Scotch blocks have been used on tow trucks for over 60 years From Small wreckers to heavy-duty wreckers that’s what keeps the truck from slide when you’re winching newer big trucks have hydraulic rams with those into the ground
I first saw these in the 1960s. Our neighbor still used horses and wagon to harvest hay. When we had to go down a steep hill he had the blocks set up for going forward. The rear wheels rolled up on the sleds and acted as beakes going down hill. I never forgot how cool his stuff was!
I first heard of them from watching your videos and did some reading about them. Very important tool to have on hand when doing recovery work. Thanks for sharing 👍
Never seen them before. Going to fit front winch on 80 series land cruiser, and now i be sure to make mount provision for those ! Thank you Sir ! Much appreciated ! ❤
You wouldn't need to lock the transmission into park or gear because the wheel is locked and cannot move. Except under compression created between chassis and wheels. The springs needs to be quite strong for this force. More suitable for rear leave spring vehicle. Just my opinion
I'm sure different types could be made for dedicated use in locals. My first thought was a skid rather than "chock" to facilitate gliding out of a track, would that work?
possible benefits: the wheels dont turn that extra 32nd turn.. possible drawbacks: extra set up/take down time. more gear to haul, and specialized gear too. can ONLY be used for this. i see this as a nifty trick to solve a barely-there problem.
When I used to drive towtrucks we had angle iron cut into 3" spikes welded to the bottom of our scotch blocks for extra grip, i could flip my truck over backwards before they would move 😂
Cool video. Kids shows how big of winch you need to. People seem to way over size now. It used be 1.5x vehicle weight now guys think 2x isn’t enough doesn’t even look like you got to 1.5 before you started pulling your blocks with the tires locked
Gotta love those stickies. Crazy how much it improved your winch resistance. What do ya think, probably the transmission parking pawl be the weak link and what would go?
The pulling load is split between the scotch blocks plus slings and the truck suspension. Certainly you can get some loading on the drivetrain but that depends on how the tires, suspension and everything moves as pulling load increases. In this case you are not counting on the drivetrain to hold you back. Might as well be in neutral.
Hey Matthew so curious question when using the scotch blocks could you get more pulling pounds if you turned the front wheels hard to the left or right or do you think it would put to much pressure and maybe break something on the front end like cv axel or anything just curious
Looks like the weight of the truck drives them into the ground, but since they are directly connected to the bumper the pulling force bypasses the truck suspension. Pretty smart.
Yes kinda The weight of the truck pushed them in the ground Then they are angled so if they slide they dig deeper in the ground as well With them strapped to the frame and the jeep is on top of them It eliminates the pressure on the ring and pinion gears along with axle shafts and u joints
I understood how they worked. What I'm wondering is how you got the straps to the correct length. Did you measure, then place an order to have them made?? I'm asking because I'd like to order some specific to my vehicle.
we measured what we needed and got the closest thing, at first we have a 36'' strap choked onto the rings of the blocks and had to add a soft shackle to the end where it hooked to the jeep, later we took out the choke part and added a 1/2'' grab hook, that made it perfect length and we can click on the hook onto the ring on the blocks
These came about when vehicles had tailshaft hand brake systems, your making fantasy look like fact, if a romantic trup down memory lane is what your trying to create then whatever blows your hair back but for modern vehicles with modern brakes its pure fantasy !
Interesting! Of course standard practice on soft ground is to put it in gear and dig ruts before pulling hard. Obviously you don't want to do this in your yard as you'll tear up your lawn.
Was this before or after the tree fell on your house? Lol just wondering I hope that wasn't the cause good lord . Great video thank you . The snatch blocks work great . I towed for a few years .
Nice . But it would not do that without a ladder bar or something similar on the axle. That much stress on the leaf springs is not good and could shove the drive shaft into the transmission. The straps are holding the tires but not on a level plane so as it compresses it can move forward
Negative. In any properly configured off-road vehicle the suspension should be able to articulate straight down to the bump-stops without driveline damage. Not to mention a purpose-built recovery rig is likely running heavier than stock springs, which would be hard-pressed to even approach the stops. The only way for what you described to be physically possible would be catastrophic suspension failure- ie Rough Country or Sky Jacker springs straight snapping lol
I think the genius is that part of the pull is transfered away from the frame and more to the bumper by the scotch block strap. Nice tool that is super simple to setup.
Same concept of a blade on the front of an excavator. I wonder how much more force you could apply having one of those slip in your hitch and have a jack to shove it in the ground?
0:45 Trees are SOOO friggin STRONG! . I was high centered with my Jeep Commandeer (they are heavy) right in the driveway beside my house. Could NOT dig it out! .. Two inches from the basement foundation wall , was a walnut tree, at that time just about 4" in diametre. I have a portable winch I made up as a teen ager, with a 4500 Pound Warn winch, That attaches to a 2" trailer Ball. I set up the winch with one pulley, to that small walnut tree (right at the base with a wide strap), and it dragged me off the snow like it was nothing :) .. That little winch has got be out of rough spots dozens of times :)
Those are way cool. Should they dig even deeper or do they just get too heavy? Love the land anchor too. I know you can pay near $1k for one that may or may not be the best. Do you have a vid on the kind you use?
..so you went until it hit the parking pawl in the transmission and called it a complete pull? Auto I'm assuming. What's the difference between setting the parking brake and pulling? I could see them being effective if they were wider than the tire, but your tire offers a larger contact patch with fairly decent lugs remaining.
No need for those. Get a anchor straps and pulleys then you can pull from any direction and with the right set up of pulleys, quadruple your winch load. You already carry a high-lift jack. Carry a used drill rod and sledgehammer, you use the rod as a anchor. Even in sand they work as a great anchor point. ⛱️ and both hammer and rod can be used if on trail vehicle repairs require a delicate touch..lmao 😂. I've seen a guy winch his jeep over a cliff from the ground up with that type of anchor set up. Just a huge steel bar you weld a connection point too. (Chain welded to the Drill rod) Then drive it in rock cracks. Or deep in sand. Or around or over tree trunk.
I believe in the principle but you were straight pulling at first, then went to the blocks and snatch block pulley....just saying you should have shown the pull straight with the scotch blocks before adding the snatch block pulley, which probably took off 50% against the truck alone. Cheers
"time is money" is such an absurd statement. sure its true in some instances, but to what degree and direction. thats mainly people regurgitating absurd comments they heard someone else say and thought it was cool. ppl dont think enough for themselves.
