Woody984 Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hi everyone just looking for advice really. Got a bog standard 2015 90. Just wondering what strops I should buy and what anchoring points I should buy and where from. Jate rings yes or no? Steering guard? Size strops etc. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam001 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Hi, For strops you basically have lots of choice, a 10T+ rated one is usually best. If you need one for mud plugging recovery type stuff a spliced type recovery rope are pretty good as they allow some stretch which can really help to reduce strain on the recovery points. As for recovery points, I'm not a fan of jate rings as they fix onto chassis holes that generally do not have crush tubes and they need to allow some movement so put a huge amount of strain in the wrong direction on the chassis. Basically the chassis holes can become to elongate. For the rear personally a rear tow setup works brilliantly, a NATO hitch or ball and pin setup in place of the tradiation ball works well. For the front either tow loops that piggy back on the front bumper bolting points (better still is a HD bumper which has them integrated) or you can use a steering guard with recovery eyes, as they bolt to the chassis in lots of places. Downside is they are quite low so can be a pain to access in a ditch! There will be plenty of opinions naturally! Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeSheds Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 9 minutes ago, Adam001 said: There will be plenty of opinions naturally! Sure - but I agree pretty much with all of this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Hmm...... Books have been written on this and many are to follow. I like to think that Land Rover may have put some thought in what they're doing and I like to stick to some simple and basic guide lines from them - many can be found in "Winching in Safety" (LR Part # SMR 699 MI) Obviously - Copyright to Land Rover Ltd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I vote uprated steering bars over a steering guard if you feel the need. Gwyn Lewis does some chunky ones. Also depends what you're doing - a rear tow-hitch (ideally pin type 3.5t) properly fitted is OK for a lot of stuff, likewise JATE rings are absolutely fine for most people, especially if you buy a short strop to link between them & spread the load. Only buy load rated recovery gear - shackles, strops, ropes. Lifting & Crane supplies had a reasonable range last I looked. Worth noting those tow-points Arjan posted are bolted to (actually weight-rated) winch bumpers, the standard bumper is NOT up to recovery forces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 10 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said: I vote uprated steering bars over a steering guard if you feel the need. Gwyn Lewis does some chunky ones.. And above that : looking where you are going 😊👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 On 12/31/2018 at 1:00 PM, Anderzander said: And above that : looking where you are going 😊👍🏻 I was going to suggest that but driver modifications just aren't as fashionable as bolting on shiny new bits! Also, I would say LR steering bars are a tad on the skinny side as standard, doesn't take much of a knock to start it bending if it's under compression at the time, and then it's never going back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 22 minutes ago, FridgeFreezer said: I was going to suggest that but driver modifications just aren't as fashionable as bolting on shiny new bits! Also, I would say LR steering bars are a tad on the skinny side as standard, doesn't take much of a knock to start it bending if it's under compression at the time, and then it's never going back. I agree. My current 90 is standard apart from HD bars and the Disco drop arm, a map (Td5), and an ATB in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody984 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 Thanks for all your advice. Anyone ever bought one of these? Do you think it would do the job? Thanks https://www.johncraddockltd.co.uk/land-rover-defender/defender-90-and-110/accessories/exterior-accessories/off-road-steering-and-sump-guards/jc735-steel-defender-90-110-steering-guard-with-towing-eyes.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 As above - we are not big fans of steering guards .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 on my 110, front & rear genuine JATE rings, adjustable rear tow hitch with a ball/pin one a slider & NATO pintle on a slider, both can be fitted at the same time. on front bumper 2 3.5 tonne pin hitches. plus the husky winch. no diff or steering guards underneath, only a set of Gwyn Lewis Sumo bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam001 Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Hi Woody, If you want to go the steering guard route, go for it. The comments people are saying about them here have nothing to do with their ability to be used as a recovery point. My view is it will be stronger than a Jate ring equivalent as it uses additional points and also benefits from clamp loading on the chassis so has the potential to be far stronger. Yes steering guards are not the best steering protection as the bars can still be hit, I personally bought one as a chunk of tree managed to get up and bend my steering damper, it also serves as a perfectly adequate recovery point for me as the side bars on my winch bumper are standard thickness and not suitable which I would have otherwise used. Access being the guards only real downside. Cheers, Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 1 hour ago, Adam001 said: Hi Woody, If you want to go the steering guard route, go for it. The comments people are saying about them here have nothing to do with their ability to be used as a recovery point. My view is it will be stronger than a Jate ring equivalent as it uses additional points and also benefits from clamp loading on the chassis so has the potential to be far stronger. Yes steering guards are not the best steering protection as the bars can still be hit, I personally bought one as a chunk of tree managed to get up and bend my steering damper, it also serves as a perfectly adequate recovery point for me as the side bars on my winch bumper are standard thickness and not suitable which I would have otherwise used. Access being the guards only real downside. Cheers, Adam Very little if any Track rod protection from a steering guard. Mind you my heavy dury track rod is bent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam001 Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 1 hour ago, mmgemini said: Very little if any Track rod protection from a steering guard. Mind you my heavy dury track rod is bent Yes, I know. Hence why i said they can be hit. Why are people still talking about the same thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Hunter Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 On 1/3/2019 at 2:11 PM, western said: on my 110, front & rear genuine JATE rings, adjustable rear tow hitch with a ball/pin one a slider & NATO pintle on a slider, both can be fitted at the same time. on front bumper 2 3.5 tonne pin hitches. plus the husky winch. Hi, western, Any chance of a photo of your rear set up, please? Thx. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Yes, here it is. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Steering guards make excellent ploughs and are good for getting hung up on tree stumps too as they allow you to slide gently up them and then drop & lock against the back lip. If you want to get a bit heavier about it, bend some 20mm bar and weld it along the chassis in a Dirtydiesel style: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I've got one of the Dixon-Bate combined ball-and-pin hitches on the rear of my Defender, attached to the factory-fit towbar mounts. That's the only 'recovery' facility I think I need. I work on the principle that if I ever get stuck while going-forward the sane and obvious way to recover me is to pull me backwards, out of the way I got into the mess, not by pulling me forwards and so further-into the problem. I do have a genuine LR tubular steering-guard in the shed, bought around 2002 but so far never fitted. None of the 90s/110s/Defenders I worked with professionally over the years had any sort of recovery-fitments on the front. Same applied to the RB44 "mobile laboratory" [a truly-horrible thing which we were glad to see the back of]. Get stuck, and you came out the way you went-in. A Tirfor was the standard provision, the sweat you worked-up in extracting your couple of tons of mired truck was part of the process of learning not-to-do-stupid-things-next-time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Hunter Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Hi, western, Apologies, I didn't thank you for putting up the photos of your rear recovery/tow points. I like the combination and will definitely be upgrading my ball only Dixon Bate set up when I get to that stage of my rebuild. I don't know if I'll go all the way with a NATO pintle, but will definitely get a height adjustable ball and pin set up. Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Your welcome Mike, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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