Log chain - HF vs. TSC

[SPYDERLK]

Reading that account will cause me to be more carefull with chains. Maybe I was just lucky when I broke one pulling out that truck. I always say: "I would rather be lucky than good", and I have been more times than I can remember. I still feel safer with chains than straps or cables. It appears that the chain in that account was not properly loaded and the failure resulted in part from contact of the failed link with a push bar. I wonder how many more fatalities there has been since 1998, when that one occurred, compared to from failed straps and cables.

Yours broke in the middle at low force relative to the normal breaking strength of the chain. Both factors significantly reduce stored energy. The chain in the fatal account broke very near its 48000# ultimate strength and near the end - both worst case factors.
larry

 

[SPYDERLK]

A re-enactment of the hitch showed that the failed link was most likely in contact with the outermost bottom corner of the steel push bar at the rear of the trailer. The loading on the failed link would have been in direct tension from the pull of the chain and bending from the reaction caused by the corner of the push bar. These two combined effects caused the link to bend inward on the side in contact with the corner of the push bar. These forces resulted in the failure of the link along its side.
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It seems to me that same type of bending force could be exerted on a chain link to some extent by doubling back through a clevis albeit possibly a lesser force. It sure gives something to consider.

That is why short link chain would be preferred. It is more resistant to hook or edge induced damage. Do not worry about doubling back thru clevis tho. Each part of the doubled chain only sees half the load.
larry

 

[Deere Dude]

I got my memorable experience when I was 11 or 12 years old. My dad and I were pulling the bodies off the frames of old cars to sell to the junkyard. Separating them would bring better money from the junkyard. Of course these were American made 1940's and 1950's cars that had big frames that dad would buy so me and my sister could drive them around in the 20 acre field/racetrack I made. After I would trash the car from banging into stuff or burn out the transmission or engine we would rip them apart. :thumbsup:

We would put the car on the side up against a couple trees and chain it to the trees. Then we would hook up an Allis Chalmers tractor to the frame and pull the frame off. The size of the tractor I'm not sure about because I was young, but I know it dwarfed a Ford 8-N tractor of at least double or triple the the size in mass and it was heavy.
My dad gave me the job of driving the tractor because he knew where to hook up the chains and so on. I would back up to the car and get an apporximately15' run at it in a high gear and kept pulling until the tractor stopped. When the chain tightened I had to be going 7-8 miles an hour. By doing that the frame would pop off after a few jerks. It worked great. :thumbsup:
But this one time either the chain unhooked from the car or it broke, I don't remember, but I could see the chain whip past my head about a foot away. So I backed up and re-hooked it and kept ripping it to it.
Nothing happened after that but every-time I read these posts I become a little more wary of things and safety practices. I think my dad was about 30 or 31 and maybe should have known better but he didn't have the wisdom you folks do now or the knowledge we gain in this computer age. I think that was life number 2 for me.
A question right now. How does someone hook something on an angle to deflect a flying chain? I have broken a few since then but the chains and cables seem to not go on an exact straight line. Just had to share that story from back in the day.

 

[retiredmgn]

jezus christ. I just wouldn't submit a machine to the forces involved with 'getting a head start' and jerking the whole works. Talk about a recipe for abuse. If you can't move the object with slowly applied pressure you need a bigger hammer, not 'more juice'.

"Come on, nail that bastard. Faster this time".

When out in the woods I carry 30' of 1/4" and 30' of 5/16" along with 4 5/16" chokers. Big weight difference in the chains. I will grab the 1/4" chain first. Either the tree moves or, if it has met with the unmovable object, I need to reset and try again. Twitched out some pretty big trees and never exceeded the capacity of the 1/4' chain. My 36 hp tractor is the limiting force.
Easy does it.

 

[Snapper Head]

When I pull shrubs and stumps with my tractor I literally back up over them, then hook up the chain as short as possible. Sometimes its only 1' from the draw bar. That way if the chain breaks it is not long enough to hit me.

That's how I recently pulled a couple of dozen 6" diameter stumps. I admit that I did snatch on a couple, which is shock loading both the chain and the drawbar/tractor. I was risking tractor damage, but there was not enough chain length to reach the operators station. I did end up warping a couple of links (3/8" packaged "log chain" from Lowes). Didn't hurt the tractor, but I won't be snatching stumps in the future; I'll dig 'em out enough to pull steady to remove them.



Big Al