Tow rope or chain.

[oosik]

I have a 20 foot by 3 inch wide nylon industrial tie down strap. It has open hooks on both ends. Each end has a leather sleeve, at the hook, to prevent cutting. It has just the correct amount of stretch.

My chains are used for securing tree trunks on my farm wagon.

 

[ArlyA]

I quit steel chains years ago for everything. This thread is about utv/atv towing and poly straps is what we carry with us 24/7.

 

[ruffdog]

Post #1 by OP.

"Had to pull the Kubota BX out of the mud I got into while mowing. The Mule did a good job, but my cheap rope was cut by the frame of the tractor."

 

[LouNY]

I quit steel chains years ago for everything. This thread is about utv/atv towing and poly straps is what we carry with us 24/7.

I don't see how you can say that, it may be in an atv section but the thread title is chain or tow rope.

My 5/16 and 3/8 chains can be used for anything and everything, from my lawn mower to my tractors and sxs. As can my 1" Yankum Kinetic rope thats good for up to 11,000 pounds.

As far as I'm concerned the "poly" straps are not a good recovery strap unless they are true RECOVERY straps which are elastic and stretch before becoming taut.

Tow straps are not elastic and just load up till they break.

Two completely different critters.

​

 

[newbury]

Chain with something to throw over it (blanket, coat) in case it breaks. Had a tow truck driver winching a now one wheeled tow dolly onto his trailer. it stuck on something, he horsed it, the chain broke and became a missile. Lucky no body was in the way.

 

[ruffdog]

Depends honestly...I have a 1/4 inch grade 80 chain for the little stuff. Much easier to carry and deal with over the 5/16 inch grade 70. Also have a kinetic rope for vehicles. You can use a tow strap, and I do have one, but you need good connection points where there is no rubbing to cause fraying or ripping.

I also have some 1/4 hoist chain with hooks on each end. Handy things for many jobs.

 

[garry1p]

I read an article about a guy that pulled cars with a chain and ran the chain through a 1" diameter galvanized pipe so the towed vehicle could not run into his truck in case the brakes wouldn't hold the towed vehicle back.
I agree a snatch (recovery) strap is not a tow strap and would be a poor choice as a tow strap.
Having said that a tow rope with hooks would be my choice for towing.

 

[CalG]

A few CARABINERS go a long way to preserving rope or strap.

They come in all capacities, are not costly, and can be doubled up if in doubt.

Cut straps and nicked ropes are worthless!

 

[Bronco82]

I keep one of these in the back of my rzr for just that reason. Has served me well for my usage, ATV's and UTV's.

 

[CalG]

I read some "misconceptions" on these pages.

First is an expression that a chain will "snap" and whip if it fails. That's not true, a chain drops like a rock when a link or pin fails. It's the STRAPs that retain the energy. The straps and poly rope (recovery stretch ropes are the bad ones), when the attachments fail, launch what ever is attached at high velocity. Often directly at the vehicles involved.

Now, chains are NOT for Jerking!

Stuff breaks when you do that.

Straps "soften the jerk", but at a risk of how things are rigged. I once pulled the entire bumper off my daughter's Isuzu Trooper getting her out of a snowy ditch. That gal!

You DO NOT need a snatch rope to pull a BX out of mushy ground with a side by side!
But you do need to make your attachments BULLET PROOF!

A broken rope is nothing

A failed three pound "Hook" , may be lethal!

 

[4570Man]

I read some "misconceptions" on these pages.

First is an expression that a chain will "snap" and whip if it fails. That's not true, a chain drops like a rock when a link or pin fails. It's the STRAPs that retain the energy. The straps and poly rope (recovery stretch ropes are the bad ones), when the attachments fail, launch what ever is attached at high velocity. Often directly at the vehicles involved.

Now, chains are NOT for Jerking!

Stuff breaks when you do that.

Straps "soften the jerk", but at a risk of how things are rigged. I once pulled the entire bumper off my daughter's Isuzu Trooper getting her out of a snowy ditch. That gal!

You DO NOT need a snatch rope to pull a BX out of mushy ground with a side by side!
But you do need to make your attachments BULLET PROOF!

A broken rope is nothing

A failed three pound "Hook" , may be lethal!

A chain definitely will spring back when it breaks but not as bad as a strap. If whatever the chain is hooked to is stretched a little bit and springs back when the chain breaks it can whip a lot worse. I still prefer chains for pulling over straps. Straps can have a tremendous load rating but that only applies when the strap is brand new and undamaged. If the strap is knotted, sun faded, improperly hooked, or partially cut the strength is drastically reduced. A chain holds up a lot better to less than optimal conditions.

 

[bcp]

If a substantially weaker part of a chain fails, it falls. If there is no "weak link 'fuse'," the chain stretches until failure, then recoils at high speed.

Many decades ago I was trying to drag an uprooted stump to the side of a clearing, using two old 1/4 inch chains, one around the stump, the other from the stump to my front tow hook. It snagged, the chain broke, and recoiled into a pile on my hood and cracked the windshield. Upon examination all the links were stretched. Should have driven back to the house for my good chain.

You can watch chains recoil here:

Bruce

 

[dj1701]

Every tractor should have a good tow hook front and rear. The op should get a front receiver that bolts to the frame. Use it to move trailers and as a tie down point on the trailer. Here is one from Heavy Hitch:

Front Receiver Hitch for Kubota Sub-Compact Tractors - Heavy Hitch - Compact Tractor Attachments

That looks nice, but won't fit on mine because I have a Kubota BX 80 series quick hitch.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I read some "misconceptions" on these pages.

First is an expression that a chain will "snap" and whip if it fails. That's not true, a chain drops like a rock when a link or pin fails.

That misconception didn't apply to me.

Many decades ago I was trying to drag an uprooted stump to the side of a clearing, using two old 1/4 inch chains, one around the stump, the other from the stump to my front tow hook. It snagged, the chain broke, and recoiled into a pile on my hood and cracked the windshield.

That's basically what happened in my case, except the (5/16 ?) chain reached up to the roof, too.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I have plenty of 1/2" chain, which could've been attached pintle hook to pintle hook, but used a strap instead since it's just kinder to the vehicles involved. And maybe because I learned a lesson from the incident described above.

With one 16,000 lb. Unimog somewhat firmly planted, another one was used to free it. Couldn't really extract the stuck one by itself since there was a dozer blade instead of the normal bucket on the front. That's a 40" tire that's barely above the surface, by the way.

It's situations like this that prompted me to install an 18,000 lb. winch on the stuck one. With a wireless remote it's relatively easy to get things unstuck, even while operating whatever is stuck. Usually the skid steer.

And if that doesn't work, the more recently acquired M936 should be able to get most anything unstuck. Thankfully haven't needed that one yet.

 

[kozal01]

I read some "misconceptions" on these pages.

First is an expression that a chain will "snap" and whip if it fails. That's not true, a chain drops like a rock when a link or pin fails. It's the STRAPs that retain the energy. The straps and poly rope (recovery stretch ropes are the bad ones), when the attachments fail, launch what ever is attached at high velocity. Often directly at the vehicles involved.

This is just not accurate at all. I have witnessed many broken chains whipping and causing damage/ injuries.

 

[m7040]

When it is a difficult stuck vehicle I will use this tow strap. It absorbs the energy and stretches and snaps back and multiples the towing force and jerks the stuck vehicle back a little. Sometimes have to do it a few times but it allows a smaller vehicle to perform beyond its weight class

 

[Joel/ak]

Soft shackles are all I use, I do have steel ones also but hardly use them.

I do have a HD jerkstrap but also mainly use a kinetic rope. Seems to be easier on the vehicles vs the sudden jerk.

I also have a hitch that is basically a shackle you put in the receiver. Good anchor point and if it rips your receiver off, your very stuck

Even self recovery is easy if you have a good anchor point

 

[2manyrocks]

Whichever system (rope, strap, chain) you end up choosing, yanking creates much higher forces than a steady pull.

 

[LouNY]

With the kinetic ropes a good yank is what makes them work so well. And neither rig gets a sudden hard jerk.