X-BULL Winch Recovery Kit 13PCS Recovery tracks /Snatch Strap Off Road 4X4

Recoveries go badly when the gear is one shackle short or the damper got left at home. This kit collects the pieces most people otherwise buy one at a time — traction boards, a long strap, shackles, a snatch block, a damper and a shovel — into a single 12 kg bag that can live in the boot.

The pulling gear, and what the numbers mean

The kit carries a 9 m strap quoted at 8,000 kg, two shackles quoted at 4.75 tonnes, an 8-tonne snatch block and a forged aluminium shackle hitch receiver quoted at 5 tonnes (11,000 lb). None of those figures is described as a working load limit or as a minimum breaking strength, so none of them should be treated as a capacity. Work to the lowest figure in the chain and stay well inside it. The snatch block is the piece most people underuse: running the winch line through it lets a pull be redirected around an obstacle, or doubled back so the drum works at lower strain.

Traction, digging and tyre pressure

Two Gen2.0 boards at 910 x 310 x 60 mm handle the bogging itself, in reinforced nylon with a supplier figure of 10 tonnes on flat ground and no stated basis. A folding shovel clears the sand ahead of the tyre, which does more of the work than most people expect. The tyre deflator has a 0-70 psi dial about 6 cm across on a 30 cm rubber hose, so pressure can be dropped and read at the same time rather than guessing and checking. Leashes for the boards, a trailer hitch lock and a carry bag round the kit out.

The damper is not optional

The included damper measures 500 x 430 x 25 mm in layered reinforced PVC with wide velcro tabs, and weighs about 1 kg (2.25 lb as quoted). Its job is simple physics: mass draped over a line under tension pulls the line down toward the ground if the strap, shackle or anchor lets go, instead of leaving all that stored energy free to travel. The velcro closure means it goes on and comes off in seconds, which is the difference between using it every time and leaving it in the bag.

Key features

• Twelve items in one bag: the strap, shackles, block, boards, damper, shovel and deflator all travel together in a 40.5 x 29.5 x 18.5 cm case.
• Works with any winch: the supplier lists it as suiting X-BULL or other brands.
• Forged aluminium hitch receiver: gives a receiver-mounted shackle point, quoted at 5 tonnes with the basis not stated.
• Damper included: the item most commonly missing from home-assembled kits.
• Folding shovel: packs flat and does the digging that makes the boards work.

Specifications

• Strap: 9 m, quoted at 8,000 kg; the supplier's parts list calls it a tow strap while the product title calls it a snatch strap — confirm which it is before using it for a snatch recovery
• Shackles: 2 x quoted at 4.75 tonnes, basis not stated
• Snatch block: quoted at 8 tonnes, basis not stated
• Shackle hitch receiver: high strength forged aluminium, 50 x 50 x 155 mm, quoted at 5 tonnes (11,000 lb)
• Recovery tracks: 2 x Gen2.0, 910 x 310 x 60 mm, reinforced nylon, 10 tonnes on flat ground as quoted
• Damper: 500 x 430 x 25 mm, layered reinforced PVC, multiple velcro tabs, about 1 kg
• Tyre deflator: 0-70 psi dial gauge, gauge face about 6 cm, hose about 30 cm, nozzle 9 mm outside and 7 mm inside diameter, 10 mm male thread, steel body
• Packed size: 40.5 x 29.5 x 18.5 cm
• Packed weight: 12 kg

What's in the box

• 2 x recovery tracks
• 1 x 9 m strap
• 2 x shackles
• 1 x snatch block
• 1 x recovery damper
• 1 x folding survival shovel
• 1 x shackle hitch receiver
• 1 x trailer hitch lock
• 1 x tyre deflator
• 1 x carry bag
• Recovery track leashes
• X-BULL stickers

Recovery safety, before the bag is opened

• Check every item before each use. Straps with cuts, cover damage, heat glazing or chemical staining, and shackles with worn pins, stretched bodies or damaged threads, get retired rather than risked.
• Drape a damper over the strap or winch line every single time, and keep it in place while the line is loaded.
• Move all bystanders well back from the line, and out of the arc it would sweep sideways if something released.
• Attach only to rated recovery points on both vehicles. Never to a tow ball, a tow bar tongue, a bumper bar, a bull bar tab or any bracket that is not rated for recovery.
• Never join two straps together with a shackle. Use the correct joining method for the gear you have.
• The load figures above are the supplier's and carry no stated basis or standard. Do not divide, double or convert them to arrive at a working limit.
• Straps for towing and straps for snatching are not interchangeable. Clarify which one this is before attempting a kinetic recovery.

Sold as a colour choice at checkout, and it packs down small enough to stay in the vehicle year-round rather than being loaded for specific trips.