39 replies to this topic

[Cayuse]

Used to carry a chain and a strap in a jeep.  The last use the chain was put to was skidding a section of log to where we needed it.  Have no idea where the chain is now, probably in my ex's garage.  Use a strap for everything now.

[crumbs]

Impressive!  The one worker I thought would have been done for.  Maybe he was offered protection by standing behind a bollard of sorts. One would think they had been doing this work for some time, and would know the best place to be.

 

Anyway, is 15 inches per link a fair estimate?  Maybe  50 lbs per link?  Tough to estimate from a video.

 

 Section_2_Chains-11.pdf   357.31K   31 downloads

 

 

 

Damn!  I once used a Broco torch underwater to cut a link in a chain on an off shore weather buoy [not under tension] of the size shown in this video....I can attest to the weight of each link; that mass coming back on deck in this video carried enormous kinetic energy...very scary...

 

Thanks for video link and eye opener...

 

Phil

 

[craig333]

Its such a rare occurrence people get lazy and forget the safety precautions. Both my truck and Jeep are running synthetic. Partly for the safety aspect but also because its so much easier to work with. I recently replaced the cable on the Jeep. The old line was showing a little wear. Its pricey stuff but considering the cost of an accident its not something I'll take a chance on. 

 

You really have to watch the little kids. Adults mostly know to stay a safe distance during winching. That chain video was enlightening.

[ntsqd]

My take on synthetic winch cable is that it is not just that it stretches less (less stored energy) but that it also weighs less. Granted the mass of the rope is the lessor factor in the kinetic energy equation, but it is still a factor none the less.

 

The thing to keep in mind is that while it is safer to use synthetic rope, it is NOT intrinsically safe.

 

The old English practice of having some tea before solving a problem has roots in sound problem management.

[craig333]

Sometimes its not the equipment thats dangerous. These guys needed more than tea. 

 

[ntsqd]

Some guys (& gals) can break an anvil in a sand box.

[smlobx]

Sometimes its not the equipment thats dangerous. These guys needed more than tea. 

 

 

That must be a “How not to” video...

[Foy]

It's been a long, long time since I extracted vehicles using chains, all the way back to my drilling days.  We did use old tires a lot, as a rubber band connecting two lengths of chain, and as "catchers" in lieu of heavy canvas tarps, but that was the extent of our "safety equipment".  Before those days, my college buddy put a chain into the windshield of his new 1973 K-5 Blazer while trying to snatch a blown down tree off of a trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. 

 

With that experience, it astounds me to see the modern day truck sales ads showing chains in use to drag logs and pull stumps.  It's been a short while since I've seen one, but that might be because I rarely watch TV.  You'd think the manufacturers liability lawyers would have put the kibosh on that silliness long ago.

 

My dad and I once encountered a towing operation as we traveled down a paved NC rural highway, circa late 1960s.  The chain-through-pipe rig was in use and I remember Dad saying "Those guys know what they're doing".

 

Probably the greatest success story in the annals of towing a disabled vehicle with a chain occurred in 1940 in the Libyan desert.  The British recon outfit known as the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) ran 2WD Chevy pickups heavily laden with fuel, water, food, and ammunition.  On a raid over 1,000 miles from their Cairo base, one truck kept snapping half-shafts.  Maybe a bent axle tube?  They went through all of their spares so with 900 miles yet to go they hooked up the towing chain and towed the disabled truck all the way back to base, starting near the Chad-Libya border and thus crossing parts of Libya, Sudan, and Egypt's Western Desert. The Brits, Kiwis, and Rhodesians in the LRDG were the real deal.

 

Foy
 

[Wango]

My one and only chain sits in the bottom of my flat bed trailer, its only purpose would be to tie the trailer off if needed in case i stupidly got it stuck and needed it secured while i setup. Otherwise its a big paperweight.

 

I wheeled a jeep in the '80s, mudding in KY, never used a chain to pull each other out. 

A few weeks back a buddy got his cam am stuck in a snowbank, "The" mechanic got a chain out, walking past most likely two dozen straps in various rigs in the yard, and proceeded to pull the side by side out, and over and brake a bunch of parts on the cam am.

 

To be honest, all of my extrication gear was bought with knowledge i first learned about here, then took classes and youtube.

Frankly people that do this stuff in a  dangerous manner terrify me. Mr. Darwin if you please!

[ntsqd]

Grandad always used a chain to pull small trees and bushes because he felt that the chain bit into the wood better and would bite instead of slide. He didn't have straps, and he never got excited when doing this sort of work. Always told me that it was far more dangerous than it looked. If a bush or tree didn't budge with a gentle tug from the '49 F-1 he went and got the '62 F-600. If that didn't do it he called Mr. McCaslan and asked if the next time he came by would he please do so with his tractor? While we waited we got to dig it out even more....