Strap and Chain Safety

[Suburban Plowboy]

I bought a heavy 30-foot strap for my tractor, for pulling things. I also have a chain. I would never use a rope, because from my boating experience, I know a nylon rope can stretch 40% of its length, snap, and strike like a whip. Really bad things have happened when nylon lines have pulled metal cleats out and hurled them at people.

Question: do I have anything to worry about with straps and chains? The strap has slipped off under tension, and it does not seem like my tractor has the power to stretch it and turn it into a whip.

 

[newbury]

You ALWAYS have something to worry about!
What are you pulling?
When I pull logs horizontal I use a chain. Ropes and straps degrade over rough terrain. When I pull trees down I use ropes (but NOT nylon ropes for heavy pulls). Rescue ropes, 1/2" virtually no stretch.

Lots of people write about getting used rescue rope for free. I'm not that lucky, I buy them from CMS by the 50lb box for $75. Sale - Rope Miscellaneous Sections | CMC PRO
they say "short lengths" but I've gotten 3 boxes, all were mostly lengths over 30' up to about 125'.

 

[WranglerX]

There are two types of straps out there one for general work/towing that WILL STRETCH and one for (off road) recovery that WILL NOT STRETCH.... What kind did you buy..... And you can break any strap!.... Most have a working load and then maximum load that they will fail at.... Generally failure load is like 4X working load.....Read the tag on your strap for its working load and max failure rating....

Dale

 

[ruffdog]

There are two types of straps out there one for general work/towing that WILL STRETCH and one for (off road) recovery that WILL NOT STRETCH.... What kind did you buy..... And you can break any strap!.... Most have a working load and then maximum load that they will fail at.... Generally failure load is like 4X working load.....Read the tag on your strap for its working load and max failure rating....

Dale

Actually, the recovery straps are the ones that stretch.

Tow straps vs recovery straps - Off Road Recovery Guide

 

[oosik]

Long ago I worked at a factory where we used lifting straps. Not nylon - rated at 10,000 pounds. Unfortunately the leather cover on the loop on the end of one strap got nicked. I was advised that it could no longer be used and had to be thrown away. That was around 15 years ago - that strap still works fine for me. Its 12 feet long and just right for pulling Uber heavy items.

 

[WranglerX]

Actually, the recovery straps are the ones that stretch.

Tow straps vs recovery straps - Off Road Recovery Guide

Got it... My mistake.... Got types reversed...

Dale

 

[nyone]

The beauty of straps is that you can do slack pulls. Dont do this with chains. If your useing a strap make sure you use shackles on each end attached properly.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Someone asked what I was pulling. Two things come to mind.

Hurricane Irma blew a tall live oak over on my farm. I would say it was 30" wide at breast height. I cut through it near the base and put the strap on the base to pull it off the stump. That was pretty heavy.

I also had a mysterious chunk of wood sticking up in my yard. I assume it was part of a root. I put a loop of the strap over it and yanked on it with the tractor. The strap slipped off under tension, but it didn't fly at me. It just fell slack. I tried again, and the wood came out. It snapped pretty violently.

I didn't think about using a shackle. I put the strap through its own end loop. This was not very kind to the end loop, which has some fraying now.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Something laid on the strap or chain that your pulling with can be used to help absorb energy and keep them from popping around quite so violently if they break. What ever you use needs to be something that can absorb energy. Large floor mats, another large rope or chain laid loosely, Blanket and a wet one is even better.

 

[WranglerX]

Something laid on the strap or chain that your pulling with can be used to help absorb energy and keep them from popping around quite so violently if they break. What ever you use needs to be something that can absorb energy. Large floor mats, another large rope or chain laid loosely, Blanket and a wet one is even better.

Yeah.... Most 4WD recovery instructions for winch use recommend heavy rug/mat/"apron" (winch line dampener) filled with rocks so if cable or if shackel or strap breaks cable does not fly like a whip and decapitate somebody...

Dale

 

[countrybumpkin]

Something like this can always happen.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I am surprised that a strap could whip back like that.

I have concerns that adding a shackle or other metal object to the end of a strap will just turn that object into a hard missile when something goes wrong.

 

[ruffdog]

I am surprised that a strap could whip back like that.

I have concerns that adding a shackle or other metal object to the end of a strap will just turn that object into a hard missile when something goes wrong.

The recovery straps are stretchy, like a rubber band, and if the connection on one end breaks, it snaps with great speed. Then you add the weight of a clevis and maybe a receiver hitch insert on the snapping end..........very deadly. I remember seeing a video of a clevis going completing through a SUV's rear window, just missing the passenger's head, and exiting the windshield.

Do NOT use a recovery strap to pull out a rusted-in hitch insert!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RjCorazza]

I think there is more to the story in that second photo. It appears that the strap went through the windshield and headrest.
Anyway, we used to drape turnout coats over winch cable to dampen the cable if it snapped. All things considered I prefer chain over cable or straps.

 

[ruffdog]

Yeah.... Most 4WD recovery instructions for winch use recommend heavy rug/mat/"apron" (winch line dampener) filled with rocks so if cable or if shackel or strap breaks cable does not fly like a whip and decapitate somebody...

Dale

Watch these people trying to come up with a solution of strap snapping. A 5 or 10 pound mid strap weight did not slow it up. In fact, those weights became deadly projectiles themselves.
Testing - Vehicle Recovery Strap Recoil Diffuser - YouTube

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I just saw a video of a guy recommending chains for pulling things. He said they couldn't store energy and snap. Thing is, there are also videos of chains snapping and flying through the air, and this guy is in one.

It doesn't matter if the chain doesn't store energy. If it's hooked to something that stores energy, it can still be propelled through the air. If you were to connect a chain to a spring on the front of a car and then try to pull the car, and then the chain snapped on your end, the spring would hurl the chain. A lot of things can act like springs when they're under great tension.

 

[bcp]

Chains will store energy and fly if the pull stretches the links. I've done it with an overstressed 1/4 chain, and lost a windshield.

Bruce

 

[countrybumpkin]

I’ve seen first hand a attachment point break when using a 3” recovery strap, they were using a pin clevis like this one , when it came loose it shot the 3/4 pin about 40 ft through the tread on a newer mud tire on the truck pulling on the strap.

 

[WranglerX]

I just saw a video of a guy recommending chains for pulling things. He said they couldn't store energy and snap. Thing is, there are also videos of chains snapping and flying through the air, and this guy is in one.

It doesn't matter if the chain doesn't store energy. If it's hooked to something that stores energy, it can still be propelled through the air. If you were to connect a chain to a spring on the front of a car and then try to pull the car, and then the chain snapped on your end, the spring would hurl the chain. A lot of things can act like springs when they're under great tension.

The claim that chains don't store energy is BS... Have chain marks up tailgate of my Chevy PU that verifies stored energy in chain can whip around and cause severe damage....

Dale

 

[WranglerX]

Watch these people trying to come up with a solution of strap snapping. A 5 or 10 pound mid strap weight did not slow it up. In fact, those weights became deadly projectiles themselves.
Testing - Vehicle Recovery Strap Recoil Diffuser - YouTube

Ummm... Look at speed of green tractor with orange orange (20,000 pound) straps fail....look at speeds of green tractor when yellow (their product) fails... Inertia of pulling tractor figures in a lot in these tests....

But granted if you put enough energy into any strap it can fail.... Using some sort of dampener might help under less abusive "test" conditions...

Dale