"Approach angle"? "Off-roading"?

You have me confused with someone with more courage and more brains than
I.

All three times I got stuck last year were on level "ground." By
"ground" I mean: flat cinder shoulder along a highway, flat surface
consisting of a gravel/mud slurry, and flat sandy bit at the bottom of a
steep dirt road.

I'm entirely too cowardly to go off-roading in this 2WD Westy. But dumb
enough to get stuck anyway.

Nice to hear that the front loop can be used. I read that it will accept
a 5/8'' screw-pin shackle.

-- RJS

On Tue, 2011-05-24 at 14:16 -0700, Karl Wolz wrote:

> I'd avoid anything hanging down below the front bumper.  Even a half inch
> will affect your approach angle if you do any off-roading (BTDT).
>
> That tow hook under the front bumper is strong enough to pull the van out of
> deep sand (once again, BTDT).  I keep a couple hell-for-stout D-shaped
> (D-shape important - it moves the stress to the side away from the latch)
> carabiners in the van, since most beefy tow ropes won't fit in the tow
> hooks.
>
> Karl Wolz
>
>
>
> |-----Original Message-----
> |From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]
> |On Behalf Of Rocket J Squirrel
> |Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 1:53 PM
> |To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> |Subject: Re: Place to mount shackles?
> |
> |On Tue, 2011-05-24 at 13:29 -0700, James V wrote:
> |
> |> On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 12:47 PM, Rocket J Squirrel
> |> <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
> |> > Thanks, Michael. The rear tie-down loops are presently occupied by
> |big
> |> > bolts holding a hitch. Maybe I can mount the D-rings to
> |the hitch's
> |> > crossbar.
> |>
> |> You can try something like this: http://tinyurl.com/3cjjcot
> |
> |It's true -- I /could/ try something like that, were it not
> |for the fact that there is a trailer hitch already inserted
> |into the receiver, and said receiver came with a bunch of weld
> |bumps on the seam on the inside and while I did what I did
> |what I could to file them bumps down the hitch had to be kinda
> |hammered into the receiver. It's unclear whether it can ever
> |be removed.
> |
> |It's an option, though, and I guess I whang at the thang with
> |a mallet or something, see if I can bust it loose.
> |
> |For the front, the stock tie-down loop isn't very impressive-looking.
> |Seems like a fellow could put some bolts through the bumper
> |and the front of the van like Gary Lee did to mount his hitch
> |-- see bottommost photo on this page:
> |
> |<http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/rack/winch/winch.htm>
> |
> |and use them bolts to mount d-rings on the bumper underside.
> |Dangling down a la truck nuts. Anyone got any thoughts on that?
> |
> |-- RJS
> |
> |-----
> |No virus found in this message.
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> |05/24/11
>