Off Road Strap to hook question ?
#1
Off Road Strap to hook question ?
This might seem like a silly question but anyway. I have tow loops(not hooks) on the front of my truck. I wish I had the crome FX4 hooks but anyway. I see a lot of people use the 2 inch wide tow strap with the loop at the end and put it in the hitch receiver. How would you connect a strap with a loop to my tow loops on my truck ? I am thinking a shackle ? Where is a good place to get a tow strap anyway ?
#2
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#4
First, don't get the kind of strap with hooks on it already. You can get good ones at Tractor Supply Company (pretty inexpensive) and just about any 4 wheel store like http://www.4wheelparts.com an http://www.desertrat.com etc.
If you put a stick (decent sized one) in the loop it keeps it from getting too tight. It's an old trick, but an effective one. I've used it myself.
If you put a stick (decent sized one) in the loop it keeps it from getting too tight. It's an old trick, but an effective one. I've used it myself.
#6
Look what I found at www.4wheelparts.com $50
D ring Shackle
2" x 20' 20,000 lb strap with loops NO hooks
Reciever hook (which I guess I could find usefull)
Tire pressure gauge
hitch pin
and a carry bag
D ring Shackle
2" x 20' 20,000 lb strap with loops NO hooks
Reciever hook (which I guess I could find usefull)
Tire pressure gauge
hitch pin
and a carry bag
#9
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#17
Originally Posted by DownSouthTAS
There is nothing wrong with looping your tow strap through itself, provided you have a decent strap.
For safety sake, use a shackle or double the strap thru the tow loop (again be prepared to replace the strap more frequently) if you're worried about scratching your hooks.
#19
i prefer the least amount of metal possible when it comes to tow straps... i have seen too many snap, and i worry about rings and hooks coming through my window or windshield...
if i get pulled out from in front, i normally just tighten it as good as i can... on the rear, it goes around the hitch's ball... i don't use straps with hooks anymore... just loops... loops can't kill people...
if i get pulled out from in front, i normally just tighten it as good as i can... on the rear, it goes around the hitch's ball... i don't use straps with hooks anymore... just loops... loops can't kill people...
#21
So many very experienced guys use shackles only when necessary, in my observation. I'd rather have the strap go over time than risk the metal-to-metal tangent point of shackle to tow hook breakage point. It concentrates the force a great deal. I'm afraid I don't agree that the shackle is a better idea except perhaps -- and I'm not sure I buy that either -- that it prevents the strap from wearing out.
I shall continue to loop the strap.
I shall continue to loop the strap.
#22
my better strap has a nylon jacket over the loops, and a 1 foot nylon slider that you can position over any point rubbing during the pull
a stick or leaver is needed for strap to strap connection but when I have to thread a loop through a closed tow point I just use it bare
I have have never had a problem working the loop free since the tow point does not collapse and pinch the loop like another loop would
a stick or leaver is needed for strap to strap connection but when I have to thread a loop through a closed tow point I just use it bare
I have have never had a problem working the loop free since the tow point does not collapse and pinch the loop like another loop would
#23
Originally Posted by Trevelyn1015
i prefer the least amount of metal possible when it comes to tow straps... i have seen too many snap, and i worry about rings and hooks coming through my window or windshield....
My point is that the strap is designed to have the load placed along it's length however when you loop the strap over itself, you're applying the load to the side of the strap where it doesn't belong.
To whomever said they loop the strap over a tow ball, do yourself a favor and DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN. In this case, the tow ball is the weak point in the recovery and is very likely to fail because it is not designed to be used in this manner. The loads involved in a vehicle recovery are much different than when towing a trailer. If you've got the ball on a receiver, remove the ball and put a shackle (of the largest size that will fit) thru the hole. If you've got the ball on the bumper then get yourself a receiver hitch because the bumper is only rated to 2000lbs and unless you're recovering an ATV or a Samurai you're exceeding the rating of the bumper.
Everybody is going to do what they feel comfortable with. I myself would rather replace a $17 shackle than a $65 strap but that's just me. Try to be safe out there and no matter what else is going on, always think twice and act once.
#24
If the shackle fails, it will fail at the point of contact with the tow hook and NOT with the strap. This will hurl it along the line of the strap.
Keep in mind when you put a shackle on a tow hook they touch at one tiny point where their circular cross sections meet -- a tiny tangent point. This concentrates the force and induces fractures. The distribution of force into the wide web of a strap is one of the reasons lifting slings have migrated away from chains and toward straps. Even for the same breaking strength, a metal to metal tangent point has tremendous stresses on it which can cause fracture, or exacerbate existing, but unsuspected weaknesses.
As far as the strap on the tow hook goes, most of the force is in the "cinch" around the hook -- NOT on the loop to the side of the strap. If it were not so, you wouldn't be able to keep a stick in there -- it would just get crushed. Although there is enough force to tighten the strap considerably, it's not enough to damage it. The vast majority of the force is around the hook itself and very little side force is on the loop where it comes back around the strap.
Of course, I'm using a lifting sling as a tow strap and the loops are MUCH heavier than a typical tow strap. I don't anticipate any problem with premature failure. Still, I think much is made of this looping around the tow hook as a problem when it really is not, and may actually be advantageous. Certainly, it is less dangerous.
Usually, though, you end up with a shackle at one end or another or, as in the case when I was pulled up the hill recently, joining the strap to the winch end. But I still don't like tangent-to-tangent contact in solid metal pieces.
Keep in mind when you put a shackle on a tow hook they touch at one tiny point where their circular cross sections meet -- a tiny tangent point. This concentrates the force and induces fractures. The distribution of force into the wide web of a strap is one of the reasons lifting slings have migrated away from chains and toward straps. Even for the same breaking strength, a metal to metal tangent point has tremendous stresses on it which can cause fracture, or exacerbate existing, but unsuspected weaknesses.
As far as the strap on the tow hook goes, most of the force is in the "cinch" around the hook -- NOT on the loop to the side of the strap. If it were not so, you wouldn't be able to keep a stick in there -- it would just get crushed. Although there is enough force to tighten the strap considerably, it's not enough to damage it. The vast majority of the force is around the hook itself and very little side force is on the loop where it comes back around the strap.
Of course, I'm using a lifting sling as a tow strap and the loops are MUCH heavier than a typical tow strap. I don't anticipate any problem with premature failure. Still, I think much is made of this looping around the tow hook as a problem when it really is not, and may actually be advantageous. Certainly, it is less dangerous.
Usually, though, you end up with a shackle at one end or another or, as in the case when I was pulled up the hill recently, joining the strap to the winch end. But I still don't like tangent-to-tangent contact in solid metal pieces.
#25
Originally Posted by n3elz
If the shackle fails, it will fail at the point of contact with the tow hook and NOT with the strap. This will hurl it along the line of the strap.
Keep in mind when you put a shackle on a tow hook they touch at one tiny point where their circular cross sections meet -- a tiny tangent point. This concentrates the force and induces fractures. The distribution of force into the wide web of a strap is one of the reasons lifting slings have migrated away from chains and toward straps. Even for the same breaking strength, a metal to metal tangent point has tremendous stresses on it which can cause fracture, or exacerbate existing, but unsuspected weaknesses.
As far as the strap on the tow hook goes, most of the force is in the "cinch" around the hook -- NOT on the loop to the side of the strap. If it were not so, you wouldn't be able to keep a stick in there -- it would just get crushed. Although there is enough force to tighten the strap considerably, it's not enough to damage it.
To me, it's all about using things the way they were designed. The tow loops on the Ranger are designed to have a shackle or hook applied to them. They have to be because there is no way to properly use a webbing device on them. The strap is designed to have the load along it's length. If you try to pull the fibers of the strap apart perpendicular to it's length, you will notice that you can actually separate the fibers. Doing the same along the length of the strap will not yield these results. Shackles have a breaking strength over 1.5x the working load limit printed on the shackle. In the case of the Ranger tow loops, they are large enough to have a greater than 1" diameter shackle placed thru them which would give over 6TONS WLL. Knowing all of this information, I feel safe in recommending to people that using a properly sized and maintained shackle is much safer than looping the strap over itself. Can it be done?? Yes. Can it be done safely?? Yes. Does it reduce the capacity of the strap?? Yes. Is there a better way?? Yes.
Of course, I'm using a lifting sling as a tow strap and the loops are MUCH heavier than a typical tow strap. I don't anticipate any problem with premature failure. Still, I think much is made of this looping around the tow hook as a problem when it really is not, and may actually be advantageous. Certainly, it is less dangerous.
Usually, though, you end up with a shackle at one end or another or, as in the case when I was pulled up the hill recently, joining the strap to the winch end. But I still don't like tangent-to-tangent contact in solid metal pieces.