Are those tow straps safe to pull logs with using a tractor? Local farm store has the 4 inch x 30 foot 6,666 lbs working load limit / 20,000 lbs breaking strength. Seems to me I heard a local story some time back about a young person being killed when one broke. I just wondered if they would be safer than using chains.
- Thread starter gwece
- Start date
Will probably work just fine. BUT! The thing with those straps is, if they stretch and THEN come loose somehow, and they have a hook or something solid on the end, that hook snaps forward at an incredible speed. It will break windows, go through fenders, and mush skulls if it hits you.
I knew a guy who was pulling a stuck tractor out and the strap was hooked to a hitch ball, that ball broke and it hit him right in the head. He survived but was never the same afterward.
I knew a guy who was pulling a stuck tractor out and the strap was hooked to a hitch ball, that ball broke and it hit him right in the head. He survived but was never the same afterward.
Richard G.
Well-known Member
A friend was pulling on a post with a Chevy Blazer. Had it hooked to the trailer hitch. The back window was open. It slipped off the post and as he turned to look back, the hook flew in and knocked his hat off and broke the windshield.
He could have been killed.
Richard in NW SC
He could have been killed.
Richard in NW SC
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
What size tractor are you using?
Using one with a 23 HP Ford or using one with a 97 HP John Deere would make a big difference.
One disadvantage to using nylon is if it snaps it can severely injure someone where a chain wont or at least it's much less likely.
Using one with a 23 HP Ford or using one with a 97 HP John Deere would make a big difference.
One disadvantage to using nylon is if it snaps it can severely injure someone where a chain wont or at least it's much less likely.
Russ from MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Bemidji MN
Because they stretch I think a chain would be safer, also could be cut if pulled over a rock. Another advantage of a chain is the adjustable length. When I pull logs I like to lift the big end with the 3-point so the wood doesn't get so dirty. Our tractor has a loader on it so I don't worry about it tipping over backwards, and I keep the speed down. I have been doing this for 50 years and never had an accident.
Winchester1
Member
- Location
- Vincennes, In
Big companies are going away from chains to straps. Say straps are safer. They even had a school on it. Seems to be the wave of the future.
Josh in Pa
Member
That is not what they are for, and I wouldn't use one for that. Chain is much more durable. Tow straps or ropes work well for recovery, but would get destroyed quickly dragging on the ground.
Josh
Josh
Friend got his combine stuck this winter.(next to biggest Jd. 40 ft head) Tied on to it with a quad trac CaseIH. Then a 8420 JD. Chain between JD and CaseIH broke and chain broke back glass of 8420. This chain was as heavy as you can drag. Couldn't pull combine out. Unloaded hopper into a semi, about 200 bu. Tied 8420 to front of semi. Broke chain again and it went through windshield of Kenworth. Taking out grill at same time. Showered driver with glass. Just barely missed him. Chains aren't safe either! Next day got oil-field winch truck, and spun quad track down in front of it and pulled it right out! Vic
Dan in Ohio
Well-known Member
- Location
- Mid-Ohio
Google head injuries from tow straps.......then make your own decision.
Fergienewbee
Well-known Member
I use tow straps quite often. I usually make a loop with the strap passed through the smaller loop. Then I hook to the tractor with a clevis. But most of the time I use a short chain and lift the butt end of the log with the 3 pt. Most of the trees I deal with are closer to pole size than saw logs.
Larry
Larry
Robert Major
Well-known Member
Hi
I thought the idea of the tow strap was that if you jerked it a bit, the strap stretched and when it contracted again it helped pull the stuck vehicle out. Kinda like pulling a piece of elastic out and letting it go.
Thats how we use them up here in Canada, and one company asks what you will be towing out, and what you pull it with most of the time, to match the sizes of strap to the load and pulling force. To maximize the stretch and contract advantage.
If a guys stupid enough to pull on a weak bumper and not the frame of a vehicle they deserve to rip the bumper off!.
I helped a neighbor that slid the front of his empty cattle semi in the ditch on ice. he had a 2wd mx 135 and a big tow strap. the front of the semi was in the ditch bottom about 6ft down we hooked the strap to the frame, I backed the tractor over the layed out strap. Nearly up to the rear bumper. he put the semi in reverse and when he was ready i let the tractor go. with the elastic effect and about 10 goes the semi popped up the ditch about a foot at a time. if we hadn't jerked it, that tractor would of never moved it at all.
Regards Robert
I thought the idea of the tow strap was that if you jerked it a bit, the strap stretched and when it contracted again it helped pull the stuck vehicle out. Kinda like pulling a piece of elastic out and letting it go.
Thats how we use them up here in Canada, and one company asks what you will be towing out, and what you pull it with most of the time, to match the sizes of strap to the load and pulling force. To maximize the stretch and contract advantage.
If a guys stupid enough to pull on a weak bumper and not the frame of a vehicle they deserve to rip the bumper off!.
I helped a neighbor that slid the front of his empty cattle semi in the ditch on ice. he had a 2wd mx 135 and a big tow strap. the front of the semi was in the ditch bottom about 6ft down we hooked the strap to the frame, I backed the tractor over the layed out strap. Nearly up to the rear bumper. he put the semi in reverse and when he was ready i let the tractor go. with the elastic effect and about 10 goes the semi popped up the ditch about a foot at a time. if we hadn't jerked it, that tractor would of never moved it at all.
Regards Robert
notjustair
Well-known Member
I know of a gal that was a widow at 23. They farmed and her husband was helping his dad clean up a shelter belt. He was pulling a tree with a chain. It snapped, came through the back window of the tractor, and killed her husband of a year. I think of her often and that was 25 years ago.
Freak accidents can happen with anything. I am as careful as I can be, but if it is my time it is my time.
Freak accidents can happen with anything. I am as careful as I can be, but if it is my time it is my time.
fixerupper
Well-known Member
Last spring I saw a tow strap sling a clevis into the back of a feed truck so hard it made a dent I couldn't make with a sledge hammer. A regular four wheel drive pickup was pulling on it when the clevis spread. Just saying.
Russ from MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Bemidji MN
If you have to jerk on a strap it's advisable to drape a heavy blanket or tarp over the middle, it will slow down the end if something breaks loose.
The advice given, and the situations talked about, really happened, and it is unfortunate, that we who use them, don't know more about proper usage, of lifting devices, and proper rigging. A nylon strap properly sized, to the load is good for rated load, HOWEVER the strap should be dated when new, checked for fraying, and cuts, BEFORE each use, and checked at the hook stitching BEFORE each use. Pain in the butt, ain't it? The nylons stretchability , takes away the bump or shock, when the load is tightened. Of all the suggestions, the cable, RATED FOR THE LOAD, Is the proper material handling implement, for logging, and will be resistant to wire wear, in dirty conditions. Cable ,or more properly (wire rope) is heavy to handle, and a pain in the butt, to roll up, and stretch out, especially in wet conditions, where mud gets on it. What is the price you pay for safety? Slow down, think it out and live with your decisions. I am not the most knowledgeable rigger available, BUT for 30 years I managed to keep the Boeing CO fooled.
I jus started to move along, to another topic, and It dawned on me, that I never saw any mention, of snatch blocks! On those heavy vehicles sunk in the mud, 1/2" wire rope, strung through 2 to 3 snatch blocks, should have moved them, or pulled the frames off. some times a snatch block is the most efecient way, to move a log around an obstruction, in the woods.
How long would a 4 x 1/8 inch synthetic tow strap hold up to rubbing against tree bark or dragging on the ground under a log before it becomes too abraded to use? How would you determine that a tow strap is no longer safe to use, when it breaks? Tow straps have their place, but for safety I'd stick to chain for occasional use or a cable for skidding logs.
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
That is the proper use. Problem is people used to 5000 lb chain tie off points and hardware for static pulls improperly hook a strap that can generate 20 or 30,000 lb using the same stuff.
#1 - hook points on vehicle need to be stout! Trailer balls are not tow points.
#2 - never ever ever ever use a clevis or anything to join 2 straps together! If you need to, thread the eyes together
#1 - hook points on vehicle need to be stout! Trailer balls are not tow points.
#2 - never ever ever ever use a clevis or anything to join 2 straps together! If you need to, thread the eyes together
No, wrong thing to use. You want chain or cable chokers. A strap isn't going to last, isn't adjustable, isn't durable enough. If you are getting into tree's so big that you need to get a running start to move them, you need a bigger tractor or maybe a winch made for a tractor that is used for logging like a Farmi winch.
I've seen a few of these freak accidents and been involved in a couple myself. I've never, ever seen or heard of one of these freak accidents where there wasn't something being done that in hindsight was pretty dumb.
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
When you snap a strap it'll be far less likely to kill or butcher you up than a cable or chain.I'd use a short piece of chain to hook around the logs and then hook it to the strap
A guy in my church got hit in the back of his head with a big chain. He was pulling a dump truck out of the mud with a big dozer. He was on life support for a few days before they decided to unhook him. He left a young wife and two kids.
That was years ago but I think of it every time I go to pull on something. What ever you decide just be careful.
That was years ago but I think of it every time I go to pull on something. What ever you decide just be careful.
When my logs are too large, I only use hardware that is ALL rated for service duty. Hooks and cable clamps with ratings are available from McMaster-Carr. I learned the hard way what can happen with unrated clamps/hooks.
Bertha here has big hydraulics, had to buy stronger cable. Anything will break if you pull hard enough. My preference is a controlled steady pull, preferably with a snatchblock.
Think of a slingshot Gary. Same type of energy. I've always heard of how dangerous chains are, and I've broken a few dozen, but never have had one fly. If we live long enough, we'll figure out a way to hurt ourselves, ha. Remember the words to the old song "If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live 'til I die"? I think the name of it was "Jack O'Diamonds". We saw the lights on the hill last night! NICE!! Merry Christmas!!
I will NOT use one!
I had a friend who got his pickup stuck. He was being pulled out by a friend, cheap clevis (no lunch pin thru clevis pin) opened up, and strap snapped back. Clevis went thru windshield, bent steering wheel down, clevis glanced off it, and almost took his nose completely off his face!
Did I mention I will NOT use one?
I had a friend who got his pickup stuck. He was being pulled out by a friend, cheap clevis (no lunch pin thru clevis pin) opened up, and strap snapped back. Clevis went thru windshield, bent steering wheel down, clevis glanced off it, and almost took his nose completely off his face!
Did I mention I will NOT use one?
Doug in Illinois
Member
I will NOT use a tow strap for anything now.
Leave one in the back of your truck, or anyplace warm, or too cold, and watch what happens.
They NEED to be stored in a controlled area. Not too hot or cold.
I have taken out a rear pickup window with one before. Just missed my head when the hook came thru the rear glass.
They should be outlawed. Chains are safer, if you need to take a bigger bite with a chain just hook a tire between two chains. That will usually keep the chain from flying even if one breaks.
DOUG
Leave one in the back of your truck, or anyplace warm, or too cold, and watch what happens.
They NEED to be stored in a controlled area. Not too hot or cold.
I have taken out a rear pickup window with one before. Just missed my head when the hook came thru the rear glass.
They should be outlawed. Chains are safer, if you need to take a bigger bite with a chain just hook a tire between two chains. That will usually keep the chain from flying even if one breaks.
DOUG
If you had the hook come through back window of truck it was not straps fault but human fault for not hooking strap securely.If you are going to pull vehicles out of ditch you need a recovery strap not a tow strap.There is a differance . Recovery straps can take more than a tow strap. It isn't the cold and heat that kills the strap as much as the sun that damages them. I have some that are over 5 years old and are like new but I carry them in a tool box that keeps them out of the sun when not in use.
"Timber, timber, timber I cry! If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live till I die." From "Guns of the Timberlands" with Alan Ladd, not his best work. Pretty sure it was taken form the "Rye Whiskey" song by Tex Ritter, they just changed "Rye Whiskey, rye whiskey,rye whiskey I cry!..." with "Timber".
Anyone notice the common theme of why tow straps are "dangerous"? Everyone says "the hook bla bla bla". Why are people buying them with hooks?!?! Buy the ones with loops and you will have no issues. Lets just say it breaks and snaps. It will hurt you but it wont kill you, and I KNOW it wont hurt you like a chain would.
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