Thread: Another snatch strap death

Even with a rated recovery point most of the bow shackles that we carry are only rated at 4.7t and the hitch receivers rated at 5t.
A snatch recovery has to be the most dangerous recovery procedure and that's why my snatch straps are still Brand New/unused and yet my winch, extension strap, drag chain, shovel and treads have seen plenty of use.
Yes a snatch is usually the easiest and fastest way to de bog a vehicle But there are many other safer albeit slower alternatives to do the same job.
Next time you get bogged or are getting someone else out of a bog have a Good think about what you are doing, Maybe you can avoid using a snatch strap altogether.

Originally Posted by trout1105

Even with a rated recovery point most of the bow shackles that we carry are only rated at 4.7t and the hitch receivers rated at 5t.
A snatch recovery has to be the most dangerous recovery procedure and that's why my snatch straps are still Brand New/unused and yet my winch, extension strap, drag chain, shovel and treads have seen plenty of use.
Yes a snatch is usually the easiest and fastest way to de bog a vehicle But there are many other safer albeit slower alternatives to do the same job.
Next time you get bogged or are getting someone else out of a bog have a Good think about what you are doing, Maybe you can avoid using a snatch strap altogether.

Well pointed out!!
Now that is a little bit of an insurance loop hole and a possible legal nightmare and a great danger I think.

I wonder what the people in charge of cranes and lifting etc would think of this practice

Although the bow shackles we use are rated at 4.7t, there is a large F.O.S, whereas snatch straps break at their rating. So the shackles are actually much much stronger than the strap. The strap will fail first.

Yes there is a FOS. But you do not want to rely on the FOS. Most people have an 8T strap, can anyone guarantee when the FOS will cede.

I agree that the bow shackles that are rated at 4.7t will most likely endure much more than that But there is No absolute guarantee that they Won't fail after the 4.7t has been exceeded.
Many 8t snatch straps will endure more than the rated breaking strain as well But they still break on occasion.
I have No idea of exactly how much pressure is put on the gear during a snatch recovery But I do know that it is far greater than a steady pull from a winch.
What I am saying is that during a snatch recovery you are usually at the upper limits or exceeding the SWL of your gear and you are just hoping that it won't go pear shaped.

I can't recall the exact numbers but a 4.7t rated shackle will start to deform at around mid-teens and fail completely around mid- twenties. The FoS is significant but allows for unexpected overload and degradation (direction, wear, dynamics, etc) with decent reserve. These are considered life - critical equipment and therefore rated accordingly. Note that I'm referring to shackles that are officially tested and rated with both a WLL and test cert code. Unrated ones are not included in the above.

I can only recall using a snatch strap for an energy recovery once. And carefully. Usually I just use them as a (stretchy) tow rope as a slow firm pull is often all that's required to pop someone out.

Crossing lines now, it gets blurry!

WLL for shackles is for lifting, the FoS is based on this specification.

The hook on your winch is the same, as is the SWR it’s attached to.

Some great discussion here...

I believe the key point in any recovery is:
Stop
Take 5 to assess
Check equipment is safe and suitable
Rig and recheck
Perform extraction

Yes. Shackles are rated for lifted loads with a WLL - Working Load Limit. Rated for suspending a load above people that would really prefer not to get squashed, so very conservative.