking about doing a wrap around a tree, connect with d-ring to the hi-lift, then chain to the vehicle. Eliminate using a short tree protector then having to run another strap or chain to the hi-lift. Or would it be better to use a tree protector and extend off of it? Never have done any serious off road vehicle recovery...lots of ATVs though. But it's so much easier with them, don't have to worry about the weight that much. Guess I can test it out and see how much give there is in it. Kinda a gamble with Chinese made stuff sometimes, tow and recovery probably don't translate so well or could mean the same thing over there

 

Sure in a pinch your idea would work but I wouldn't ever want to actually do it. Recovery with a hilift is slow and tedious. I think you could take up most of the stretch in that strap when you reset your chain though. With a recovery strap you really can't.

 

I'm with you, I've seen the videos of hi-lift winching and hope I never have to actually do it. But until I can afford a winch, it will just have to work. Thanks for the input, was hoping I had the hookup correct in my head.

 

That's how i have to do my stupidity fixes. I've got a hi-lift, short chain, and a 20' static tow strap. Got mine at Wal-Mart though.

I've used it on my buddies cars several times. They have a dirt alley way behind their houses and one direction has super deep ruts they need a tug over usually.

 

A tow strap and a recovery strap are different. A recovery strap will stretch durring extraction to redunce the stress on both rigs and then the spring back effectively doubles the pulling force to help extraction. A tow strap does no stretch and is intended for towing a rig a slow speeds a short distance. The strap length is to give the disabled rig reaction time if the towing rig stops fast.

If you have a need for a long tree saver then the tow strap will work but it is not same to use for extraction as it or you hook point will fail.

As to hilift extractions... Tow stap is better than recovery strap because you do not wast energy with stretch.