Cheesemaker
Posted: 16 Dec 2008 12:48 pm
Legend
Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 269
dipmaker wrote:
V6DelicaV6 wrote:
I also read somewhere stating that snap straps should only be used for 6 recoveries and should be replaced.
I wonder if it would depend on the type of recovery, most of the recoveries I have been involved in have been gently gently types with no real sudden impacts or excess strain.
I think your right Steve, I've also heard discard after one use, I've also heard after 20 uses, but if they are gentle tugs with the odd big one, providing they don't show excessive wear I would be confident in using them well past these times we have all given. The amount of times I get recovered I would be broke if I had to replace them to often. In this case it is not common sense to use or not to use it is experience.
10-08-2008 #1 (permalink)
terrain patrol
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Roleystone snatch strap failure
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We all hear and read about the dangers of recovery points and shackles failing,but what sought of damage can be caused by a strap alone!Well last weekend at our clubs annual mud gymkhana an 8metre snatch strap let go whilst recovering a well bogged hundred series and went straight through its back window and if it were not for a rear cargo barrier, it probably would of gone out the front window too!
Frightened the crap out of me,and I was 100meters away!Fortunately nobody was injured ,other than a passenger in the 100 series who was showered with glass and needed her eyes flushed with saline.
There were some sobering lessons learned and a few reminders of how dangerous vehicle recovery can be.
1 Even with dampers straps are lethal.
2 Do not over load your recovery gear(The 100 sries was bogged to deep to snatch and some digging and jacking to reduce the suction and a double line pull on the winch was a wiser course of action)
3 No passengers ever!
4 How many recoveries and how old are your straps.
5 Stop and have a cuppa tea and think clearly about what needs to be done,dont be in a rush.
Please feel if you have had similar experiences to add your comments,it would be interesting to here what happened and how common these failures are.
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Location: Perth W.A. Club: 4WD Club of W.A.
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terrain patrol
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Roleystone
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The ARB guys and girls in Perth were the sponsors of our mud gymkhana, and I believe took a great deal of interest in the snatch failure,might see some photos to help plug their product.(Which look pretty good).Looks like we're going to ditch all our clubs current straps and replace them with the highest load rated straps we can get(probably supplied by a generous company i.e.ARB Perth)which we will number and log the age,number of recoveries and difficulty i.e.low medium high.
Seems to be quite a few incidents involving Nissans snatching Landcruisers out of trouble!Might be something in this?Mmmm...
Keep these stories coming,this is absolute "gold".
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Location: Perth W.A. Club: 4WD Club of W.A.
NOMAD No: 96 UHF: Channel 13
Car:Patrol
Peter @ Aawen4x4
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Adelaide Hills, Sth Aust; but right now can be found in Bega, NSW!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by terrain patrol
The ARB guys and girls in Perth were the sponsors of our mud gymkhana, and I believe took a great deal of interest in the snatch failure,might see some photos to help plug their product.(Which look pretty good).Looks like we're going to ditch all our clubs current straps and replace them with the highest load rated straps we can get(probably supplied by a generous company i.e.ARB Perth)which we will number and log the age,number of recoveries and difficulty i.e.low medium high.
Seems to be quite a few incidents involving Nissans snatching Landcruisers out of trouble!Might be something in this?Mmmm...
Keep these stories coming,this is absolute "gold".
DON'T DO THIS - "...replace them with the highest load rated straps..." - DON'T DO THIS!
**ULTRA DANGEROUS!!**
Bigger and heavier rated straps are for BIGGER VEHICLES, NOT for bigger recoveries. If you use the biggest, heaviest rated strap that you can find on a vehicle that is smaller than that strap warrants, then the greatest risk is that you will just rip parts of the bogged or recovery cars right off instead of successfully recovering vehicles! Select a snatch strap for using with your car based upon 2.5 - 3 times the rated GVM of the vehicle; ie 2 tonne Hilux's shouldn't ever use a higher rated stap than a 6 tonne snatch strap; while 3 tonne Patrol's or LandCruiser's shouldn't look past the 9 tonne snatch straps. Straps heavier than those are for HEAVIER VEHICLES like F250, Canter's, etc.
With a heavier strap, you need more weight (mass) in the vehicles involved to help the recovering car put the appropriate amount of potential energy into the strap - lighter cars aren't heavy enough to do that, so the strap acts sorta like a chain will - ALL the shock load & energy goes into the vehicle components, not into the strap as potential energy. That usually ends up with parts of cars being ripped off - big and expensive parts too! It is for exactly the same reason that you don't try to snatch vehicles out with chains!!
BTW, Chains are not safe to use at all in snatch operations, and really not that good for towing, either; they are majorly risky because you simply cannot tell without meticulous inspections exactly what damage has been done to any or all of the links; just a single knick in as few as one link can reduce the overall strength of the chain to well below what is safe for the recovery or tow being attampted and you'll end up with a chain flying around at speeds up to 200 km/h on the end of a 8 or 10 metre strap - NOT GOOD!
Regarding shackles, rated bow or 'D' shackles are the only shackles that you should ever consider using in a snatch recovery, but if you have rated Hooks that allow you to safely rig for the recovery without using a shackle, then use them and you have further reduced the potential for fast flying hazards! Even rated shackles can end up with the strap pulling across the shackle in the wrong direction, putting the massive stresses onto parts of the shackle that were never intended to support those loads, and consequently the shackle can fail, potentially leaving IT flying thru the air at speeds up to 200 km/h on the end of a 8 -10m strap. If you MUST use a shackle, at least attempt to ensure that the loop or bow of the shackle is always aimed directly along the line of recovery, and that the pull will be as close as possible to directly 90 degrees from the axis of the pin. Anything else will be presenting an obscenely high risk of failure!
Using a proper load dampener (of any type) will significantly reduce the potential for the high flying hazards, even a Drizabone draped across the strap will tend to keep the strap DOWN, so that if all onlookers are well clear (at least 1.5 times the length of the straps) then they shouldn't be exposed to too much risk, and the only two people within that range should be inside the vehicles, any loose or broken straps will tend to keep low and UNDER the vehicles! But if you have a chain that you can dedicate to load limiting or drag chain uses, connecting that securely by BOTH ends to the same section on the snatch strap, 1/2rd way along the strap, and laying the loop of the chain in the direction of the intended movement, then that will work better than just about anything else, short of 2 such chains, placed 1/3rd of the way from each vehicle with the loop of chain extended towards the other vehicle. Alternately, using dedicated safety straps connected to other rated recovery hooks on each vehicle is a good option. Regardless, ANY reasonable form of strap dampening is going to be beneficial in the case of things going wrong!
Think SAFETY FIRST, LAST, AND ALWAYS!
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maverick01
Posted: 08 Feb 2009 07:11 pm
Legend
Joined: 26 Nov 2008
Posts: 580
Location: Greenbank
most good quality straps have wear indicators near the loops at each end. I inspect mine every few weeks or months depending how many times i have used them and i never put mine away dirty or wet
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GV88
Posted: 08 Feb 2009 07:41 pm
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Joined: 16 Jan 2008
Posts: 943
Location: Brisbane
I used the worn ones to snatch Landys.
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dipmaker
Posted: 08 Feb 2009 07:45 pm
Site Admin
Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 740
Location: Wamuran
V6DelicaV6 wrote:
I used the worn ones to snatch Landys.
Do you mean "corgi crunchers"?
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maverick01
Posted: 09 Feb 2009 07:24 pm
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Joined: 26 Nov 2008
Posts: 580
Location: Greenbank
thats cruel but what else can you do to gorgi"s
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GV88
Posted: 25 Mar 2009 11:29 pm
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Joined: 16 Jan 2008
Posts: 943
Location: Brisbane
Has anyone used or witnessed anyone recovered by the new snatch straps without shackles? I've read them in the 4wd magazines but don't seem to be able find the article. Basically my question is, are they any good and how safe is it?
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