using a strap can go wrong

dicknose

dicknose

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Joined
Jul 15, 2008
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225
Location
Sydney, Australia
(long time since I posted here - but saw this in the news and thought of this place)

A driver has been seriously injured when a strap broke and hit him.
https://www.smh.com.au/nsw/flying-t...ter-4wd-bogged-in-castlereagh-20150713-giaqlc

its a bit unclear, because it says it was a bit of metal that hit him, which sounds less like the strap broke and more like the shackle or attachment point broke.
Still this is a reminder that snatch straps can be dangerous - they work by storing a lot of energy in their elastic.

Hope the guy is ok.
And take care out there.
 
G'day DN - yes a nasty accident for sure. Hope all is well with you!
 
Gidday DN

A salutary and sad reminder :cry:

The back of his head being injured so badly does not bode well for the poor young fellow ... :sad:

Thanks for this sad link.

I've stuck this thread.
 
The more I read of snatch straps, the less I want to have to use one. So much stored energy, potential for injury and death.

What was the discussion we had the other day about soft (synthetic rope) shackles replacing steel shackles ?
 
They are ok but always keep well out of the area of possible danger.
Can also tie a light rope to them to restrain them from traveling too far if the dreaded break happens.
 
I've seen just a snatch strap which snapped put a big ding in the back of a ute so I hate to think what even that will do to your head!
 
ateday said:
Can also tie a light rope to them to restrain them from traveling too far if the dreaded break happens.
Click to expand...

yes - I don't understand why that isn't more used. I guess a damper (rug/towel) near either end does the same job.
 
This is sad news, but I do not think it alters anything that has been said on this forum.

Yes, I do carry soft shackles and an ARB recovery strap as well as a blanket.

That being a 17-year old, I wonder what his parents had taught him about recovery and if they knew what he was up to.
 
MiddleAgeSubie said:
That being a 17-year old, I wonder what his parents had taught him about recovery and if they knew what he was up to.
Click to expand...

Quite, MAS.

I had a youngster run into me (I was stationary at the time) and ended up with my transporting him to hospital, ringing his parents, going back with his Dad to pick up his motor bike, taking said bike back to his home, and Dad back to the hospital. That was around 37 years ago.

His parents thought he was somewhere else ...

The Police seriously tried to prosecute me for leaving the scene of an accident!
Charge literally dropped at the court appearance!
 
I believe it was the towball that snapped. A good reminder to never, ever snatch or tow using a rope looped around the towball. Yes it's convenient & yes you might get away with it many times as I've often been told. But all it takes is that one time.... :(

duncanm, snatch straps are safe to use if you do it properly. No need to be afraid of them, just use safe & proper procedure :)
 
Last week I bought a 50x50mm billet steel recovery hitch with a 4 3/4 T rated bow shackle. I have dropped it at a machine shop to have the tongue end milled down to suit the receiver on my rear bar. It will cost more to have the machining done than the hitch cost but it's the only way to get enough strength to do a recovery from a 40x40mm hitch. The commercially available 40mm recovery hitches are just rubbish they only have a 2t rated shackle.

I have previously attempted to make a recovery hitch from solid 40x40mm bar but the problem is that too much steel is lost around the shackle pin. Starting with a 50x50mm solid bar only machining the tongue means I run a very large shackle and still have full strength around pin. I'll post pics when I get it back from the machine shop next week.

Still not an idea situation to be snatching off a shackle but at least I have removed the tow ball from the equation.
 
Kevin said:
I've ordered some 7mm: S.W.L. = 3,000kg Wet Tech soft shackles; we'll see how they go.
https://www.wet-tech.vanryndesign.com.au/SoftShackles.html
Click to expand...

Brilliant idea! Not sure about using 3T shackles though. If something breaks, is it better for the soft shackle or the snatch strap to break?

But if the tie down point breaks, it's much better for there to be less steel flying about!

I wouldnt be able to use these on mine, the SF has plate style tie down points with sharpish corners, I wouldnt trust it not to cut through the dyneema as the shackle moves under tension. For SG and later it would be fine.

Liberty Valance said:
Still not an idea situation to be snatching off a shackle but at least I have removed the tow ball from the equation.
Click to expand...

I have the solid type towbar, my 4.7T shackle pin fits in the tow ball hole, it's a perfect fit lol.

Your solution, although complicated & expensive, sounds like a very solid one.
 
The funny thing is I also purchased a new 5t recovery strap on the same day. Turns out the eye of this new strap can fit inside my hitch receiver so I can just secure it with the hitch pin. Probably the safest and most simple attachment method possible !

Just wish I'd noticed that before spending $140 on a custom made recovery hitch. Oh well, at least I'll look all tough like a big 4x4 with a bright yellow ARB shackle hanging off my tow bar :shake:
 
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