Thread: Life Span of Snatch straps

sounds like a bs excuse.

got a link?

It may have been one of the brands in this comparison.

UNSEALED 4X4 ISSUE 012

Personally I'll be sticking to ARB or Opposite Lock.

Originally Posted by Geedublya

It may have been one of the brands in this comparison.

UNSEALED 4X4 ISSUE 012

Personally I'll be sticking to ARB or Opposite Lock.

Saw that comparison recently - and also one they have done on tyre deflators.

They certainly show that there is some crap out there for sale ...............

It is extremely difficult for any manufacturer to accurately assess the forces being applied to their particular product. Therefore in some instances manufacturers will rely on the fact that stitching has failed and use this as a gauge to determine if the strap has been 'overloaded'

In some cases manufacturers weave a red thread the length of the strap and if this thread is showing or is broken then the strap has been overloaded.

The shock load in even a so called 'easy recovery' can far exceed the manufacturers recommended loads and this is one reason that 'snatch straps' are inherently dangerous.

The MBS of a 'Snatch Strap should be two to three times the GVM of the lighter of the two vehicles involved in the recovery operation and caution should be used in the manner in which the load is applied. You cannot simply take off as if you were competing in a 'drag race'.

One of the reason as a Professional Four Wheel Drive Trainer that I avoid using a 'snatch strap' wherever possible and if necessary I will use a Kinetic Recovery Rope before contemplating using a strap.

Yes your strap may very well still be in a usable condition after numerous recoveries, simply due to the fact that you have never overloaded the strap and have been careful in it's use and care. However one 'bad' recovery can change this very quickly.

What about age?
I have a snatch strap that has never been used. It must be approaching twenty years old.

In many cases yes that is true.. However the method of failure in this instance indicates a fault in the stitching.

However for the supplier to claim in normal use a strap is throw away after 2-6 recoveries is laughable..

Those wishing to examine should search for a "Marvel Comic" character...

I think I've used mine twice in about 15 years. It's a SPANSET. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that the company is still in existence and manufacturing lifting , towing and safety equipment .

Just a quick topic diversion, as this has me thinking:

I've got an ARB 8000kg strap. It has only ever done one recovery which was a bogged forklift on a muddy field. A holden colorado couldn't move it (I thought work vehicles could go anywhere / do anything ), so we ended up dragging the fork out of the bog with a tractor!
Wondering if it's worth tossing the strap, as it was pulling (read towing under static stretch) a 3.5t fork with a even larger tractor. Strap looks OK on inspection... but don't want it coming thru the window at me with the speeds in the magazine videos.