tow strap or recover strap just in case

I carry a strap from Harbor Freight under my seat. Quiet and no rust.

yeah you want a chain or wire rope and some sort of locking carabiner to attach the tow strap to yours and other vehicles to prevent the strap from getting cut

Buzzcut1 wrote:
yeah you want a chain or wire rope and some sort of locking carabiner to attach the tow strap to yours and other vehicles to prevent the strap from getting cut

I disagree ! You definitely want a strap ! Get one with no hooks (I actually cut the hooks off of my Harbor Freight strap). Buy 2 of them and buy a couple of screw pin anchor shackles ! If you think a hook might be handy, you can always attach a spare hook to the loop with a shackle.

The proper way to use a strap is, pass it over some sturdy part of the chassis and then apss the free end through the loop. Same thing on the vehicle doing the pulling. You can use your hitch. Now join the 2 free ends with your shackle.

HF even sells a 9000 lb capacity 3" strap.

Understand the difference between tow straps and recovery straps.

Recovery straps are intended to pull you free when you are stuck. They will be made from material that has a fair amount of stretch - anywhere from 20 to 33 percent. They should have no hooks on either end. If they break during a recovery, such things can go flying through the air with enough force to cripple or even kill someone if it hits them. For the same reason, never hook up to a tow ball, it can snap off and go flying.

Search on YouTube and you can find some spectacular failures during recoveries.

Tow straps, on the other hand, should not have any stretch, and are only used to pull you down the road when your engine is dead but you are moving freely.

New truck has free roadside assistance, so I am not worry, but I do have HF straps that I use a lot around the house & garden.
You never know when it might become handy.
In emergency - 2" ratchet strap will work as well.
Make sure you are familiar with your truck strong points.
Youtube is full of videos of bumpers and axles pulled out - during recovery.

Harbor Fright tow straps (which also get used for lifting)? Sounds scary. But that’s just the crane operator and Construction manager in me cringing at China bomb rigging.
To OP, yes get a good 10-20klb rated nylon sling and a couple shackles.
If you know anyone in construction, they probably have some laying around that are serviceable but not legal for hoisting anymore for free99.

Chains work in a pinch and don’t bother me for towing, but I don’t like hem for recovery where the stresses can be much greater and less controllable than a tug down the road.

Grit dog is on it. Maybe find a crane company and see what they have that they're about to throw away. Our policy was that the riggers inspected our chokers and would cut them in half before they were trashed. If you can find one that is Kevlar reinforced that would be a plus.

A true recovery strap is what we used to call a "snatch 'em strap". Like mentioned they are designed to be pulled snug and then allowed to contract a bit to help recovery. Priced a bit more than a tow strap.
Somebody throw a rock at that operator and wake him up. LOL

Carry a 30,000 lb recovery strap I bought from Cabelas's just in case. Fits behind the back seat.

Modern pick ups all seem to come from the factory with solid recovery points in the front. The back, no so much. If you have a receiver, THIS is what you want:

D Ring Shackle Mount

I Believe theoldwizard1 is correct. Do not connect anything to a strap for recovery. Just for a short tow to safety it doesn't matter as much. A good strap is stronger than some may think. I use a six inch by 50 foot strap in the motor grader to pull loaded 160000 lbs semis(gravel trains) when stuck. The grader is 53000 lbs and I can give it two to three foot of slack and put the stretch to good use. Doesn't hurt to keep one with you.