Chain Grade

[ruffdog]

For towing and retrieval from mud holes and snow banks I quit using chains, there have been several farmers here killed when they break.
I have a nylon retrieval strap that is much safer, designed to allow you to start with slack, get rolling and when the slack is taken up it stretches a bit and tugs them out of the mess.
Kind of off topic (sorry) but it might save a life.

....until the strap/clevis/hitch breaks and creates a missile on a big rubber band.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

....until the strap/clevis/hitch breaks and creates a missile on a big rubber band.

EXACTLY! You are building up a LOT of energy in that strap, when it stretches!

SR

 

[CobyRupert]

....but if I can get my 3 ton truck up to about 60mph before the slack runs out....that’s a lot of pulling power!
True, you can maximize the power the pulling vehicle can otherwise deliver....until you reach the maximum load the rope, cable or strap can take, then all the stored energy of those stretching types comes right back at you. Usually in line with your head.
Chains store little energy (relatively), that’s why you can’t use them to smooth out running starts.
As a general rule, I would never do running starts with anything unless I was 100% sure the rope or strap had a rating with a LOT of safety factor.

 

[caver]

My old '75 F100 4X4 had a nice set of chain imprints across the rear of the drivers side bed. This was about '81? and a buddy got stuck with his GF out on a road building site. He walked to a farmhouse and called me. I pull him out and then had the genius to go through a mud hole myself. Well in trying to pull me backwards the chain snapped. Moments later the sheriff shows up. At the powerplant we hardly used chains relying mostly on cable slings and before I left switching many slings to nylon slings.

 

[LD48750]

That goes back to the trash grade 40 chain. Using pickups and small tractors there痴 pretty much zero chance of breaking a 3/8 grade 70 chain.

You just haven't tried or you haven't been really stuck.

 

[4570Man]

You just haven't tried or you haven't been really stuck.

They’ll hold a pretty good jerking. The hook point is the more likely breaking point. Have you ever broke one with a pickup or compact tractor?

 

[LD48750]

They’ll hold a pretty good jerking. The hook point is the more likely breaking point. Have you ever broke one with a pickup or compact tractor?

Actually... I've broken more then one & stretched a few doing things my poor 3/4 shouldn't have been doing.

It got elected because it was the heaviest thing I had & it hasn't broken beyond what I can fix yet.

 

[4570Man]

You’ve broken a 3/8 grade 70 chain with equal rated hooks and no repair splices already in it with a 3/4 ton truck? My 17,000 pound full size backhoe won’t break one with traction alone. With a 20 foot running shot you might be getting somewhere. I’ve pulled stuck bobcats with my loaded dump truck jerking on 3/8 chain and never broke one. My buddy has broken some but they have 200 hp 6 wheel tractors.

 

[fried1765]

The cost of the machine versus the cost of chains to hold it on a trailer...? I'd buy Grade 70 chains. Then when my tractor is stuck and I need to have my neighbor pull it out with his 100HP tractor he doesn't walk thru my chains like a knife thru butter.

^^^^^ best advice!
Chain versatility.

 

[ruffdog]

I don't even want to be around if one of my 3/8 grade 100 chains go.