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 ! ❤
I have a set of scotch blocks for all for wheels and can be used to pull forward or backwards.. Just need more anchor points underneath. But I am betting with all 4 tires blocked up youll see 10-12000 pounds of pulling force.
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
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
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?
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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 :)
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 .
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?
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.
Well I was today old when I found out about these... what a great idea.. so simple yet effective! Thanks for a great vid.
That tree is like "not the scotch blocks again"
Proof theres always more to learn. Thank you sir
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
The Military has been using them longer than that! But we call them Chock Blocks instead.
Don't forget your drip pan
Very nice, I learned something new today! Never thought about attaching a rope to the wheel chock and using it like that.
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!
Very cool. Thank you for the explanation.
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 👍
Hope all of your audience knows how important bumper, shackle and mounting strength is. This will remove most bumpers.
Dang. Learned a new trick. Thanks.
Great to have you back posting
Great tip and information!!!!!! Thank you for sharing. SUBSCRIBED!!!!!!
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 ! ❤
Very interesting and very well explained!! Great video!! Thank you!!
Great info!
WOW. learnt something new today.
Really cool! Nice demo!
Thanks for a great video. I learned a lot today. A lot of applied physics is being done there. Carry On Sir!
Thanks for your demo
"Watch how much this tire rotates when I winch."
Proceeds to cut tire from frame.
Nice and interesting
My grandfather used these pretty regularly, but I didn’t know they were called scotch blocks. He referred to them as chained chocks.
Good info here
Very cool
So that’s what the hooks on the bumper are really for lol
Wowie wow wow.
Simple physics go a long way
I gotta do this too; This is a fantastic idea bro
I have a set of scotch blocks for all for wheels and can be used to pull forward or backwards.. Just need more anchor points underneath. But I am betting with all 4 tires blocked up youll see 10-12000 pounds of pulling force.
i learned a thing today👍
Great job explaining. I like the digital measurement comparison. I do have a question... Can you use rubber blocks and still achieve results ?
Stupid question.. can the winch truck be in neutral when using this configuration.
Thanks Boss.
Really nice new tires Matt.
Misspelled expensive 🤣
@@OffRoadRecoveryLLC
Haha
nice
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
What are you using to hold the jeep back the parking pole in the transmission or do you have LINE locks on your brakes?
Yep, good blocks, anything to increase your coefficient of friction, I'm guessing the first number is right around the weight of your Jeep.
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.
Scotch blocks are what you use when Aleave or Tylenol doesn’t take the edge off your pain
cool video, i just wish i could have heard what you where saying
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 😂
You're also putting considerable load on the body!
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
What are the straps you have attached to the blocks?
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?
Pretty cool! Hard to hear you without a mic though.
I have to find it, misplaced it during the house being destroyed and moving
Hey, how about you do a video on the Gladiator? Engine, exhaust, mods, etc. Would like to know how you set it up👍
Ye im agree! I like to know too
I misread the truck as equipped to EXPLODE!
You can also use scotch blocks on the front of you vehicle.
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 !
Can’t wait to see the yellow team start doing this now!
We have recommended this technique to them several times over the last 3 years
@@OffRoadRecoveryLLC
You're the *only* dude I've seen *always* do things the correct way.
How about a shot of the rear mounted winch, how it moutd
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.
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
@@OffRoadRecoveryLLC thanks for the response and explanation. Keep up the great work & videos.
Don't you hate it when you get bogged next to a kiddies pool.
Was the wife mad about the two big holes in the yard? Haha
Step by step tutorial on How to twist your rear out of alignment
You connected a winch to an expensive but mobile, plow
4:30 so they're essentially like land anchors to grab ground or stop/impede movement.
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
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
Or if you have lockers you could dig down the front end
What are you using to measure the winch force output
Load Cells
Yes if you drive a jeep which has a pathetically weak drive train you might need things like this.
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?
Ring and pinion
Or u-joint
Transfer case is gear reduction the force to trans
Why not use line locks to lock the brakes and leave the transmission in neutral to avoid the risk of damaging it?
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.
In this case, would it be wise to set the parking brake, then put transmission in neutral? Pros/Cons to this?
Shouldn't matter much under load. When you're winching the truck is held in place by its own weight and the bumper tethers.
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.
This doesn’t transfer any part of the pull from the frame . . .
Great video. Thanks for scotch blocks. I love all things scottish. It's hard to hear you. Jus aying.
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
HUH what will the y think of next thats one heavy duty snatch block
So would it benefit you or benefit you more to also use those blocks on the front wheels as well as the rear at the same time
So if you're doing a front winch would you use scotch blocks on the front tires or rear tires? If for example you're in slick mud like your example
Did you watch the video?
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 :)
You should NEVER winch or snatch off of a towball. People have been killed by them sheering off and becoming a missile.
I don't really think you can get the full benefits of scotch blocks without a boom. It's all about the leverage.
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 .
This was today and a different house
when you make the new ones set them up so you can put a timber across between them
Why would you do that?
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?
How is this different than just pulling the ebrake instead of pulling against the parking pawl?
What if the ground is really soft? Are they still effective?
Yes they just dig deeper and deeper until you have enough resistance to move the stuck vehicle
What material do the scotch blocks have to be made of.
I would say cardboard would not be suitable
Couldn't make out much you said over the engine noise. A body mic would be nice.
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?
Wish we could hear what you're saying
Smart. Takes a lot of pressure of the other parts
BMF !!!
I have 2 sets of scotch blocks one regular and one deeper with teeth to bite into ice
Aluminum
Hopefully when he grows up and realize how lucky he is to have all the things that he does. smashing s*** is not funny.
I don’t understand why? What’s the purpose of scotch blocks?
I can't hear you
You gained that many pounds because you held the button down longer
..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.
Went till truck slid
We just went bigger in tire size we will be increasing the block size
@@OffRoadRecoveryLLCThanks, didn't catch the slide as the camera panned to the meter.
Poor audio
Chock blocks
I don’t get it.
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.
Hey, man, get a decent mic. Can barely hear you.
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
Snatch block was used on both pulls and the scale is after the pulley
Not inline so it measures final pull not line pull
@@OffRoadRecoveryLLC Maybe so but in my video I couldn't see the pully in the first version. Maybe it was tie to a tree on the left side. Cheers
@@johngirouard5242he runs the rigging through the pulley at 0:53
Hmmm
"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.
You took your underpowered vehicle and made it worse with wide and oversized tires
Get a suburban and stop worrying about crap for your Jeep
it would be awesome for you guys to sell scotch blocks