Safe tow rope options?

['71c204x4454]

Here is a good sight for the right equipment. http://www.recoverygear.com/DEFAULT1.HTM

[Mudder]

I added that link to the world of information sticky. Thanks

[1FaastC10]

Originally Posted by cableguy0

log chain never use a strap again. broke 5 of em in the matter of 20 minutes . would much rather trust a piece of metal than some dinky ass piece of fiber. good chain will last a long time and not break. nothing is exactly safe except a winch in one of those situations.the best bet is to just stay the f@#k outta the way

you're absolutely right, i'd much rather have a heavy metal chain flying at my head at 200mph when it breaks than have one of those pesky nylon straps break and just fall to the ground. idiots.

[500HP/SB]

i go pick up my $500 power wagon tomorrow, has a "hickey" behind bumper, winch.....not sure what i'm doing with the truck but the winch is going on my k10

every one shoud read this post.....just friday night i didnt hesitate to hook 2 tow straps and 2 chains together to get a 2wd ranger out of the mud....wont ever do that again

[454_72_4X4]

Like everyone else says, straps with no hooks are the best.
I've only got one little strap probably 6 foot and 6000lb rating or so but I just use it to pull the "dead" trucks/cars around and into/out of the shop.

I usually use some chains from work they call "lifting chains". They are 3/8 chain and certified of some sort. Grade 70 I think. I'd have to read the tags again to be sure. I've seen these chains lift the rear of a 970 Cat loader with it trying to lift something else. I've also seen the same loader snap 1in cable like peanut butter doing the same thing.
I don't worry much about them breaking but I also don't jerk on them.

Except once when my temper got the best of me trying to pull a tree stump out. Bent my reciever hitch insert, rivited the reciever pin hole so the insert wouldn't come out, bent the chit out of my steering wheel, broke the turn signal lever, and almost put myself through the windshield!
Tree stump 1 : Me 0

A couple other things is to try to hook low so if something does break there's less chance of it getting into the cab and the old throw a heavy coat/blanket over whatever you're pulling with, (strap/cable/chain).

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by 500HP/SB

...every one shoud read this post.....just friday night i didnt hesitate to hook 2 tow straps and 2 chains together to get a 2wd ranger out of the mud....wont ever do that again

Thankyou for your honest testimony. Along with the link posted earlier, I hope you've helped someone.

[Mudder]

I used to do a lot of wheelin and I carried (still do) a 3x30 ft tow strap and clevis's. I have seen 3 trucks hooked together trying to pull one out with a 3 inch and it didnt break. I saw a 2 inch break but never a 3 inch, unless it had a bad place in it. Never hook a strap to where it can be cut by a sharp edge. I also carried a very short chain in case I didnt have anything to hook to, then I would still use the tow strap and clevis.

This thread will be a sticky for a while. If it keeps 1 person from getting hurt it will be worth it.

[useRc10]

another question for you guys...if i were to come across a new car stuck in a ditch or something from snow, where is the best place to hook a strap to on their car? Theres too much plastic and stuff (I have tow hooks so that wouldnt be a problem)

[rodnok1]

Most new cars have a spot were they tie them down for transport, one problem is the angle from your truck. It helps to have a cheapo short strap(if it gets cut no biggie) to loop around an axle or susp member. I won't yank on them, just a slow pull, if they don't come out see ya.

[arkracing]

new cars usually have chinsey "tow hooks" under the bumper that shouldn't be trusted. best place to hook them is around a lower ctrl arm in the front and around the rear axel in the back if you can.

best suggestion would be to get a good size strap - and loop it around the rear axle and put an old sweatshirt against the "SMP" plastic bumper to avoid scratching it.

i used to run a rollback for the bodyshop that i worked for and even with that they are a pain in the neck to load - the bumpers usually hit either the ground or the bed when winching them up.


NOTE: All you guys using a tow "CHAIN" ...i'll make a suggestion that goes along with "putting a old heavy coat on the chain to help it from flying"

get another chain and drape it back and forth over your tow chain towards the middle...this works better with a shorter length of tow chain. - the weight of "safety chain" will - help but not eliminate the possibility of the chain "flying"...it may slow it down or help it to "drop" quicker.

i picked up that tip from working on the frame machine in the Body Shop...

[Mudder]

Ttt

[1972ChevyCheyenne]

We use chains on the farm. I think our big chain we use for pulling and lifting is 1/2 inch grade 70. I think the most dangerous thing you can do is jerk on stuff. That's when things usually break. If it don't move get a bigger tow vehicle. For heavy stuff like tractors in mud another option is to use two tractors to pull it out. Hook two seperate chains/straps to the stuck machine and pull away from each other at a 30 degree angle or so. Creates a bow effect and the stuck vehicle should move. And if your really screwed








you can dig you around and pull. They also can lift the vehicle up and over a bump. And while their are their they can dig a tile in and fix the ones you broke.

Jamie

[BIGT05]

i ususally use a chain >to heavy to fly and hit anything if it snaps< also i trust em cause i know they would support the weight of my vehicle if it was falling off a cliff ! so those old rusty humungoes logging chains are what im going to use till the day i die

[Ochre]

Never mix & match metal and strap, its a very bad idea to do, as pointed out in the jeepaholics link this CAN KILL YOU.

The jeepaholic guy put together two straps with a clevis, which meant rubber band effect with a heavy metal piece in the middle. Straps will do the same things to chains, rubber band and when all that energy comes loose it will probably come flying towards whatevers pulling, meaning the guy who thinks he's smarter for not getting stuck..

[shortymac83]

Originally Posted by Mudder67

Never hook a strap to a trailer ball. Use straps with loops on the ends like Poet says and use good clevis'. For just pulling something around on the street a 2 inch will be fine but never for retrieving stuck vehicles. Wrapping a strap arround a sharp edge will cut it.

you wanna go ghetto? my girlfriend got her car stuck in the ditch that lined our property (turned too early off of our driveway), so I had to pull her out with the tractor. It's got a ball hitch on the front grille, and the crown vic had a ball hitch. took a towstrap, went bumper to bumper, put the strap on, revved it up and got a running start and yanked that bastard all the way out...IN SAND! WITH A 46 FORD 2N!

[longhorn71]

once you use a tow strap you will never go back to using a chain The strap will strecth and give that somtimes needed snap to yank somthing out of the dicth.Speaking of i need to put it back in the pick-up before the snow flies

[Robert1970C20rstbukt]

I agree, chains are the best to use. The best ones you can get are Grade 80, rated for overhead lifiting and should have a safety inspection tag from the factory attached to both ends. I keep a 25ft 7/16" chain with regular hooks on both ends, and a 20ft 1/2" logging chain with a regular hook on one end, and a slip hook on the other in the truck. I also keep some heavy duty Crosby clevises in the truck too. I have one that's 3/4" diameter rated for 6 1/2 tons, and three 5/8" diameter rated for 4 1/2 tons. The screw pin on the 5/8" will fit in a standard trailer hitch ball hole on a step bumper so those are always good to have.

[Longhorn Man]

I broke too many chains in the army lifting and pulling. They wouldn't get us straps, and told us we were supposed to be using cables... but they are a real PITA. Since I was driving an armored track, I didn't care if one broke, and I just made sure to clear the area of any bystanders before tugging (per recovery manual and as trained in recovery school... I was H-8 qualified).
However, in a pick up truck situation, i would NEVER EVER even think of doing a recovery operation with chains... it's only as strong as it's weakest link...that sound familiar to anyone?
I have seen shackles shot over 1/4 mile, have seen chain links driven into trees when we were half assing things tugging on 73 ton tanks.
I'll lift with a chain, I'll tow with a chain... but NEVER EVER yank with one.

[tedbick]

just something i thought i would add the truck or vehicle that is being pulled out if there are people in it you should put the hood up incase the the strap or chain breaks nothing goes through the windshield.as for the pull vehicle your on your own

[Mickey_D]

There are advantages and disadvantages to both (or all three if you count steel rope/cable).

Chains and steel rope are great for pulling a stuck vehicle out. That is if the towing vehicle has the balls and ballast to do it at little more than idle in 1st. Just take up the tension then let the clutch out and let the torque do the rest. This is generally reserved for tractors or earth moving equipment. Or some HUGE ASS oil burner dually 4X4 1 ton pickup. As said above, NEVER EVER "yank" on a chain.

Straps are great for when you have a relatively small towing vehicle or the tower has limited traction. You can use the elasticity of the strap to get a little running start, get to the end of the strap / traction ability then plant the brakes. Especially good when the stuck vehicle is in mud. The constant tension on the strap will let air get down under the stuck vehicle and let it "slurp" out of the mud. Straps are also beneficial when there's a chance the stuck vehicle will act unpredictably (like when extracting a car from a ditch) as straps are MUCH more forgiving to jerks and sudden changes in tension that would put too much stress on a chain or cable. The best type of strap to get is the ones that have a "tattletail" woven into them. It's a short section of non-elastic rope that is an indicator of when you've approached or exceeded the maximum stretch of the strap. When the tattletail goes straight, you're at maximum pull. When the tattletail snaps, you better let off.

As said before, an old Jeep rock climber's trick is to put an old sweatshirt or jacket (heavy is good here) over the center of the strap / chain / cable. If the towing implement snaps, the jacket / sweatshirt will create drag on it (and assist gravity), generally preventing the "rubber band" effect.

[Misled]

Something I didn't see mentioned in any of the posts if double-braid nylon line. I learned about it while in the Coast Guard. I have several that we use to this day for "extracting" vehicles from "situations". Better be prepared if ya want one......it is expensive......

Consider this.....tugboats use double braid to tow ships. That is a LOT of weight to tow. Coast Guard vessels use double-braid to tow sinking and disabled boats and ships in rough seas. Imagine the stretching forces exerted from one end to the other while in rough seas! I'm pretty sure you won't find chains or tow straps doing this job.

Disclaimer: the USCG goes to great lengths to teach Coasties that there are limits to the line's capabilities and that they can kill when they snap. They also teach that the connections points are always the weak links.

The method that Mickey_D mentioned works pretty good. The towing vehicle goes forward and take up the "stretch" and then basically stops. Oftentimes, this is all the extra help the stuck vehicle needs to get moving. We also take steps to make sure that if a line did snap, we are out of the line of fire.

Misled

[Mickey_D]

Oh, you mean the donkey dick towing hauser?


Yes, my ship was a certified ocean going tug, even though it was an oiler......


I managed to get a hold of all the old 1" and 2" small boat mooring lines when we upgraded. The front bumper on my Jeep consisted of a 4" square tube wrapped in 3 layers of the 2", and my rear roll cage uprights were wrapped in 2 layers of the 1". One of the many things I forgot to retrieve when I sold that Jeep....

[Misled]

Originally Posted by Mickey_D

Oh, you mean the donkey dick towing hauser?


Yes, my ship was a certified ocean going tug, even though it was an oiler......


I managed to get a hold of all the old 1" and 2" small boat mooring lines when we upgraded. The front bumper on my Jeep consisted of a 4" square tube wrapped in 3 layers of the 2", and my rear roll cage uprights were wrapped in 2 layers of the 1". One of the many things I forgot to retrieve when I sold that Jeep....

There were a lot of Coasties that had the wrapped in line (whatever you do, don't call it "rope"!!!!) bumper treatment. With your experience, you know what I talking about for towing.......

[old Rusty C10]

I just noticed this thread and didnt read all five pages but i will tell you that in the northeast ive had cops bust my chops using any kind of a tow chain tow rope or strap on public roads. They wanted to issue tickets and everything else i guess its for safety reasons but im sure that it also deals with kickbacks the police get from the "authorized towers " they force you to use.. so be careful and check from a legal standpoint what happens if you use one on a public road

[Mickey_D]

Heh, I don't get too much flak from the cops around here about that kind of thing. I managed to see the Deputy Chief of Police with one wheel off the road stuck (other tire on the road was on glare ice), go get coffee for both of us, have a BS session with him, hook up my tow strap, pull him out, pack it all up, and both of us on our way before the tow truck he had called BEFORE I saw him arrived.....

But yes, I agree. There are some jurisdictions where they get kind of finicky about that kind of thing.