4X4 Recovery DEATH || My Reaction and thoughts!

Let's discuss what went wrong and how we can stop people getting killed during 4wd recoveries. This subject comes up again and again but the message is slowly getting though. Like comment and share to help spread this message if you believe in it.
Rest in peace Ryan my prayers are with your family and friends who you've left behind. I hope that this video helps save the lives of others.
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Roberts video on Snatch recovery forces.
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#towhitchkills #4x4 #recovery

[@ridestreet20]

The world does not know the difference between Tow and Recovery. The world needs more of these videos thank you Matt.

[@QRCCD1999]

I think you left a word out, Kinetic (Recovery)

[@ridestreet20]

@@QRCCD1999 no. Winching out is also a recovery without being kinetic.

[@QRCCD1999]

@@ridestreet20 Fair call, now I understand your post clearer.

[@samjohnson9894]

Ronny Dahls video series on tow ball yanks ... thank you for for mentioning him. Highly recommend watching that series. I've been present during a tow ball recovery and because of Ronny stood 100m away. It was successful, but the damage that could come from a failure in that situation can be catastrophic.

[@ridestreet20]

@@samjohnson9894 you probably meant to respond to the original video not my comment

[@Arykperry]

43yrs I’ve been using a draw bar with a tow ball to recover ( never with a big drop) not always but often enough. Ive never ever heard of this being a problem BUT I’m NEVER doing it again after seeing this !!!!! Our hearts and prayers go out to his family

[@MadMatt4WD]

I’m really pleased to hear that

[@robparker5525]

Thankyou for not being the “it’s worked so far, this guy is clearly an idiot and I’m gunna keep doing it because I can’t be bothered not to!” Person.

[@carrollsanders9376]

You can do it off the hitch if you have the right Solid hitch, the problem is the cheap hollow Tube Hitches, that aren't able too resist the shearing force. Another problem is is not using Scedual 70 hitch pins in the ball hitch hook up.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Good choice, stop doing that before a failure occurs. Always ask yourself "what if?" while rigging things up. One thing I rarely see in any of these videos for some reason, is placing a heavy blanket over the tow strap to absorb the tensile force in case of failure.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

@Jerome Santito Agree, don't do the slingshot anymore. Receiver tow shackle is the way I'm going.

[@motorv8N]

Of the one or two truly close calls I’ve experienced working with machinery over my life, getting my hair literally parted by the remains of a shackle and cable after a winching failure - that’s the one that still haunts me years after the fact. There was a BANG, followed by a whistle, a breeze past my temple and the sound of leaves shredding as chunks of metal flew off into the forest behind me. I should without a doubt have died that day. And after your informative and well presented video I’m taking a beat to thank my lucky stars yet again and to pass on my condolences.

[@MS-ho9wq]

Woah. That is harrowing. Care to describe the situation and recovery setup? Were you standing in the death zone?

[@eddiespagetti8395]

Wow. My buddy got jugular artery sliced by cable same way and bled out right before our eyes in 1990. We were yank out truck with cable unfortunately it was frayed , it snapped and whipped by him and was only a 3 inch wide feel cut to the neck. Scarey shit , he looked dazed and held his neck and said what the f u c k and dropped dead real fast. Scarey. Your lucky to be alive. I never forget the sound like you said and a whistle sound as it fly in the air. All the energy is loud. So many people die from cables snap

[@motorv8N]

@@MS-ho9wq - Yes, complete and utter ignorance on my part. Situation wasn’t a vehicle recovery but rather a boat “recovery”. I was trying to get a boat out of lake and up an uneven rocky shoreline without a trailer. I had hunted up a few likely logs that I had laying down in front of the boat. I then chained a winch to a large tree and connected the cable and shackle to the front cleat of the boat. The process began OK but what I didn’t notice was as the stern of the boat rolled off the last log it caught on a rock outcrop and jammed hard. The whole thing stopped and I could hear the winch really straining. I was just coming to realize that perhaps I should shut it down and stepped over to it to investigate when the shackle broke and whizzed past me.

[@aylahughes9185]

thanks for sharing. honestly. people need to take motor sport safety in general more seriously. i lost quite a bit of hair earlier this year when by burnout car caught fire and I was lucky enough to learn the lessons i needed to learn to hopefully not repeat this and maybe also stop other from repeating as well.

[@motorv8N]

@@aylahughes9185 - glad you got out ok. Ironically, I investigate safety incidents in the transportation sector for a living so I feel extra stupid about what happened to me. At work we find that sharing personal stories like this can have a positive effect that’s more impactful than just saying “don’t do this or that.” By demonstrating that real folks at any experience level can take their eye off the ball for long enough to get into trouble it tends to stick better. Especially if the person is willing to come forward and tell the story themselves.

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

I used to work for a train company and was around trains on a daily basis. The bars trains use to hold their coupling devices are 8" thick solid steel. I was sitting about ten feet away watching when one of those bars snapped directly in front of me as the locomotive started to pull. It sounded like a loud gunshot even from inside. Scared the #$&%!! out of me. 😳 Moral of the story: steel, no matter how thick and strong, can still break.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Wow

[@Robodriller]

Steel put through cycles in its normal operating range will still become weak, and fail. Metal fatigue is real, and I'm surprised they are not houred out. I'm sure the rail company's know how many hours they break at by now

[@BattleshipOrion]

@@Robodriller If they knew, the US would not have these stupid multi-mile long freight trains.

[@JW...-oj5iw]

@@Robodriller ... Company's and companies are pronounced the same, but have different meanings.

[@RJ_Cormac]

Metal fatigue is a killer too.

[@digitalventuremovement7680]

Ryan was a great guy and became a good friend. I’m the guy that does all the roofs on his tiny homes 🏡/ woods portable sheds. He would give the shirt off his back 💯. I believe people need to be made more aware and we need to post this type of stuff in places where the average person goes. Because of algorithm reasons they’ll never be made aware if they are not looking for it. This could have been the basic person that never off roaded and got stuck…, in a flash flood situation which is very common here in Arizona. someone being the nice guy and trying to tug them out only using the wrong set up like this tragedy. Because of not being properly educated and thinking they can just hook up to anything.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks for commenting. My heart is with you in this time. ❤️❤️

[@Flash1857]

Am so sorry for your loss

[@Rakkasan-vr8xt]

I’m sorry to hear about Ryan, sounds like a really good man. This came across my feed and I watched it, and I learned something from it too. Mission accomplished.

[@Jeffro696]

Condolences to you and Ryan's Family. Prays 🙏

[@charlesharrison2248]

Thank you,lesson learned.never thought this could happen.

[@jonathanking6546]

I have recovered from the tow ball, so many times. Every time it was a recovery strap or a chain that broke, but darn, I haven’t really understood how blessed I have been to still be alive until now, or not I haven’t killed somebody. I have been recovered not that long ago and it was from the tow ball of the other vehicle, how scary. I attempted a recovery of a buried semi truck with a heavy load, farm situation, and things became scary. We had to use chains and straps and the truck didn’t budge. When I yanked the stuck truck there was an explosion that sent chills up my spine. It was over before I actually heard it. I think it was a chain that broke but all of it, chains and straps flew underneath my semi in a flash. I told them I wouldn’t do that again and we called a wrecker. I thought my truck was undamaged but the chains had sheared off air lines and hoses to my PTO system to unload the trailer. I spent hours repairing my truck in the dark. I had no clue how dangerous this was. I thank the family for sharing because I will now review your video a couple times and look for other explaining this situation.

[@kevinburnes3216]

American steel tow balls and hitch assembly would not break. Cheap Chinese ish will IMO!

[@AshenTechDotCom]

most hitches i see here in in the states are built better then this example... for one every one we have owned or anybody i know has are solid shaft and would not have broken like this... i have seen more bumpers and full hitch assemblies come free then the hitch itself fail.. though we also tended to have a hook for the hitch hole that worked far better for recovery...

[@JAO911PLIST]

Well, that doesn't mean better will help. It just mean it will break under a higher load. And if the truck still don't budge, then that hitch is tearing through you and your kids behind you and your fuel tank.

[@marksroberts4880]

@@kevinburnes3216 BULL!!! This is not the place for jingoistic comments. All steel, from anywhere, has it's limits. While cheap Chinese steel most probably fails significantly early, you CANNOT say that an American product would not have failed. That 8 inch lever arm multiplied the force by a tremendous factor at the weld-tube interface, all in an instant, as Matt described.

[@LowJSamuel]

@@marksroberts4880 All steel has its limits, but that includes shackles, too. The key is always to use steel that can handle what you are putting it through, including considering leverage.

[@logan_e]

I've been a mechanic on automotive and heavy equipment and a fabricator for nearly 60 years, I've seen up to 5/8 inch steel cable part under load and heard it sing as it whipped through a couple of 8 inch pine trees before it stopped. Great lesson video, more people need to know the dangers. My prayers for the young man's family! Edit: here in America among the uneducated and unthinking about this subject you'll hear "let's _jerk_ it out of there" even in talking about it you hear the danger! The very first thing my dad taught me and so I've always taught every single apprentice is _"how to think about"_ working safely, not just safety on the job. Just emphasizing work safety isn't enough, people, especially young eager high energy men, need to know how & why to think about it, to see the bigger picture because of their tendency to rush in like a fool where a wise man fears to go!

[@anthonymarinello6008]

Yes. While training people, I've always wore it into their brain to think about the possibilities before doing something. As in, if I do this or that, what could this cause. To think and visualize before just rushing in. Yes, you make a very valid point.

[@logan_e]

@@anthonymarinello6008 , Thank you for the reply and compliment. I like to pass on the safety lessons I've learned to anyone who gets a benefit, especially the younger people just getting started. Any job can be dangerous but the mechanics and construction trades seem to have more than their fair share!

[@autarko]

I have found that many guys are incapable of doing things carefully however patient you are with them.

[@HobbyOrganist]

I know in the book about building the Brooklyn Bridge in the 1870s, that the workers were of course installing a LOT of wire cables, I do remember a page where an accident was described where a heavy cable was under tension and something failed, the broken cable which was probably quite long- snapped back like a bull whip, in fact I think that was the specific wording used! and it literally sliced two workers in half and took out a brick chimney on a nearby house. In 1981 two 600 foot 2" diameter cables snapped, one tore thru the pedestrian walkway, the other swung out and recoiled back- hitting a pedestrian in the head! The pedestrian later died in the hospital, what's the incredible odds of the walking mans head being in exactly the right place at the exact moment the broken cable sliced through the air there!! There's a LOT of energy stored in a wire cable or strap!

[@shanemedlin9400]

When I was first doing kinetic recoveries as a kid, I quickly discovered that using a chain for that is the wrong idea. I knew something could break. I now use either a recovery strap or rope, and it works great. I've always used the ball, and it never occurred to me it could fail like this. Very instructive.

[@0xsergy]

Tri ball is the way to go, or a pintle. Tri ball allows you to spread the forces out in a straight line back from the hitch

[@osquad1346]

@@0xsergy just use the thing in the video

[@HobbyOrganist]

Chains are only as good as the weaket weld on a given link, I happen to own one link from a ship's anchor chain, it weighs 148 pounds and the steel is about 4" diameter, such links would have to be thoroughly welded all the way down thru the 4" cross-section, not just a surface weld, but most chain these days sold at hardware stores, on chain hoists, and for towing etc are cheap crap made in china, I wouldnt trust the welds OR the claimed capacity. A 10' long chain has a LOT of individual inks, every one of them has a weld, and that's that many opportunities for faiure, the more links there are the more opportunities one could be defective. With cables you have the attachement points it has on hooks, splices, or eyes, any of those attachment points can be weak and fail

[@duggydo]

I think that drop hitch would have failed even with a kinetic rope. It had at least an 8 inch drop and, as you mentioned, there was a huge torque put on the bottom of the receiver tube. It would have been approximately 4 times the load due to the leverage of the drop bar. Those recovery attachments you showed are obviously the best though.

[@artmerrill1508]

I was thinking it probably wasn't the first time it had been used for this and had probably been weakened each time.

[@BradleyBeeksAdventures]

I always use a pintle hitch and never use no hard shackles or anything like that or chains. Just asking for someone to get hurt.

[@DB-yj3qc]

I dread seeing or hearing about someone using a chain or receiver hitch ball mount for recovery. I've seen to many failures some involving fatal and severe injuries. Not to mention severe damages to vehicles and other stuff that's replaceable. Another thing is on straps or ropes pad and protect from sharp objects and rocks. Something to look at is where and what the other end of what is pulling you out or what you are pulling out attachment point, remember if that fails that's coming your way. As a young soldier driving a 2 1/2 M35 w/winch. I was sent out to help recover a vehicle. I got there a Major ordered me to hook up winch to pull this semi-truck that had slid off road and down a hill. That young soldier said that couldn't and why. If I did the 2 1/2 truck and I would be stuck in mud on side of hill. The Major later commended me for not following his order and that I was right.

[@kpetro1675]

Yeah, that was a terrible recovery point.

[@Devourer221]

We cannot pretend that the stretch in a snatch strap prevents shock load lol

[@kennethsonier1766]

I understand kinetic energy very well, my landlord had a treat that snapped off that he wanted to remove, stump and all. Hooked a chain about 50 ft long 10 ft up the tree and connected the other end to the back of his van, he took off like a rocket the tree trunk bent over about 15 ft and sprung back and pick the van several feet right off the ground and drag it backwards. It knocked him out cold.

[@siouxunit17]

Man that would have been a good video

[@kennethsonier1766]

@@siouxunit17 I had never seen anything like it in my life 😱 I would have videoed it if I thought something this outlandish would have happened 😂

[@yukonjack.]

And they say bull riding is tough! 🤣

[@anthropicandroid4494]

Wow

[@christophersharp1884]

@@siouxunit17 my exact idea when I read this.

[@thomasmiller6892]

I was trained by the US Army in recovery, but I still learned a lot from your video. Excellent work. Everyone who offroads should see this.

[@patriot9455]

I watch Matt's Recovery Off Road recovery on You tube. He carries a pintle hook, and removes any hitch from the vehicle being recovered, using his own hook and a member of his own crew to drive/steer the vehicle as is appropriate. His tow/ recovery power units all have a straight hitch. I know there are other ways to accomplish the goal, and I respect that. I neglected to mention he uses a Yankum brand kinetic rope with a known amount of stretch that he has worked with for a significant amount of time.

[@nexviper]

He used to get a lot of comments about that hitch simply because it has balls and the "never use a ball hitch as a tow point" mantra. Not stopping to think maybe it's designed for the task much like the recovery one shown in this video. Solid/thicker shank, all in line, and with 3 balls not 1.

[@Clean97gti]

@@nexviper the balls are also welded to the mount. Matt mentioned that before in one of the videos. You're going to break the mount before snapping a ball off.

[@siouxunit17]

Great channel

[@CycleGeezer-cq9lm]

My heartfelt condolences to this family. What a tragedy! Just looking at the after incident pic I figured out what happened. Reminded me of an incident when I was a second year apprentice electrician (approx 1980). There was a wire pull in progress with a 3/4" polypropylene rope being used on a high torque tugger. Was my first or second day on an industrial job and I was eager to see what was going on so I walked up and "sighted" down the pull rope. A journeyman wireman grabbed me, none too gently, and pulled me away. After explaining his reason for doing so and telling me what could possibly have happened, we watched from a safe distance. Not thirty seconds after he finished explaining, with a loud pop and a hissing whistle, the rope broke and ripped through the space my head had been in while "sighting" down the rope. I don't think I had ever seen energy released so quickly. I turned my pie-sized eyes to the journeyman.....he just nodded and quietly said, "Thaaat's what I'm talking about!" Lesson learned!!!

[@frankhage1734]

@@nexviper Matt OOR carries his big, 3 ball hitch for recoveries. I don't know why he doesn't purchase a receiver tow point like mad Matt showed.

[@philreynolds7216]

“We’ve always done it that way” simply identifies the procedure you’ve always followed. It does not necessarily identify the best practice. “We’ve never had a problem before” simply means you haven’t experienced a failure yet. It does not necessarily mean that the equipment and procedure are correct for the application.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Well said

[@ridestreet20]

This is exactly the thinking behind those videos of the airplanes that fly back to base full of bullet holes. Let's not reward ourselves for a job well done just yet we need to go check on the planes laying on the ground in Germany and see where those bullet holes are.

[@exceleratorjoshua]

Greetings from America. I'm fairly new to off roading first thing I did was get a recovery hitch, 2 extra shackles, kinetic rope 30ft ,and 2 soft shackles didn't cost me much either a little over 240 USD. I've already used these items safely to get myself unstuck and pulled up a hill. No problems no worries.

[@jickmccivy6327]

I operated a 300 ton crane on an excavator recovery that was so stuck in the mud we had to disassemble the excavator. The bucket and dipper arm required 156.000 lb of pulling force to remove the 15.000 lb assembly from the mud and the pulling force numbers actually went over my max capacity for the 2 remaining parts of the machine at over 600.000 lbs to effect recovery , I have also had to do a similar excavator recovery that required two 500 ton cranes and six Cat D 11s as anchors for recovery

[@MadMatt4WD]

Wow wow wow. That’s crazy

[@frenchonion4595]

WOOOO WEEE You playing with the big stuff lad

[@glennbrown1961]

Would like to see the rigging used on that job!

[@EthosAtheos]

Thankfully those types of recoveries are usually done by professional riggers who take safety factor into account. The wire ropes used on that type of recovery are no joke.

[@ronaldstarkey4336]

Sounds like it might have been stuck... lol

[@Mewvision]

Some years ago I witnessed a “recovery” of a rolled Nissan 4WD just outside Arkaroola. The local recovery “expert” hitched the vehicle and then in a move many would aspire to doing, yanked the car into the air and managed a graceful arc which deposited the car on the opposite side. The car was now a write off. Originally it had a fair amount of damage to one side but now the roof looked like a tent and the car was a wreck. There is much to be learned about vehicle recovery but slow and steady makes so much more sense from a physics perspective and all young people should listen to their science teachers for valuable life lessons.

[@Agent.K.]

A year or two ago I asked in one of your videos if it’s ok to use the ball hitch after removing the ball. Your answer was no because it’s not a straight line. A few months ago, I happened to pass by a guy trying to pull a GMC Sierra that had a trailer with jet ski connected, from water. The bed of the truck was under water! I offered to help (so 2 cars pull instead of one), and my common sense urged me to go check his connection and rope. Matt… that tow ball hitch had a deep crack on the angled part from the full throttle pulls he was doing, I’m sure one or two more pulls and it’ll kill someone. Luckily I carry 3 shackle hitches during the season just in case. I immediately remembered your comment. You can’t imagine how much I learned from you in my five years of serious off-roading and volunteer recovery.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Oh wow. This comment is so rewarding and encouraging for me to read. To know I’ve helped you wheel well.

[@clintk4691]

Recoveries can be extremely dangerous. I personally believe that all 4WD vehicles that are used off road must have multiple recovery points. Example, my truck has 2 recovery points on the rear bumper that are bolted to the frame and tow bar. I always set up a bridal between the two to spread the load across the truck. Be safe and set up your rigging properly.

[@henryhenderson7051]

Absolutely! And particularly if you plan on pulling on anything, particularly another vehicle.

[@zaccheus]

Just be careful with that bridle action. Make it too short and your two connection points will recieve more force than the main tow line.

[@thetruth6270]

A long time ago in a four wheeler magazine there was an article about recovery safety one tip was placing an old blanket over the strap or chain. Maybe even two. Works better when wet. It works really well to use up most of the stored energy and the chain or strap so it doesn't fly through the air. I carry a couple of used ones from an estate sale. Also great to place on the ground during emergency repair such as flat tire.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Go see my testing videos on this in the recovery playlist

[@verndeselms858]

I read that YEARS ago! It's funny the things a person remembers.

[@nickwarner8158]

That trick works if the winch line or strap fails, it makes them want to go down to the ground. In this case the strap held and a 15 pound chunk of steel was still attached to it. The sudden release of energy made the strap return to normal size, basically becoming a slingshot to launch said heavy steel at a massive speed through the victim's windshield.

[@Jtwizzle]

I learned of this danger years ago and got the proper equipment. I also mention the dangers to anyone who will listen. If it helps save one person it is worth it! Sad news indeed.

[@matty8272]

I've had 2" balls break towing a trailer well within it's range. Lost a good tailgate. Grandpa had the same thing happen once or twice. Use the right stuff and keep spectators back.

[@ovejohansen77]

One danger with the tow ball is crevice corrosion. If water and salt finds its way down into the hole through the extender, and the threads on the ball/nut, It can rust through the bolt , even if it looks pristine on top. Either remove and inspect the bolt at intervals , or fill any gap with epoxy, making a permanent install.

[@ElectricBillAlbright]

Its also important that the bolt is torqued tight. Also that the flange of the ball and the surface it gets torqued down to are clean and flat. That is the most important structural strength part of a hitch ball. If they get loose that puts different forces on it and the bolt 🔩. The flange part is the major piece bearing most of the forces of pulling and pushing (braking effects) of a trailer.

[@Clean97gti]

@@ovejohansen77 a smear of grease before installing a tow ball is a good idea. Put a smear on the ball mount and on the underside of the ball itself. Leave the threads dry. Don't need much, just enough that it can fill tiny spaces and keep water out. Once installed, give the exposed threads below the nut another light smear of grease to keep water out. It's cheap insurance and you'll be able to get the ball out a lot easier if you ever need to dismount it.

[@groofromtheup5719]

sounds like your chains are too long.

[@ElectricBillAlbright]

@@groofromtheup5719 until I had lengthened them, I couldn't make U-turns! 🤣

[@squatch2461]

So sorry for the pain and loss Ryan's family and friends are dealing with. Good on ya for putting together an educational video rather than just a rant with little info.

[@surfbyrd1]

What a beautiful description of shock or kinetic recovery! People don't realize that the stresses get multiplied by 100X or more. I have caused frame damage by chains and inflexible tow systems used during kinetic recoveries.

[@DavidBrown-nd9mf]

I wholeheartedly feel like there should be a push for classes to teach folks how to deal with things off-road such as recoveries and safe wheeling procedures. My heart goes out to his family and greatly appreciate this video and the information in it.

[@marxtuf]

Totally agree with all of the content in this video. You touched on the subject in kinetic recovery of only needing that one pound extra of force to free the vehicle. Great point and one which too often gets skipped by a massive brain fart and the pedal hits the floor and bits go flying. Speed in this instance is the killer. Deep sand is the only time max power is required and really not much speed is gained. Shovel first then build up the force until that extra pound is found. Overkill is exactly that.... Don't let it be you fellas.

[@kevinstenger4334]

I’ve seen the ball failure before on a farm and luckily it just blew out the grill and radiator on the truck that was stuck. Another thing to keep in mind using various inserts to a square tube receiver is that here in the US anyway almost all of that stuff is manufactured in Chine now with likely low quality material and welded together by unqualified people. I worked in a major chemical plant for 35 years and several of my friends were pipefitter/welders and fabrication welders that had extensive training and testing. Some of the jobs they did required 100% X-ray of all their welds and some of them would fail. I cringe every time I see someone that’s a hobbyist with a cheap wire welder doing structural welds because they have no concept of how to prep for a weld, what rod or wire to use, and most importantly how to achieve proper penetration for a strong weld. You can have a beautiful looking weld with very little strength and you can have an ugly one that is very strong, ideally you want a nice even good looking weld that has proper penetration and maximum strength.

[@rickstorm4198]

Welding isn't black magic. Self taught here, have past any cert test put before me. Books are your friend is all i am saying....

[@jmackinjersey1]

That's why you Buy American Made equipment.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

I agree. I remember one of my first welds, if not the first, looked ok... one slight tap with my boot heel and my project broke! Lol.

[@superchargerone]

@@jmackinjersey1 thats why you pay more to buy quality. There are crap american made products too when it is made to a price. So dont be cheap and pay more at your big box store and they will get better quality stuff made even if it is made overseas or in china. cheap people paying cheap price complains about cheap product made cheaply lol

[@yukonjack.]

AGREE, 💪 (former demolition repair welder,, now retired)

[@pnowikow]

The hierarchy of recovery is something I hadn't heard of before. Very informative

[@CMDAVISs]

Very unfortunate, I feel for the family's and My heart is also with them . Thank you for making this video trying to make awareness on this situation. I live in the swamps and alot of people do recoverys the dangerous way even knowing it . So we need more awareness like this.

[@Kghost0311]

Drop hitches are deadly during recovery. Glad your making the best recommendations for these people out here. I see too many unsafe practices all the time. Great job mate!

[@fiveowaf454]

That particular drop hitch is probably only rated for 5k pounds, many do not realize that is the rating on most hollow section hitches, so most have been repeatedly overloaded towing trailers, as rarely in the US are common towing applications below that rating. A drop hitch only exaggerates the problem and if someone is snatching on the tow strap in a vehicle that weighs 7k pounds in itself it's not hard to see how it could easily fail. I only realized many years ago when I bought a larger boat the low ratings the average hitch people buy at Walmart, or wherever, has. Previously my heavy towing was my travel trailer using a very stout equalizer hitch. I bought a solid steel hitch rated at 12k pounds to pull my 7.5k boat. Given the typical loads someone is going to pull on a 2 5/16" ball they should not be allowed to sell the 5k rated hitches with the smaller diameter thread on the ball, IMO, as barring an empty trailer pretty much any thing using the larger ball diameter will be overweight for that hitch setup. In a day where trucks routinely have well over 15k of "bumper pull" rating not enough people I see towing have a clue of the weak link in their towing setup. Only the fact that a hitch rated at 5k is overdesigned for it's stated safety rating prevents the highways from being littered with trailers that have broken lose. I regularly see people pulling overloaded dump bed trailers that are rated at 14k pounds, on the wrong hitch and worse still with a big drop because many feel a lift is obligatory on a truck. I'm grateful for this video that will help educate people and even remind those who do know better to take care with this particular scenario.

[@marksroberts4880]

@@fiveowaf454 "Obligatory lift" ... its a lift to their tow ball that signifies a internal need to lift or enhance balls of another type. Real men dont need stupid, performance compromising modifications to their rigs to get girls.... And the girls they get from those mods? .....

[@fiveowaf454]

@@marksroberts4880 Where I live you will almost never see a Chevrolet/GMC Diesel with out a lift kit. I'd rather buy one of the brands that come with a decent ride height for off road travel from the factory in a 2500 or 3500 truck. I'd rather run a setup built in the factory than have a bunch of fabricated parts bolted underneath leaving you with no idea what the trucks capabilities are with the modified parts and steeper drive shaft angles. The only reason I'd consider a lift is to make it more difficult for all those beautiful girls to jump in the truck with me at stop lights, it gets quite tiring after a while ;)

[@mauryamckendrick5446]

Hindsight is always 20/20!! That hitch falling like it did makes complete sense now seeing it and that is something that you don't see fail often so at first thought when your buddy calls you and he is stuck, you want to rush out and save him so you have bragging rights on how your truck is better!! We have all done it! The thought probably never crossed anyones minds until it broke. I'm very glad you are making this video and showing the difference in all these different situations. I feel so bad for the guys involved with this tragic situation.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thank you and yes this is so tradgic!

[@endless4x4]

Thanks for this video Matt. Never hurts to touch up on knowledge. I have shared on my fb group and hopefully it saves someone some day!! Cheers mate.

[@brandonthompson6389]

I learned some new things. Thanks so much for sharing! Our hearts and prayers go out to the family. Blessings!

[@thedeathwobblechannel6539]

I come from a collision repair background Matt here's how I do that when there's frame damage I work from the minimal amount I think I can get away with to get it done to straighten or pull and I do my recovery the same start with the easy and work your way up and if you're getting the difficulty level up and it's still not moving you need to rethink what you're doing like you said bust out the shovel get the traction boards whatever you got to do to make it easier to recover

[@MadMatt4WD]

Great comment thanks

[@Mnt2ride]

Thank you for sharing this story and the advice. Because of your videos, this gentleman has not died in vain. Although I’ve been in situations that required getting pulled out of the snow, and mud in everyday life (I live in Ohio) I’ve never considered that there is a safe way to do it or that there was an unsafe way. He and yourself have possibly saved me from having a tragedy.

[@stebnalang2824]

This is a thoughtful and well-reasoned meditation on off-road recovery safety. Well done, Sir.

[@sandralutz-rodriguez2864]

what an absolutely horrific accident for Ryan and his family. I waited a long time to watch this video Matt. As always your expertise and how well you explain recovery demonstrated again that doing it safely is possible.

[@thomasfletcher4765]

Thank you for explaining how to do a recovery safely . Everything you said made a huge amount of sense .

[@darrenrichardson6936]

Thanks for sharing Matt, recovery’s are very dangerous and good to point that out. I also did always use tow ball years ago to recover but not any more. Thanks again

[@MadMatt4WD]

Cheers

[@zeropoint546]

Yup first recovery I did was off a tow ball. Luckily someone saw me doing it, and told me why I shouldn't do that. This video is refreshing in that Matt isn't blaming the victim of this accident, but using it as an educational moment.

[@golferpro1241]

Rest in peace. Good thing that you are educating people. Thank you.

[@DSD]

Honestly until I started seeing these type of videos I would not have ever thought about this…. I’m. Glad you are covering this…

[@danbusey]

Thank you Matt. It is really important to be reminded of the very real dangers encountered in any recovery situation.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks Dan.

[@LimestoneCoastCustoms]

Not an easy video to make I'm sure & done with the utmost respect that I would expect from you Matt! It's a sad that this kind of incident has to happen to highlight what you & others have been preaching for many years. I'm fully equipped for self recovery & prefer that method. I'll grab a cool drink, survey the situation & form a plan. No rushing at all. It's worked well for me for many years, plus, I always have a backup plan. Thank you once again mate for spreading the word ! Everyone, Please stay safe out there!

[@MadMatt4WD]

Cheers mate I appreciate the support

[@sensei1781]

Truly a devastating accident. Never let frustration, impatience, or outside factors effect your common sense or foresight. I don't know the entirety of the situation, but I did read that a chain was snapped prior to the tow ball accident. It also seems to be very dark outside. Once again I don't know the whole story. But a great piece of advice I've gotten in the past that I've always remembered is that when it's dark outside, and you are doing a tough job / are in a stuck situation, it's sometimes better to leave, and come back with a clear head in the morning. Nobody wants to leave their truck in a mudhole overnight, but sometimes the alternative outcomes are severely worse, such as this situation. I give my deepest condolences to the family. Hopefully their selfless act of allowing the details and images of this incident to be shared will prevent others from putting themselves in such a recovery situation in the future.

[@Haywoodjablomie100]

Huge condolences to the family and everyone involved in the incident. Thanks for bringing it to our attention Matt, and lets hope this video can help prevent this happening to just one other person. Stay safe

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks let’s hope so

[@patelliott8724]

Thank you Matt for producing and sharing this video! I was also saddened to hear of yet another life being lost during a recovery. A couple of years ago, I was recovering a 4.75t Bandit chipper that slipped sideways into a ditch. The truck was unable to pull it out under its own power so I used my winch to pull and lift the down side of the chipper at the same time as pulling with the truck but it still wouldn't budge. After unhooking the truck and putting my vehicle where the truck was and anchoring my vehicle to the truck, I then used a 3 line pull to try again. This was working well and with about 100mm to go, there was a loud noise and things stopped. The loud noise was in fact my winch pulling out through the front of the bull bar! This was caused by a design fault when I made the winch cradle. With no winch working, the next step was to unspool the winch rope fully, move my vehicle out of the way and then tie the rope to the truck and pull the rope with it. This worked a treat! My point is, even though it wrecked my bull bar, by winching and not using conetic energy, everything was controlled, slow moving and safe! It took over 6 hours to get the tuck and chipper out but by not rushing, thinking things through, nobody was in danger of injury.

[@MadMatt4WD]

That’s a great example. Thanks

[@wiggitywhitefox]

Great video! I love that the experience has been able to help many learn. Super sad what happened but amazing how many 4x4 groups are now sharing strong informational videos like this on recoveries it’s great to see! I got out of the 4x4 scene for a while cause people lacked respect and knowledge they all just wanted to buy the stock jeeps or Toyotas and go get stuck then when recovering it’s always really harsh pulls that usually break bumpers and all kinds of things which was horrible I’ve always been the slow and easy type and it’s more common in my area to just do it fast and get it done and it’s soooo dangerous.

[@gilbertdelgado6703]

Thank you Matt for the information, I did learn a lot from it. Hopefully everyone who gets into a recovery situation has learned from this information and will recover their vehicle safely.

[@2vcrew782]

I have spent years in the Jeep and off-road community. Obviously recovery and getting Jeeps unstuck has been a big part of that. I have seen ALOT of scary things and have watched come along hooks and snatch blocks go through windows and body panels. I was always told long ago to lay a blanket over the strap. What we call a dead man.

[@stoichiometry147]

That you for reminding and educating the world. Stay safe everyone. 🙏🏻 condolences to the friends and family of the victim.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Cheers

[@masterofchaos1851]

Matt, this was a very informative video. Not enough of these are out there to help educate and make aware issue like this. Good on ya !

[@davidclucas9398]

Thanks Matt. Great video a wealth of information. I wish Ryan’s family all the best.

[@garrypayne9892]

Have always used the standard tow hitch (never ball) to recover with no probs. Seeing the fresh break on the welds of the failed hitch (even allowing for the monster leverage it looked like it had) scares the hell out of me. Converted!

[@harrysteeletreo1]

it wasn't the welds that failed...

[@chrisforgan731]

@@harrysteeletreo1 a weld will always break right beside the weld as the weld itself creates a stress point in the metal. the stresses run in straight lines in steel normally when you weld it imagine you have now put a hill in those stress lines and becomes a sharp hit right beside that hill.

[@harrysteeletreo1]

@@chrisforgan731 hey Dum* *ss... look at time 6:07 in the video.... it was NOT near the weld....

[@johnreed5253]

Must admit that I have been towing, snatching and jerking with all manner of cables, chains and straps for many years with only a slight awareness of all of the dangers involved! Thank you so much for the education and eye opening advice! May that young man's family take some solace in the fact that someone else has learned something that could potentially save a life through this tragic event! RIP.

[@bkbinj6320]

Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge to help people accomplish safe recoveries in the future.

[@umustbbornagainActs2-38]

Very good vid! Thanks for this. Got memories of crazy recoveries in my past. Thank GOD i'm still here to see this well put together video and have proper gear to recover/be recovered with. Thanks!.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Glad I could help!

[@craigschaffer828]

The force applied to that drop hitch must have been immense. I'm sorry that this happened to this man and his family.

[@boltonky]

Thanks for the upload, I get why people use receiver hitches but personally never used them always used one assembly made from Flat Bar and Tube welded all together then bolted + welded to frame if needed and things can still break or fatigue. Other side of things too is quality of the steel or casting that is used for a part as i hadn't really thought of it until i started doing blacksmithing and forging at home and grain pattern and how it binds together becomes huge part to how strong it is (Good example of that is welding)

[@davetredway4180]

Brilliant. Basic instructions . Well worth putting it out there for all folk. Simple, no short cuts. Thanks.

[@JonnyDIY]

thanks for sharing, condolences to the family of Ryan 🙌💕🙏

[@Polosak]

Another level of protection for the driver of the vehicle to be recovered from the front of the vehicle (aside from recovery damper/safety blanket) is to put up the hood/bonnet. Better to damage any engine bay components than a person in the event of a catastrophic recovery material failure. Edit - ole mate comment below beat me to it.😊

[@marksroberts4880]

I agree, there should have been a lot of damping devices in place, first thing I thought on seeing the picture. But what blanket would have stopped that much flying iron? Maybe a loop cable attached to an appropriately sized boat anchor burried in the mud? Pull 10 feet, then move the anchor? Or anchored to a vehicle to the side? Inconvenient, yes, but everybody goes home, which is the real point, after all.

[@Polosak]

@@marksroberts4880 there are various types and names for what I would call a 'recovery damper'. The ones I've used are vinyl and look a saddle bags with pockets that you drape over the recovery strap at the half way point and fill up the pockets with whatever dirt, sand, material is available. If the strap or chain does fail under tension, the 'damper' absorbs the stored energy (either way) diminishing the force of whipping action. I've seen a jacket used, with the wrists zip tied off, filled with sand and draped over the recovery strap as a damper. Macgyver style. 😄

[@BelloBudo007]

I've been banging the drum on this very topic for what seems like ages. Above you mention 'the message is slowly getting through'. I certainly hope that you're right about that. I am wondering how best to get every man and his dog understanding the danger, and you quite rightly say, just how easy it is to use the safe alternative.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Yes many of us have been on about it. Have read of the comments for some encouragement.

[@shcbac]

Thank you for the information, I learned a lot! I don't recover vehicles, but I like the physics behind it. Very sad and tragic recovery scenario. My prayers are with Ryan and family.

[@8U5HM8]

Thank you for this video - it really helps better understand the different methods and how they work! I hadn't really thought about the difference between tow and kinetic recovery, but will keep that in mind for future recoveries.

[@MadMatt4WD]

You're so welcome!

[@roytherhodesian4029]

Well presented with due respect for the deceased, a very knowledgeable man - good on ya mate 👍

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks I really appreciate you commenting!

[@nathansohm]

Thank you for sharing this to spread awareness, this was such a tragic incident. Also want to thank you for mentioning our page MC4X4R. After the emotions calm down on our page, we will be sharing your videos.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Keep up the good work and hugs from Australia.

[@chrisregpick]

Excellent video. Sheds light on just how dangerous it can be to recover a vehicle.

[@TheInternalwisdom]

Thank you! Very usefully info. I love the hierarchy aproach u mentioned!

[@MadMatt4WD]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Mission989]

I've been yanked out or yanked someone else out more times than I can remember, if I'm the one getting yanked out I ALWAYS Lean over and get behind the dash or tell the person I'm pulling to do the same. I knew there's always a chance a chain, strap or cable could snap but I haven't ever really thought about what you just said. Definitely be keeping that in mind and using different methods from now on.

[@holdernewtshesrearin5471]

So tragic. RIP. Btw, if you HAVE to try a dangerous recovery from the tow ball/ hitch, the least you should do is tie 1 or 2 tag lines with a little slack,, maybe 3' to 5', to the tow line close to the tow ball/hitch. That way there is atleast some way of controlling the tow rope/strap should the connection fail. Most off roaders have the foresight to install clevises to the frame rails but even they can fail. A tag line from the tow rope to the bumper etc could prevent a major accident.

[@chetpietrzak2120]

I have been recovering vech in the military & civilian world for over 35yrs. You are spot on w/ this video & my condolences to the family

[@Marco-fi6gv]

Great video on an important subject. I really think a majority of the people out there don't realize how dangerous this is. Years ago, I would've been one of them. So many people don't realize how dangerous this really is, hence the accidents and fatalities. Yeah, you might have done this a bunch of times and gotten lucky, but you're rolling the dice with your life and those around you. If you do it long enough, it will eventually catch up with you. Great video - you explain things thoroughly. What makes it great is the way you go into detail and explain why you're advocating a certain method so that everyone can understand it. Thanks for the video, you might have saved a few lives!

[@jwat2396]

I'm a welder and I always over do things like this but I still wouldn't recover from that point. The molecules of the metal just on either side of the weld have gotten weakened by lining up perfectly straight. Usually they are jumbled up like a tangled piece of rope which holds them together better. That's looks like what took place with this gentlemans hitch. My condolences to his family. Yes you can weld a piece and something other then the metal beside the weld would be weaker but it needs to be way over done making it massive. This would insure everything else would snap before the item you welded did. But just be safe and never pull from the tow ball and never ever pull from anything that has that kind of off set leverage.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks for your expert input

[@jamesnichols7507]

The weld held, the ball held, the pin held, the OEM hitch held, but the failure point was ripping 2” steel tubing aft of the pin and forward of the weld like it was paper.

[@ivanhoe6366]

@@jamesnichols7507 yes, the heat affected zone. Heat from the welding process alters the molecular structure of the base metal. Often causing embrittlement..The brittle haz in this instance was then subjected to overload, far too much leverage/force.

[@myhouse97]

Maybe u should dig out tires take a look at the tires.noway all wrong .

[@DunateoRom8v37]

As a science teacher, I cannot really fault your explanation of energy transfer from one system to another. Might even use it as a clip in class.

[@E_Clampus_Vitus]

Most specifically, a dynamic recovery extends the impulse of the force.

[@lukebrady3728]

Well done Matt. Really enjoyed this. You've explained it very well without any of the egotistical garbage we seem to get from a lot of other channels.

[@mattc.310]

Condolences to the family, friends and the community. Watching some people do recoveries is pretty scary. I hope their foolishness doesn't catch up with them before some solid recovery instruction does. It's very sad when avoidable incidents take people. Thanks for the work yourself and others in the community are doing.

[@MrDhandley]

Simply frightening! I’ve always know not to recover off a tow ball for exactly the reasons you just outlined, because of you! Nevertheless in that particular situation the leverage action must have been enormous. So sad but I hope that people pay heed to what can happen. Thanks Matt.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Cheers

[@jake-mv5oi]

As stuck as he was in there, I think a winch would have been the best option. Slowly break that suction and keep pulling when it's free. Sorry for his family that it turned out this way.

[@MadMatt4WD]

I agree

[@BikingVikingHH]

Also in the situations like that it can be helpful to have the winch vehicle extremely close to the stuck vehicle, so that the winch force pulls both ^ and

[@ronniewilliz153]

Idk why they didn't dig that wall down some an not pull against a wall like they did.

[@mark2073]

Winch rope over a spare wheel to generate upward force

[@DaffyDuc69]

Should have pulled it out backwards. Front was up against a mud wall.

[@steiny3353]

Great video Matt. You explain things very well. Love your stuff.

[@MadMatt4WD]

I appreciate that!

[@remoterivermanaustralia]

Brilliantly explained and incredibly important to know. The 'stretched rubber band' snatch strap recovery has become such a ubiquitous habit in Australia that we often, to our detriment, ignore all the other, safer options, instead going straight to the most dangerous choice of all, first up. Keep up the great work, Matt. You and Ronnie Dahl are always my first choice when it comes to sensible, thoughtful, educational videos on the 4x4 scene. Cheers, Remote River Man

[@mjasz4341]

As far as recovering from a bog I would say there was one step in there you missed. After checking to make sure 4wd is engaged, hubs locked, etc. I would always try "bumping" the vehicle back and forth going forward and backward to try and get out of the hole first, both before and after digging and adding traction helpers (obviously don't bump when you're on a traction board it'll probably break it, but you get my point). That's all assuming you haven't already tried that before deciding you're stuck in the first place.

[@HalcyonGuitars]

I once went on a winter drive up an FSR and encountered a family that had been stuck with their trailer for several days in the snow. They knew they were in trouble and were trying to find a turnaround point but ended up bogged in the snow. Fortunately they had weeks worth of provisions and were just chilling in the road. They were able to get the pickup truck turned around and the father had gone into town to buy recovery gear. I was with my girlfriend and when the father came back with recovery gear, I said to her ‘If he puts it on the frame we can leave, if he puts it on the tow ball I’m obligated to stay’. Unfortunately his first move was directly onto the tow ball so I stepped out of my truck and explained the danger of doing it that way. After a few hours of tugging, digging, and laying down cut branches we were able to get the trailer turned around. I was disappointed at the number of people who came down the road in their souped up rigs with winches that just did a u turn and buggered off when they saw the road was blocked. They could have done in minutes what took us hours. Anyway, at the end of the day we got them out and nobody got hurt…

[@MadMatt4WD]

Well done

[@jimelliott33]

Excellent information, thanks Matt

[@jackfourbee3609]

My thoughts and prayers are with Ryan’s family. Knowledge is the best recovery tool. Well explained Matt, this vid should be sold with every recovery kit solid. Keep up the great work Matt. 👏👏👏

[@MadMatt4WD]

So sad. Thanks mate!

[@geoffcrumblin9850]

Great explanation. agree, the speed of the towing vehicle generates a kinetic force, F=ma. Stretch in the tow strap, spreads the time over which the force is applied. Having said that, the example of the offset attachment point, creates a bending force only against the part closet the attachment point. If say the attachment is say 200mm, it's creating a tearing effect only on one side of the tow hitch. So that equates to a fourfold increase bending force, and a doubling of the shearing force, as the top surface of the towbar carries no load. I guess that the effect of the pulling effort is multiplied around 8 times. It would be interesting to see an enlarged image of the failure, it should show different failure modes throughout the towbar. Well done.

[@MadMatt4WD]

I think you can see the tearing in the grain structure. Great comment

[@BretBerger]

Ek = m*v^2 is the relevant equation here. Energy dumped into the kinetic rope (or non-kinetic rope in this case) goes up as the square of speed. For example, the energy in a 25mph jerk on the rope is 25 times that of a 5mph yank on the rope. Terrifying indeed!

[@RickheadWashington]

I will usually put a strap around the square stock between the frame with a shackle then on the other end of the shackle a recovery rope. I feel it's safer for everyone involved and the vehicle itself. There are several ways to do it safely and there are several to do it unsafely. If your shock loading it there are too many easy ways to do it. But you just need to take the time to do it right. For reference I am a certified rigger for cranes. Safe is always better than fast.

[@marksroberts4880]

Now THAT'S a good idea!!

[@FMFALLDAY]

Very informative and well explained 🙌🏼 a few things in this video that I was unaware and now gonna help out all my desert friends

[@MadMatt4WD]

I’m glad I could help. Check out the other videos following up from this.

[@keithmalmberg8395]

Grew up on a farm doing it wrong. Got into a 4×4 club and started learning all I did wrong and why. It was policy that every rig had at least 1 recovery point front and rear. Because it was almost always trail recovery it was almost always winch recovery. Always had a weight blanket on the line. Always done slowly, never a rush. The advent of the poly recovery line is a real safety tool. They break and whip just like the steel line, they just don't have the energy in them when the impact objects.

[@Clean97gti]

Kinetic ropes and snatch straps are the gold standard today. Chains are nice until they fail, but when they fail, they do so explosively. All the energy is release at once and you end up with what is effectively shrapnel.

[@keithmalmberg8395]

@@Clean97gti when in the club all recoveries were done with winches. Most were synthetic lines, on easy recoveries a wire line could be used if it was the closest and quickest. Always with weighted blankets at the mid point. Ropes and straps were only for towing. That may not be the fastest way but when you have some people with very good equipment and experience working with newbies with not so high quality equipment it made for a very safe environment. A 5 minute snach strap recovery would be a 15 minute winch out, but the wrong strap (kinetic vs tow strap) was never used. What I did 35 years ago was an accident waiting to happen. Also when I first got into off-roading kinetic ropes and straps were EXTREMELY expensive and very few were out in the general public. Alot has changed in 30 years...

[@robertyoung2819]

@@keithmalmberg8395 Back in the day... In Florida... Old Tug boat ropes/Ship Moring Lines... They are like a 4" Nylon Snatch Strap... KZbin has some videos showing massive 4X4 Mud Boggers snatching out other Massive 4X4 Mud Boggers... While the extraction 4X4 floors it... As the rope starts to stretch the extraction vehicle starts too slow down... As it slows down the rope stretches... ALL the built up kinetic energy... Sucks the Stuck truck out of its ruts... All like it is in SLO-MODE... When the tension on the rope increases... There are different methods of recovery for every different type of incident that you may get into... While Off Roading or Simply sliding off a road while going for a cup of joe... RIP...

[@RJ-lj3zt]

Although I wasn't there, so I don't know exactly what happened, but we tow large farm equipment out of situations much worse then that truck. The problem here is the guy pulling backs up, then hits the chain/strap /towrope with everything he's got and the sudden jar is what breaks stuff. If they would pull steady on the stuck vehicle it would come out. Don't send a boy to do a man's job, bring something large enough to pull steady, and if you have a small vehicle, use a block and tackle. Seen too many times when guys hook on and gun it, once the tires break free, you're doing nothing.

[@bc-guy852]

Brilliant. You're a very gifted presenter and communicator! An easy subscribe, like, notifications and comment for the creator! A sad situation but some excellent lessons even for those of us who've towed a few trailers a few miles. Great job, I'll be checking out the rest of the catalogue! Mad Respect from BC, Canada.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks mate.

[@furryblue6377]

Thank you. I assisted Dad with a lot of heavy machinery and small truck recoveries. He was so aware of the potential fatal failures of the equipment back in those days. I have memories of him sending everyone great distances and putting guard plates up to protect drivers from projectiles. The new soft shackles and kinetic straps are complete game changers.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Yes they are!

[@theglitch99]

May God be with him and his family!! I'm guilty of using my tow receiver and a 3/8 Chain. Got lucky won't do it again. Time to invest in the right tools. Great info. Thanks!

[@spevakdesigns]

I've used a kinetic sling directly on a grade 8 5/8" hitch pin inside the hitch a number of times. This is always after digging out tires and placing objects to attempt to get traction. I always start with a slow steady pull then gradually increase the kinetic energy until I feel movement. I only do this if the angles are good and I'm not putting stress on the mouth of the hitch receiver. I've always thought that if I go too hard there's a chance the pin will bend and get stuck or maybe damage the hitch receiver but it's always felt worlds safer than attaching to an actual hitch. I hate using my winch on sketchy attachment points on other people's rigs. Always worried about something breaking and slingshotting the line and hardware at my windshield. I may stay putting my hood up for these as someone else here mentioned. Condolences to the family, really sad, hope we can all learn from it and be safe out there in the future.

[@micahwest5347]

I’ve done the same thing and suggested the same thing when assisting folks who don’t have one of those fancy factor 55 thing a ma jigs. Works great if you line up a straight pulling force.

[@atomicsmith]

If it will go through your tempered and laminated windshield, it will almost certainly go through the single sheet metal of your hood. I’ve used those tree protectors around the frame members if they really don’t have a good recovery point.

[@frankbuck99]

@@atomicsmith yeah, but the hood will slow it down.

[@atomicsmith]

@@frankbuck99 Sure. Just like the windshield slowed it down in this instance. You can look at ballistics through car doors for a rough idea how much it will slow down... not much.

[@aaronb7990]

I use a pin to rope preferably too, I got a Stainless one in hopes that it will just break if overloaded and not bend and get stuck... again 😂. But no wrecking ball on the end of the rope is best I think, and if it breaks the pin I probably didn't want to pull that hard on it anyhow. As for the winch check out 'Bleepin Jeep' on KZbin or the internet. He sells a Synthetic winch line that has built in soft shackle points every couple feet for like the first 12feet. So you typically don't have any 'hardware' just the winch line.

[@sethpinson4694]

Thank you for an informative video, so many times I've done exactly what you said not to do without ever giving it a second thought. I will now.

[@MadMatt4WD]

It is worth thinking through and working out how to do it differently! Thanks for your comment.

[@kevinsandrock1989]

Thank you for the great information all my life I herd don't use the ball never thinking about the stresses on the other parts of the hitch again great information

[@sydneymowerandautomotivece4319]

Thoughts to the the family and friends to both parties involved. There is a key physics problem with the broken hitch. Leverage. It has gone from having 1 to 1 (if a straight line hitch) to having 8 to 1 or more force put through the tube. Add the brace being a point and the first place of movement, equals failure. Then add the other issues, solid strap, no digging, mud suction etc. A recipe for disaster. Like mentioning use of a chain, it is safe if used in the correct application and the correct method. More education is needed on the use or how to perform tow/kinetic recoveries.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Well said. As you would know I’ve done a few but I think I’ll do another video on kinetic recovery.

[@AutoExpertJC]

Based on the information at hand, the proximate cause of this failure is performing an over-zealous kinetic recovery using equipment not designed for kinetic recovery. The load skyrocketed, and the moment arm caused by the 200mm (ish) drop hitch overwhelmed the heat-affected zone near the butt weld on the receiver tube, the free bit of which became a lethal projectile. It's mainly a 'human factors' problem (doing the wrong thing, which seemed like a good idea in the moment) as opposed to equipment failure. A person who was trained to appreciate the loads and other salient factors, such as techniques (well laid out in your recovery hierarchy) would not make these errors. The only other observation I would make is that there must have been some elastic component in the equipment. (Perhaps a sling with a bit of Nylon in it.) Otherwise there would have been nothing to throw the failed hitch through the windscreen. (I'm an engineer; I trained in a testing lab. When we broke steel samples even in a 100-tonne tensile test rig, they didn't fly across the room; they just broke. Same if you break a shackle the same way. It makes a loud noise when it fails, but it's otherwise fairly un-dramatic.) Therefore, there must have been one component with a lot of elastic strain energy in the system, to produce the catastrophic and tragic ballistics...

[@MadMatt4WD]

Hey John thanks for taking the time to watch and then respond. I believe it's encumbant upon those of us who lead in this sport (as you do) to help educate and have the discussions that challenge the thinking of the day. This is how we all learn and improve. So thanks. As for the stored energy element I too have seen what you're saying with steel. In the pictures you can see the strap which was used. To my eye it looks like a 3-4M lifting strap. It's certainly not a 9M snatch strap. I believe a strap does have a small degree with elasticity although not close to the 18% of a snatch strap. Obviously there was enough stored energy in the rigging to do the damage. Will you do a video along these lines?

[@codylapoint]

Nylon rigging has some stretch to it, probably around 5% of its original length. If it's wet it will stretch a little further than it will dry. I don't believe it would have snapped back like a slingshot straight to the man's head. It probably wasn't traveling super fast when it hit him, it was more likely the mass of it traveling fairly slowly still impacted with a lot of force. That's got to be a 7 kg hunk of steel, even traveling at 10 feet per second it could split your wig easily.

[@davidpribble6470]

That's why I lay a coat or something heavy on a strap so it gets pulled to the ground not through the windows

[@MadMatt4WD]

@@davidpribble6470 Go watch my recovery playlist and see my testing on this

[@ExcuseMeWhileIWhipThisOut]

Excellent video Matt. I mean excellent. Explained the different recovery methods simply and clearly and I really liked the recovery progression we all should follow. Ryan's death made the news here in AZ and it was sad to hear his cause of death was preventable with a little education. May Ryan RIP.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks kindly and yes it’s very sad

[@robertclark2714]

Thank you for your fine presentation. Our heartfelt condolences to the Woods family. I know Jennifer, his widow has given Justin King permission to discuss this tragedy in the hopes that we all learn something from this and hopefully save a life. I have done 100's of recoveries over the years working for a tow company. I own three 4X4's. I pull loaded trailers and even use vehicles to pull leaning trees on our farm. I learned so much from Justin and from this video and I will pass along this information to others. THANK YOU

[@contributor7219]

First of all, condolences to the family for their loss (and to you for yours). Unexpectedly losing a family member when they are doing nothing more than something they love to unwind, is one of the most difficult ways to lose someone. Although I am now retired, at one point during my career as an engineer my role involved giving expert evidence before our court system here in Australia. Never is this so difficult as when someone loses their life as a result of an incident like this. Seeing the hitch used and so clearly understanding the forces that led to it failing just adds to the tragedy of the whole situation - so many 'if only' decisions in a tragic causal chain. In the past I've had a very brief chat with Robbert Pepper about an unrelated matter over on his KZbin channel, so I'll look forward to seeing the joint video. Until then I've now subscribed to your channel and I'll do what I can to spread the message about the dangers involved in vehicle recoveries.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Thanks for your kind message. There’s a link in the description to Roberts video

[@Boostaification]

Would you consider using the hitch pin as the connection point for a strap? Takes the hitch itself out of the equation and must surely be safer than a towball?

[@MadMatt4WD]

I’d prefer this over a towball and would use it in an emergency with caution. There is some concern about it getting cut if pulling at an angle. Also the radius of the strap on the pin is a tad tight which is not ideal.

[@lronpaw]

@@MadMatt4WD I had the same question as the recovery hitch receivers werent around when i started 4wding and we used to just use the pin when snatching. thanks for the video and your explanation above Matt.

[@MadMatt4WD]

Cheers

[@OffRoadRecoveryLLC]

My opinion is to use the right equipment, safety should not be shortcutted for being cheap

[@Robert-cu9bm]

@@MadMatt4WD How can you say the radius is a tad tight when the product you're showing has tighter radius corners?. Not to mention it's no sharper than a shackle or soft shackle.