When Things Go Wrong

More people are beginning to use synthetic ropes for winching and and kinetic ropes for recovery. I ran across this and figured it was an appropriate reminder to those who use these products. It is easy to be lulled in to a
sense of being safe when using these products or winching in general. It is a good safety refresher to keep in the back of your mind while performing these maneuvers. It is long, even at 2 speed, but is packed with information. Produced by an experienced four wheeler. Highly recommended even if you learn just few a new things.

 

I won't be critical of any manufacturer, but newer vehicles are going to have lighter components than older ones.
It's interesting about the frame distorting while being loaded from the tow points.
IFS vehicles have trouble with tie rods and A-arms also.

 

That would fall under knowing that your attachment points are secure for an extreme pull.

 

I personally when I’ve used a winch regardless of wire cable or synthetic cable I’m a firm believer in using this heavy moving blanket over the cable/rope on the hook end. It has helped the one time the stuck vehicle operator attached the cable to his vehicle as he didn’t like where I recommended. It definitely did its job and it wasn’t my cable that broke but his weld and none grade 8 bolt.

 

....... I feel for this Dude, However , this " TUG " should have NEVER been attempted . It was all wrong from the start . They didn't even recognize what weather created conditions they were in. Sorry, but there is a wrong way for everything. I am grateful he was not killed , but it's one helluva way for Both operators to learn ....... I Hope

 

I recently broke a 3/8 chain between a very small, 3-4" stump and my RAM 2500.. yeah, who'd a thought that would snap a 3/8" logging chain I've been using for years, but it did.. And yeah, just a tad lower and it would have come through the cab.. it glanced off the top of the cab, took out the 3rd brake light and left a nice reminder dent in the cab and still travelled another 300 feet or so.. I knew better.. I'm not a rookie and yet I did it anyway. Especially that I've been OSHA 10/30 and 100 and pick up really big things for a living. Complacency will get you killed..

 

I've broken a few.

Then I switched from standard "proof coil" to Grade 43 "hi test." As a bonus I now can use 5/16" which is a lot less weight to handle than 3/8."

 

I've found a snatch strap works very well for pulling small trees and shrubs. Something you can get a head start on and not worry about it attacking you.

That chain incident reminds me of an episode at work, circa 1976. We were sampling monitoring wells near Colstrip, MT, in January, and there had been maybe 4 or 5" of new snow. In that country, snow almost always "falls" horizontally. I had been to the site numerous times before but on that day, I managed to wander off the buried two track and the next thing I experienced was snow billowing over the hood of the 1975 3/4T 4x4 Suburban, followed by more than a few 4 letter expletives. After digging it out, one could walk under it with both ends perched over a small gully. Soooo, walked the two miles back to the mobile laboratory that we had set up, and after much cajoling, finally got one of the research associates to come out with his FJ40 and try to winch us out. Hooked it all up and I climbed in the driver's seat only to see the FJ getting a running start on the winch line. I just ducked down in the seat and all that cable plus hook came through the left side rear window and piled into the back of the seat. Not a scratch on the sheet metal but came close to needing new shorts. The replay after reattaching the cable and a more conventional pull was successful.

 

...... Absolutely . ' Hey , Let's be Careful out There '

 

Hill Street Blues reference. Nice.

Never been a big fan of the yanking and running starts at pulling stuff out. Especially with the wrong apparatus. There are straps designed just for this. Using anything else to jerk something out of a hole is asking for trouble. Shock load.

Grade 70 chain is what use at work for all of our lifting. Certified 4 way chain slings for lifting concrete stormwater structures and sewer cones and stuff. Expensive...... but cheaper than a cheap funeral or a trip to the ER.

 

x100

 

Looking back, it was Grade 70 I purchased, not 43. Not too expensive to buy in bulk, then I cut it to suit my needs.