Safe Escape

Kinetic Recovery Ropes offer a new, safer way to snatch stuck vehicles out predicaments.

- Dean Mellor

The snath strap has been the go-to recovery device for four-wheel drivers for many years – so long as you have another vehicle on hand, a snatch strap is usually the easiest and fastest way to recover a stuck vehicle. But now there’s a new kid on the block that promises to offer all the benefits of a snatch strap but with greater safety, longevity and effectiveness. Enter the kinetic recovery rope.

They haven’t been around for long, but you’ve probably seen kinetic recovery ropes advertised online or even out in the field. Several reputable 4x4 accessory companies already offer versions of this new recovery device, and other big players in the market will no doubt soon have their own branded versions. But what makes kinetic recovery ropes better than traditional snatch straps? And are the benefits enough to justify the premium price tags, which can be twice as much (or more) than a traditional snatch strap?

Some nine-metre-long kinetic recovery ropes retail for up to $350, which is a helluva lot more than an 8000kg snatch strap that sells for $40, but the extra investment not only buys you greater capacity and longevity, but also more stretch, which can make recovering stuck vehicles both easier and safer.

HOW DO THEY WORK?

The principle behind a vehicle recovery using a kinetic recovery rope is the same as a traditional snatch strap. The vehicle being recovered is pulled out of its predicament by another vehicle using the stretchy kinetic recovery rope. The rope is attached to both vehicles (using rated shackles attached to rated recovery points), then the recovery vehicle gets a run-up and pulls on the rope, which stretches like an elastic band and then contracts, using the stored kinetic energy in the rope to hopefully yank the stuck vehicle out of its bogged state.