My truck just proved itself big time

[alexrex20]

In the winter, along with my normal strap, I have a heavy-equipment tiedown chain that I found out in new Mexico. I'll always stop to pull someone out of the ditch or snow unless they seem to have too much damage to be able to continue to drive. All for free but I have them crawl under to attach the strap to their vehicle. With payment comes responsibility. Stronger case against me if I charged someone and yanked their bumper off their little rice burner. Another reason I let them hook it up.

 

 

that's all the more reason for me to hook up myself. first of all, i don't want them &^%*ing up my expensive strap, and secondly i don't want to put them worse off than when they started, by causing even more damage. we don't have snow, but we have retarded drivers that spin out into ditches when it rains, or 2WDs that try 'Texas exits' by crossing the grass median from the highway to the frontage road. they usually require a bit of a tug, so i don't use hooked straps. i only ever recover with a closed-end recovery strap.

 

a rice burner with a damaged bumper is nothing compared to a rice burner with a metal hook stuck in his chest.

 

and if you're charging anyone, it is illegal because you are not licensed or equipped to do so. at the very least, it should be called a free recovery plus a $__ tip - a good way around that loophole.

[Kittamaru]

*grins* Plus a tip? I like that

[BowTied]

so i don't use hooked straps. i only ever recover with a closed-end recovery strap.

 

What is the trouble with hooked straps (not challenging you, just learning)? Thanks.

[alexrex20]

What is the trouble with hooked straps (not challenging you, just learning)? Thanks.

 

 

nylon straps inherently store a lot of potential energy (in the elasticity of the material), so if anything were to let go, the metal hooks on the end would very quickly become extremely dangerous projectile; whether the anchor point fails, the strap snaps, or the hook was not properly secured.

 

for hard stucks where you'll be yanking or tugging or snatching, i strongly recommend using a strap with closed ends and shackles. for small slips, a hooked strap may be ok, but use it within your judgment, knowing the potential for injury with those metal hooks.

[Kittamaru]

How does a shackle prevent flying metal? I mean... be it a 5 pound metal hook or a 5 pound shackle, at that velocity...

[BowTied]

That makes sense... and I think the point is that the hook is a concentrated mass that has a higher chance of penetrating a winsheild for example.

 

That said, how do you attach loops to a stuck vehcile. I have tow hooks on the front of my truck.. other cars vary so much for extraction points....

[alexrex20]

That makes sense... and I think the point is that the hook is a concentrated mass that has a higher chance of penetrating a winsheild for example.

 

That said, how do you attach loops to a stuck vehcile. I have tow hooks on the front of my truck.. other cars vary so much for extraction points....

 

 

ya, that's the big disadvantage with closed-end straps.

 

 

i use shackles to attach to trucks/suvs' anchor points, but the shackles don't always fit in the tow hooks of most cars, so sometimes you're forced to wrap around an axle or frame. the methods of connecting are endless, especially when you consider you'll be pulling from their front or rear bumper. sometimes i'll even use my hooked tow strap, if i'll be pulling out a lightweight civic from some wet grass. in such a scenario, a dead pull will be all it takes to unstuck them, so you don't really have to worry about busting a strap and sending a hook at someone's head at high speed.

[alexrex20]

How does a shackle prevent flying metal? I mean... be it a 5 pound metal hook or a 5 pound shackle, at that velocity...

 

 

a shackle is rated for a far greater load than a metal hook on some off-the-shelf tow strap, so its breaking limit will thus be much, much higher. regardless, a shackle is securely attached to the stuck vehicle, and the only chance for error is that you rip off the recovery point - unlikely. it is, however, far more likely that the open hook will wiggle itself out of the recovery point, in between the many pulls. as you reverse and pull, then reverse and pull again, the hook may become loose and on the next pull, the hook can slingshot away.

 

it's really not that difficult to comprehend, how a securely fixed shackle is safer (and less likely to fail) than an open hook which relies on gravity and tension to remain in place.

 

if a closed end strap fails, the shackle remains on the car, and you have a big slingshot. if the hooked strap fails, and the hook just happens to still be on the strap, do you want that metal hook to be on the end of the slingshot?

[Kittamaru]

Ah, I thought you meant in the event the tow point (where you connect it) failed I had that happen to someone - they had a recovery point but it failed spectacularly.

 

It was quite epic... happened almost in slow motion - I was backing to pull them out, and their vehicle had just started to move (they were in a muddy ditch beside a work-zone) when it failed. I don't know why, but for some reason I looked directly at it as it did so... came flying up towards me and passed... I'd say probably 3-4 inches above the roof of my truck. It turns out the recovery point had rusted terribly where it connected to the frame and at the point of tension where the truck started to move, it gave way. Scared me to death... and probably could have killed me easily.

 

Wound up yanking him out by the axel *shrug*

[alexrex20]

Ah, I thought you meant in the event the tow point (where you connect it) failed I had that happen to someone - they had a recovery point but it failed spectacularly.

 

It was quite epic... happened almost in slow motion - I was backing to pull them out, and their vehicle had just started to move (they were in a muddy ditch beside a work-zone) when it failed. I don't know why, but for some reason I looked directly at it as it did so... came flying up towards me and passed... I'd say probably 3-4 inches above the roof of my truck. It turns out the recovery point had rusted terribly where it connected to the frame and at the point of tension where the truck started to move, it gave way. Scared me to death... and probably could have killed me easily.

 

Wound up yanking him out by the axel *shrug*

 

 

ya, it's always a bit scary on that first yank.

 

i've pulled out a minivan buried in sand, by the rear axle, but only because pulling from the front was not an option (it was the ocean), there was no rear tow point, and it was 3am in the middle of nowhere. we found him trying to dig himself out with his cutting board and a Rubbermaid bin lid.

 

the only place to strap to was his rear axle, and who knew when someone else would drive by. anyway, they would have to do it the same way as well...

 

we were just amazed that he made it that far down the beach. there's a great fishing spot at the 65mi marker, but from the 5mi marker onward it's very clearly marked as "4WD REQUIRED FROM THIS POINT." i was aired down to 15psi and i still had a difficult time!

[shift220]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet but they make weighted blankets that you can lay over the line whether it be a chain, wire, rope or strap and if it ever did snap, the blanket will fall to the ground taking the line with it. I know people have used heavy coats and thick blankets to do the same thing. I haven't personally done it but has anyone else? Seems like a good idea.

Edited December 9, 2008 by shift220

[msavides]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet but they make weighted blankets that you can lay over the line whether it be a chain, wire, rope or strap and if it ever did snap, the blanket will fall to the ground taking the line with it. I know people have used heavy coats and thick blankets to do the same thing. I haven't personally done it but has anyone else? Seems like a good idea.

 

 

 

I picked up one of these. no closed loops to connect dangerous heavy metal loops to.

 

 

http://superstrap.com/

 

Mark

[shift220]

I picked up one of these. no closed loops to connect dangerous heavy metal loops to.

http://superstrap.com/

 

Mark

Thats pretty cool and looks like it would work good! I watched the promo video and it looks pretty stretchy too.

 

...hooking it up around a trailer hitch ball is a no-no though

[Precise1]

Linkie no workie for me.

 

B

[msavides]

Thats pretty cool and looks like it would work good! I watched the promo video and it looks pretty stretchy too.

 

...hooking it up around a trailer hitch ball is a no-no though

 

 

 

Still have not used mine as of yet. I normally just use my winch. I know there will come a time that I get stuck and have nothing to hook the winch to and I will need it.

 

 

Mark