tow rope, recovery strap or chain?

[N80]

I would guess that if they are breaking chains and solve that problem with bigger, better chains, then they'll just end up breaking trucks.

 

[orezok]

Here's a picture from one of my current projects. That's a 49 ton D9 that's stuck about 6' deep. It was going to push out the water truck which you will notice is also stuck. They brought in a second one to pull it out and it got stuck, a third and it got stuck. This was an area of saturated silty sand that acted like quick sand. They finally got them out with the help of a large excavator in effect "trenching them out".

The bottom line is that the ONLY thing that graders use to pull equipment out is wire rope.

 

[Egon]

Nice picture.

Lugging 1 1/2 in. slings around ain't no fun!

 

[N80]

They brought in a second one to pull it out and it got stuck, a third and it got stuck.

I saw this EXACT thing happen on a plantation in Charleston, SC where I used to hunt when I was a kid. The first one had only the cab above the mud. The third one had some hood and cab showing. The third one was buried up to the treads. This was in November. They did not get them out until the next summer when it dried out. All three had massive winches on the back. Why they didn't use them I have no idea.

Wire rope is great but often not very practical for basic off-roading. The size cable necessary for vehicle to vehicle extraction needs to be fairly robust and this makes it impractical for carrying around and store. Its just a pain. On a winch, no big deal. However, even though I've never owned a winch, I doubt that the winch companies recommend hooking the winch cable to a tow vehicle and then pulling with the tow vehicle. And wire rope in anything but perfect condition stinks to mess with. I had plenty of experience with it working on a telephone line crew. Broken strands are rough on your hands!

 

[cisco]

Snatch cords can be tricky, though do work, and Warn winches come with disclaimers re. injury if such are used. I've found the Warn winch rigging kit (contained in a fairly compact bag - no larger than a briefcase) useful, and got it for about $85 online. It contains a 7000 lb rated snatch block (a type of pulley), 14,000 lb rated strap, and 2 D-clamps with clevis pins. All you need is a winch, iwith another pulley only if you intend to double capacity. Now, if you don't have anything to attach the winch cord to except another vehicle, then you've got problems if you pull vehicle moves and the stuck one doesn't.......then it's time for burying a tire behind the pull vehicle and all sorts of other time consuming shenanigans.

 

[masscity]

Please don't attach a chain or strap to a trailer ball hitch. Use a clevis or hook.

A young man was killed here recently when the ball broke and came through the window.

It wasn't a freak accident, I've read where many others have been killed this same way.

 

[N80]

I have always heard that too and I have never used a trailer ball for extractions. But when I think about it, it doesn't really make sense. I would think that ball would be rated as high or higher than anything else you'd bolt or weld to a truck. Could be wrong.

I did see a video where an actually tow hook came loose and struck someone in the head causing serious damage. It involved a tow truck.

 

[Soundguy]

I like to lay a piece of old carped over a tight chain.. I have also slid chain thru old fire hose too.

soundguy

 

[Highbeam]

I've got a 30,000 lb rated tow strap under the truck seat at all times. It was manufactured with loops on both ends. It is lightweight, highly visible, and long. I save it for emergencies since mud, sunlight, and abrasion compromise a strap's integrity.

When I need to winch a dead tractor onto my flatbed trailer I use a come-a-long and the transport chains since no snatching is involved. The transport chains are 3/8" grade 43 and are extremely sufficient for a 2-ton come-a-long.