Chain or Snatch Strap?

I haven't needed my snatch strap since I upgraded to twin lockers and winch.........lol

I still carry my strap and a drag chain.....chains are pretty harsh when you are taking up the slack or the stuck vehicle makes slack on the chain

I carry a snatch strap and a chain.

The snatch strap gets used for vehicle recovery.
The chain gets used for all other tasks.

I possibly should clarify a little. I would use chains and or wire rope for a winch type recovery or for dragging items. This is acceptable and what these were designed for. Still needs to be rated chain or wire rope and suitable for purpose. Unrated chain should never be used.
The snatch strap is for shock recovery and what it is intended for. Chain and wire rope or even plasma type rope is not intended for any type of shock loading. You may get away with it a few times, but you wont forever.
I carry 2 snatch straps and a hand Tirfor type winch with wire cable (PIA to use and slow). Most times either the snatch strap have sufficed for the recovery or the Maxtrax. Have only had the hand winch out in anger once.
I would suggest you buy a decent snatch strap, they are not expensive. Decent rated chain is expensive.

I remember reading somewhere that after a specific number of uses a snatch strap should be discarded, 10 comes to mind. Not sure how true that is though. It could have been on that totally unbiased publication 4wd action!

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Originally Posted by AnD3rew

I can see the wisdom in this, unless of course you are blocking a track and there is a queue:angel:

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maybe the cup of tea and thinking time should come before doing what is was that got you stuck ;)

woody

Snatch straps have probably been given a bad name by the way the lead foot brigade use them.

I haven't used my snatch strap since I bought it a couple of years ago. However long before they became readily available, I used a length of thick, stretchy nylon rope to do the same job.

It was needed a few times back in the '70s on a trip from the Strzelecki Track to the Birdsville Track through the Cobber Desert. A Daihastu with a camper on the back didn't find it as easy as the two Land Rovers.

In each case only a tiny bit of momentum and less than half a metre of slack were needed, certainly nothing like the destructive, "rip, tear and bust" technique shown on innumerable video clips.

A snatch recovery, in a lot of situations but not all, can be a very gentle procedure. Maybe if it isn't going to be reasonably gentle, people should combine it with some other technique like a bit if shovel work to make it less aggressive.

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Originally Posted by CraigE

Still needs to be rated chain or wire rope and suitable for purpose. Unrated chain should never be used.
Decent rated chain is expensive.

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Can you tell me what the difference is?

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Originally Posted by V8Ian

Can you tell me what the difference is?

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Basically rated chain has a tested and known breaking strain/weight unrated is a gamble.

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Originally Posted by AnD3rew

Basically rated chain has a tested and known breaking strain/weight unrated is a gamble.

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I bought a length of 12mm herc alloy chain from a reputable supplier a couple of weeks ago. The requested length was cut, then I was asked if I wanted it rated for a considerable cost. So in my case, no difference.

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Originally Posted by MR LR jnr.

Here's an example from the harvest of 2010 (NSW - very wet season).

Small Fiat header was bogged (sitting on its belly), two tractors (a 4WD and a 2WD Dually) had drag chains hooked up, both tractors couldn't pull the ~10tonne header out.

Then borrowed a 40 tonne snatch strap from the neighbours.

The 4WD New Holland (140 HP) pulled the header out by itself with the snatch strap.

We then bought one, and the New Holland was capable of pulling out the bogged 25 tonne John Deere that belonged to the contractor. I recovered the JD on average 2 to 3 times a day (was 16 at the time) and learnt a lot about recovery using both drag chains and snatch straps.

They make a hell of a difference in small scale recovery, where big winches and huge anchors are unavailable, worked amazingly on the farm and they are fantastic in mud and sand.

DON'T drag with them though, and follow the correct safety procedures. A training course is the best thing. But they should only be used where a non-elastic strap is unsuitable.

Cheers
Will

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Originally Posted by Dougal

I have almost identical stories. Even in very slow recoveries a snatch strap will outperform chains in every way.

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Snatch straps were developed for recovering armoured vehicles, so tractors aren't too far from the original spec.

KERR's