Image from racq website.

 

Ha Ha, nice 1... Geez the dry as a bone should have slowed it down. Goes to show what those fluro ones would do "bugger all" try a wet towel next time. Ive had 3 snatch straps break on me, all in a row with the same guy I was trying to towing out. Its just happens.

 

Yes i would have thought the drziabone AND the 15m of extension strap still attached to the shackle would have taken more sting out of it. The extension strap broke less than a foot from the bogged vehicle!

Thanks for the other pic - handy idea I didnt think of!

Stocky

 

Well at least no one was injured or real damage done to a vehicle!!

 

So thats why they send those magazines....hmmm

neat trick

 

Well it's got Me B*(#*#D Why more people don't get hurt or killed with the snatch strap, especialy when they'r doing the big macho man thing. how'd ya reckon that shackle or a tow ball would affect ya vision?

 

Yeah thats why I refuse to snatch with a shackle anywhere in the mix. Two good hooks and even 3 or 4 with a bridle if possible with a good damper and everyone that doesn't need to be in or around vehicles well, well, well clear.

Slow tug first, then a little snatch and work up slowly, don't go like a bull at a gate the first time around, it may not need it.

Also if the ute was bogged to the axles a couple of shovels and 15 minutes of hard work would have been good prep before yanking the ****tery out of it with the snatch.

 

Newspaper, large sticks work just as well.
Totally agree with the bridle idea if possible but the shovels are the best suggestion yet.

 

Update guys - the snatch was AFTER 30 min of 2 blokes with 2 shovels digging - not a fun job up to our knees in mud. The trailer alone took another 20 minutes to dig our before we could winch it out.

There was no "macho" involved - just needed to get out and get our work done.

We did try nice little tugs first but had to go the whole hog as it was our only remaining option - but as pointed out we did take every precaution we possibly could as we where both aware of the *potential disaster*.

The ground had dried to a nice crust with soup underneath - we drove across over 200m of it an just hit this one patch that didnt look any different - if anything the bloke would have known the area better than me as he has lived there 10 years - I was just hanging back and letting him lead the way.

I've always been wary of using the snatch strap - ALWAYS use the receiver pin not the tow ball, ALWAYS drap a coat or tarp or something over the strap to slow it down if it recoils and NO ONE apart from drivers ANYWHERE near the operation.

We tried to do a "text book" recovery with all the safety precautions possible at the time ith both drivers aware of the dangers - the post was just a wake up to all about how much force can be inflicted by a recoiling snatch strap.

Stocky

 

Might pack a couple of short sticks in the kit now though.....

 

just take a copy of 4wd action with you..... gotta be good for somthing - all 263 pages of it.

Too shiny to wipe your a$$ on.

 

Sounds like you did everything correct, and people use shackles all the time, I just don't if it is at all possible to avoid it and if I do I only tow, I will not snatch with a shackle.

I'm pretty sure most 4wd trainers would say a big no no to joining straps or extension straps with shackles in a snatch recovery, but personally I say no to them all together.

Ah well lesson learned for next time, and as said above with that kind of damage who can complain, we've all seen the pictures and videos of snatches when they have gone REALLY wrong. I bet your glad you had the damper on there otherwise god knows where it would have ended up!

 

You did a snatch recovery using a winch extension strap lol.
No wonder the bloody thing snapped!

THEY DONT STRETCH DO THEY?

Snatch straps only joined together is the only way it should be done.

Mind you using an extension strap for towing a vehicle out of a bog is ok, they are'nt design for shock loads.

 

So how'd you get him out after the strap broke ?

 

Or how did you undo the KNOT?

 

You did a snatch recovery using a winch extension strap lol.
No wonder the bloody thing snapped!

THEY DONT STRETCH DO THEY?

Snatch straps only joined together is the only way it should be done.

Mind you using an extension strap for towing a vehicle out of a bog is ok, they are'nt design for shock loads.

ONE snatchy and ONE winch extention strap = OK

2X snatchys = too much give
2x winch extention strap = no give

 

ONE snatchy and ONE winch extention strap = OK

Not ok. The incident shows why. The extension strap has no give once 3 or 4 times the load is applied to it by the snatch strap.

 

Not ok. The incident shows why. The extension strap has no give once 3 or 4 times the load is applied to it by the snatch strap.

Give is handled by the snatchy same as usual.

load would be equal, there is no mechanical advantage to bias the load either way.

Maybe strap was wet, old or damaged in some way.


It seems the only wrong thing here is the method used to join straps.

 

Seems there is some misunderstanding still about how snatch straps are rated, 9000lb snatch will pull a load of 9000lb when under full tension, this is a dynamic load meaning it will have a muliple of this number, an extension strap will not have a dynamic load factor as high as the snatch for the same loading 'figure'. I would have thought a 12000lb extension strap would be ok with a 4000lb snatch strap. Am I wrong?

If you can calculate kinetic energy you can figure out these multiples depending on how much your car weighs and its speed.

 

We tried to do a "text book" recovery with all the safety precautions possible at the time ith both drivers aware of the dangers - the post was just a wake up to all about how much force can be inflicted by a recoiling snatch strap.

Stocky

Every text book ive read on snatching techniques & everything they teach you in training is NEVER put a shackle in the middle. Tie them properly together.

 

snatching is safe.

 

snatch strap recovery

So in my way of thinkng, and I do a lot of thinking, the recoil of the snatch strap was too great a load for the extension strap which has minimal give. you should NEVER mix them. It's all been a lucky lesson for every one

 

So in my way of thinkng, and I do a lot of thinking, the recoil of the snatch strap was too great a load for the extension strap which has minimal give. you should NEVER mix them. It's all been a lucky lesson for every one

I Disagree, without the shackle in there there is no problem, there would have been no danger with people at a safe distance.

They can be mixed if tied together properly.

 

snatch rescue

:angel:

snatching is safe.Great pic. Trust me dear, I know what i'm doing, dear, pause---------dear,----------I said duck!! :angel:

 

Goes to show the whole dampening idea is a hot load of poop. The only thing good about the so called dampener over the strap/cable is so that is clearly visable to people in the area. Have seen the aftermath of a daul cab work vehicle in simular situation. Only using one strap. It punched the shackle through the back of the tailgate then through the back of the cab just above the back windscreen. Luckily no one injured.