repeated use in the winter greatly reduces its life

 

my winch will be spending its life in the shed this winter unless i plan on going snow wheelin, then its most definitely going back on lol

 

getting stuck is for suckers!
will the recovery straps from a tractor supply be good? i mean if they are used to pull out tractors and stuff they should be good enough for a ranger

 

I have no idea what kind of straps tractor supply sells so it is hard to say. Just make sure it is rated no less the 20,000lbs and has no hooks on the ends. The straps that are sold buy the name of Keeper and are 2"x20' or 2"x30' are nice straps for someone that is not going to be using it alot.

 

ya i dont plan on using it much, just like to be prepared.

 

they sell a 6" one, that would be perfect for you Eric...

 

Another thing im suprise nobody has said , Constanly inspect your tow equipment for fraying or tears (throw it out if its torn ) carry all your strpas in a small bag (found a good at the army navy store ) to help cut out on fraying from rubbing agains sharp stuff . all ways throw something over cable .

Ive got a Question back in the day we had to recover a vehicle that was stuck and it had rained alot more before we could get out there wich caused us to have to recover from more than 200 ' away . And we used winch hooked up to a linesmans cable 100 ' of 5/8s high strength cable is that really safe i mean we didnt really have choice but still .

 

Using a strap that has loops on both ends is the best way, but running one end through the other loop to "cinch down" on something greatly reduced its strength. I don't remember exactly, but I think its like 50% or so.

 

Here is a link to Crosby alloy (and heat treated/tempered) shackles. I've used them for years. They are industry standard for those who lift/rig/hoist/pull. http://www.thecrosbygroup.com/produc...ninterface.htm

 

thanks for the link

 

idk if anyone has one of these but i have seen on tv people take some cloth an make a tube out of it and then put tennis ***** in either end and sow it so then cant move and they work awsome if the cable breaks or w.e it droped right to the ground it there easy to make and cheap

 

or you can go buy a $2 towel at walmart, ive seen that in person and i swear by it

 

When I was a young tadpole, a mere 10yrs old or so, me and dad were waiting in line to use the boat ramp. being the little brat that I am, I had to be in the middle of everything. anyways, this guy, was unloading a boat a tad smaller than ours, ours is a 27ft. anyways, the boat slid off the trailer, but was still attached at the front to the winch, anyways, the winch made a terrible noise and the next thing i know theres a crashing sound.... the cable snapped, at the winch, took out a chunk of fiberglass on the bow, went thru the roof of the cabin, and took out the windshield. now, anyone whos been around boats, knows that a bow/roof of the cabin is VERY strong, and yet this cable peirced thru it like paper. no one was hurt but it was WAY cool... ill never forget that... nor will i even use cable to tow anything...

 

ok using chain is a bad idea but what about a grade 70 chain and a tow strap and a tractor strap hook rate for 20 from tsc? the chain is 20 feet and the strap is 20 feet the loop is only 2 feet...so if i need more then 20 feet is use the tow strap and chain then when things are getting better i just use the tow strap.

yeah yeah winch is gunna be on order but my credit card companies still want there money so not for awhile.

 

Anyone know where I can get some front tow hooks? I'm thinking junkyard, but there are no newer rangers at my local one.

 

All good advice. A friend of mine got a set of matching holes in the rear window and windshield about the size of ball hitch a couple years ago. And a nick on his ear for his troubles. I do believe that was the last time he ever tried to pull anyone out of the snow. I know I still duck down way low whenever I help someone.

 

Not sure if anyone mentioned this since I scrolled through quickly, a buddy of mine at work was telling me how they use thier chains and straps, not sure if I would ever try it.....

They take a spare tire, and run a chain from truck A through the tire and back to truck A. (So like the truck was about to drag the spare tire.

They take another chain, and run it from truck B, through the tire and back to truck B.

Now the trucks are linked with the tire, this he says keeps from jerking. But I told him if that tire ever let go, it would act like a massive sling shot, and the chains would probably slice the trucks wide open if the tire snapped.

Anyone ever try that, keep in mind he is French!

 

watched my friends try it and when the chain snapped he got a nice imprint of the chain on his roof and hood

 

thats sounds like a bad time waiting to happen to me. if ur really stuck i would suggest just hooking truck A and B together, get a come-along,hook it to the front of truck B, get a near by tree nd wrap the chain around it, while truck B is pulling, have sumone pulling the chain for the come-along, it works pretty well.

 

On my mud truck i run the 6''x35' strap from TSC rated at 55,000lbs rating. It's big and it has not broke yet. I'd rather over do it then get people hurt. Watched cables and chains break and watched a guy get a chain wrapped around his legs just by watching. He was lucky he still has them two legs. We also use tow boat rope but it's rare but it does stand up to the monsters we run down here. All of our clevis's are rated tested and don't bend or break. If they do i have a 60lbs clevis that for sure will hold up.

 

I agree that the ones with the built in hooks are junk and dangerous. I was using one on my old truck to try and pull some bushes out and the thing slipped off and nailed the back window like a rocket. I'm just glad the truck was a beater.

 

When retrieving a vehicle with any strap where in the maximum capability could be reached and/or for safety reasons, one can attach a second, non tensioned length of strap or rope which in turn would keep the hook or clevis end secure to the vehicle rather than allowing it to fly if it were to snap. Sort of a like a fail save for the attaching hardware. Along with that, an old blanket will also do wonders in keeping the strap down and under control if it breaks.

 

Hmmm,I just bought a 20 000lbs 2"x20' tow rope with a clevis on each end,just like the very first yellow one posted in the thread.

This thread has definetly made me consider returning it and getting one with looped ends instead. As I live in a rural area and getting stuck in the snow is a fact of driving out here, I've chosen to be prepared this winter to be able to get myself pulled out and to pull others out. I've invested in a couple hundred dollars worth of emergency and towing equipment this winter. Being the safety freak I am, I really should have known better about the tow rope.

I'm glad this was posted. You absolutely cannot put a price on safety.

 

Sorry to make a zombie thread, but I got some Smittybilt clevises from 4WP ( I was in there for my dad's Jeep, dont flame me)

They're rated for 4 3/4 tons. So I figure them good for 9 thousand pounds. 3/4'' clevis, think theyre good enough to be used to couple together two straps if need be?

 

ya those are pretty good..

its ok its a sticky thread this isnt a thread anyone minds being bumped people need to re-read it every once and a while