Thread: Snatch strap misuse danger

Will, I've had around 50 years 4Wdriving and have pulled a vehicle or two from bogs, not all 4wd's either, a few semis, plenty of tractors lots of cars, graders, tip trucks and many more I can't recall now. I've also been a licensed rigger in construction, shipbuilding and mining industries for just as long. Straps, ropes, that store kinetic energy are an unknown factor when used to haul anything, it mostly depends on the friction on the bogged vehicle to the surface it is being pulled from. Now with the proliferation of crap tow points, users that have no idea of what they are doing, snatch straps of different stretch capabilities, shackles used incorrectly, too much speed from the towing vehicle and you have a recipe for a potential disaster. I know 99 times out of a hundred people will blunder through a snatch recovery, but the potential is there for injury to occur. The subject of this post is a good example, if a standard non stretch strap had been used the chain which was attatched to the tyre would NOT have catapulted into the cab of the vehicle and caused so much damage, what possessed them to use a snatch strap, I don't know. That person in WA who was killed by a snatch strap with shackle attatched when the tow point failed would still be alive if a non stretch strap/sling had been used instead and all the others as well.
There is no way of measuring how much energy is released in a snatch recovery, there are too many variables. When using a winch if the bogged vehicle can't be moved, you can always use a couple of snatch blocks to increase pulling power with almost no risk of breaking a cable. But then again how many blokes on here have talked about breaking their winch cable, it should never happen, some effort to learn the basics of safe recovery and commonsense doesn't seem to matter to many in the 4WD scene and then to bring snatch straps into the equation, is just asking for trouble. Can anyone that has used his/her snatch strap say 3 or 4 times and has had some mud soaked into it tell me what is the amount of load that will snap the strap, the strap probably has 8000kg breaking strain on it, but what is it now after use and maybe abuse. At least wire rope, slings and rated lifting straps have a SWL or WLL that takes into account wear and tear, so how safe is your snatch strap and what speed should you pull another vehicle out of a bog and how badly bogged, that video showing the whole bullbar being torn off that nissan shows how much the average punter knows, apology accepted, regards Frank.

Originally Posted by Davehoos

I have been involved with recovery of tractors and farm machinery in the clay on the wet east coast.
I have plenty of experience as a child/teen recovering logs for posts or milling with tractor/dozers from wooded uneven areas..log winch/loader or straight cable/chains.

the only safe place is at home away from chains and cables under tension.

from the original storey that i just been able to read the issue was not with the strap but the attachment.then on top of that the guards bettween operator.the photo of the similar crew cab shows the drivers window down-not that that would stop a chain--or rock and no gaurds at the rear on the tray.the head board wouldnt stop anything and the glass isnt laminated.

from my understanding the chain broke as the weak link attached to the strap and shot it through the cab like a slingshot.
that should have had its movement restricted with some pipe like poly.around here you feed the strap through flexable pipe to stop it catching on items.thing brake but using fencing wire on the wrong end as a "safety shear pin".

I have to get lifting slings checked and aproved with new my new job and i bin loads of gear used on sites.we use tow chains to drag mowers out bogs-most of the time i use the palfinger extention as the truck driving off will pull a driverless mower apart.

at home i regularly use 2 ton ratchet straps then stand on the strap to bounce items in to possition or out of wet grass bogs.

second vidio---idiots.
wont say how many goosenecks/drawbars ive binned but a bit of shovel work could have helped.

Dave if the strap had not been elastic the chain attached to the wheel would not have been catapulted through the back window. When the tyre snagged if a normal strap (not elastic) had been used the chain or strap would have broken and fallen to the ground, it would not have acted like the snatch strap did, Regards Frank.

G'day Frank, you raise many good points there, especially about the fact that they should not have been using a snatch strap, IMO they should only be used for the single purpose of snatching, end of storey, they are dangerous things when handled incorrectly and i have seen them fly off towballs when on the beach while watching other people try and use them incorrectly, definitely not a versatile tool, but something i do carry (will when i get it in a month for my 18th). When we use them we only stretch them as far as they need to go to get them out, just makes recovery easier we've found, pop has been farming for some 50 odd years and they used drag chains on the old Fordson previously, but nothing (even the 4wd tractor) can't pull the bigger gear out with a drag chain in these really wet seasons like we had in 2010. But i think i've crapped on enough about that haha, i guess its up to each person to decide whether they want to use a snatch strap or not, personally i just see that the benefit outweighs the risk when they are used properly. Regarding getting mud entrenched, by the end of the harvest ours had mud and stubble sticking out of it everywhere, it had been cut at the end when towing a truck (got snagged on a pring shackle) and for the rest of the season stayed with a reef knot tied in it, haha i don't think that will come out any time soon, but we alwasy had the short end at the tractor so if it gave way it just flung back and hit the header instead of taking the cab off the tractor LOL along with me. Just want to say sorry again Frank, it was out of line for me to call you that and i can see you have experience.

Cheers
Will

Will, one day your idea of what risky means is going to change a lot. This will occur when something happens and the first thing that flashes into your mind is your wife and kid! Trust me, I teach driving for a living and that's what happens in every dicey situation with a student.

As for the topic at hand, Frank is dead right that in his industry you do it right or not at all, which would cover knotted snatch straps. Sometimes there's just no such thing as "the benefit outweighs the risk". I saw an example of this a while ago when a huge crane here in town broke something and dropped a load. We could see the chains still attached to the crane swinging wildly for a long time. Thankfully, we were a block away and heading for it when it happened, not next to it.

As for that station mob who the accident, that was obviously waiting to happen. Station people everywhere are a little funny like that, thinking the rules don't apply to them. If you're working in a remote area, bring a goddamned first aid kit, for instance. And do a proper risk assessment instead of just bunging things together cause she'll be right. People all around here think that being in the bush means the rules don't matter, but actually they matter more.

A few years ago somebody on a station around here was badly burned when using petrol for burning off. Petrol vapour is extremely dangerous and they probably weren't told about how to deal with it.

As for the straps themselves, the first thing you want is this:



Using one would save a lot of trouble.

Secondly, using a strap correctly is a case of either it's done right, or it isn't. I carry a strap and will not use it unless all connections are correct, the other driver behaves, and some shovelling has been done if needed. No cutting corners, hoping for the best, or otherwise.

Thirdly, this is worth a look: Guidelines For Safe Use Of Vehicle Recovery Straps (Snatch Straps)

Originally Posted by MR LR jnr.

Each to there own, idiot was a bit harsh, sorry if i've offended you Frank and it was uncalled for, i don't know what experience you have so i should not have commented on it, i am sorry. But my basic point still stands, that snatch straps are not a pointless tool. I may be 17 but i've got more experience at recovery than most people would get in a lifetime IMO, so don't rubbish me on that, everything i've learnt is from older people who are in the industry and do this stuff everyday and i have had a lot of cencentrated experience. To answer your question, IMO indistries don't use them because they have the gear, sometimes you can't get a winch or enough grunt (grip aswell) on a drag chain to pull on something, an energy multiplier (which is what a kinetic strap is) is like a pulley system attached to an anchor you could say. In this case it is transferring momentum to apply a greater force for the given circumstances (HP, grip), in my opinion they are a good and valuable tool if used properly. Sure if they snap the **** can hit the fan, quite literally, but for them to snap they have to be used incorectly or not maintained, a winch cable can snap too, are you suggesting that they should not be sued in industry either, winch cables go off a lot harder than a snatch strap, i've watched both.

Cheers
Will

sorry mate about half of that is wrong....

the short list..

1. you can ALWAYS get enough anchor to get a winch to work, you just have to work at it, they're called ground anchors and load sharing devices.

2. Snatch straps do not multiply energy. (you're not getting something for nothing)

3. snatch straps do more damage in the event of a failure than a winch cable does because of the "stored" energy thing.

4. Industry doesnt use them because they are inherently more dangerous and unpredictable compared to a correctly apply winching setup.



you can join straps together. Ideally youd use 2 straps of the same kind but in a pinch if all you have is one snatch strap and an extension strap it will work if the underlying problem is lack of traction at the range the strap is giving you.

first off lay the 2 straps side by side, on the left side pull the eye of strap A through the eye of strap B, on the right side pull the eye of strap B through the eye of strap A. pull the loops down untill the left eye of B is just about level with the right eye for strap A then roll up a rag, newspaper or something similar and insert it in the area where the eyes are sliding over each other. Snig the straps tight by hand and the rolled up item should be held there. give it a couple of turns of brightly colored electrical tape so it wont fall out and you can now use it as though it was just the one strap.

The rag is there to aid in the seperating of the straps and not as some people will claim to deaden the strap in the even of a failure.

You could never apply industry standards and the OHS rules that goes along with them to 4x4ing.

Each and every one of us would get dragged off to a 6 monthly refresher training, All our winch cables & shackles would have to be tested & approved & 12 monthly reinspected. Test & Tag on all our workshop equipment. Workcover inspectors signing off on our sheds.

Come on guys, what a bunch of hypocrites.

Even the excellent suggestion of using a spade. Who actually knows how to use a spade properly. I had been digging holes & trenches for 25 years in Telecom & suddenly have to go to a OHS manual handling brief on believe it or not correct use of a hand shovel. What a joke, Of the 15 guys on the course there was only ONE that used the correct method & he was an office worker along for a ride-on , what a load of bollocks.

Get real guys the WorkCover people would close our hobby down & you know it, 4WD ing will be left to the girlie men crossover 4x4's out to a sunday picnic lunch.

Young Will may be 17 but sounds like he has a lot more Real World know how than a city cowboy takes 10 years to accumulate. At least his not prowling King street at night & sniffing paint fumes or worse. ( If I find out he's got RM Williams and Bundy stickers on his Disco I will take that back & call him a ******)

heres a pdf on how to join two Snatch Straps
http://www.legionlandrover.com/manua...y%20straps.pdf

swap ya, you wait till you have to do it to aircraft standards as well..

Originally Posted by goingbush

You could never apply industry standards and the OHS rules that goes along with them to 4x4ing.

Each and every one of us would get dragged off to a 6 monthly refresher training, All our winch cables & shackles would have to be tested & approved & 12 monthly reinspected. Test & Tag on all our workshop equipment. Workcover inspectors signing off on our sheds.

Come on guys, what a bunch of hypocrites.

Even the excellent suggestion of using a spade. Who actually knows how to use a spade properly. I had been digging holes & trenches for 25 years in Telecom & suddenly have to go to a OHS manual handling brief on believe it or not correct use of a hand shovel. What a joke, Of the 15 guys on the course there was only ONE that used the correct method & he was an office worker along for a ride-on , what a load of bollocks.

Get real guys the WorkCover people would close our hobby down & you know it, 4WD ing will be left to the girlie men crossover 4x4's out to a sunday picnic lunch.

Young Will may be 17 but sounds like he has a lot more Real World know how than a city cowboy takes 10 years to accumulate. At least his not prowling King street at night & sniffing paint fumes or worse. ( If I find out he's got RM Williams and Bundy stickers on his Disco I will take that back & call him a ******)

heres a pdf on how to join two Snatch Straps
http://www.legionlandrover.com/manua...y%20straps.pdf

Maybe you should forward your enlightened post onto the families of those killed in snatch recovery incidents.
I was wondering if you were in those U-Tube videos where the enlightened ones were trying to debog the 90 or the one where the bullbar was snatched off the Nissan, your attitude to safety and commonsense indicates you are in the same mindset.
Who the **** said OH&S rules should be applied to off roading, I'm saying snatch straps in the hands of people like you are an accident waiting to happen, your attitude of "she'll be right" doesn't cut it when peoples lives are at stake. So get your head out of your arse and try and get a bit of knowledge of safe recovery techniques and equipment, you seem to have the shovel bit down pat, Regards Frank.