Tow Strap Ratings

[Moto]

Anyone know how tow straps are rated? Is it rated by pulling capacity as in it is able to pull 20,000 lbs of rolling weight? I am asking because I have access a few 20 FT Rated and certified crane slings from work, they look like very heavy duty tow straps they are certified to lift 11,500 verticle and almost twice as much if you use then in a sling form. I think they should do the trick of tow straps but wanted to know if there was a way I could find out what they would be rated at if they were actual tow straps.

 

[Eagle]

Okay, let's get clear on terminology -- are you asking about "tow" straps, or "snatch" straps? They are different animals.

A tow strap is intended to pull a rolling load. It does not require nor should it have any significant amount of stretch to it. An off-road snatch strap, on the other hand, is designed to act like a huge elastic band. When the pull vehicle drives forward against the strap, the strap stretches. This stores kinetic energy, and this stored energy is used to add "yank" when the strap tries to relax.

A tow strap should never be used as a snatch strap. A snatch strap can be used as a tow strap, but it's not the ideal product. A lifting strap, or a cinching strap such as used on over-the-road trailers, is not designed to stretch and therefore should not be used for extractions where you want to "snatch" the stuckee to generate more energy than your wheels can transmit tot he ground.

 

[Moto]

I realize that they are different, I suppose what I have could be considered a form of tow straps then I know them as nylon slings, they have a certified rating on them for use with the cranes and have to be inspected and all that. You are right though I don't think that they would stretch too much and create the bungee effect but I figured since we were getting rid of them at work and they are over $100 each, that I should hang onto them. They deffinately are not the ones used to strap stuff down to low-beds or any other kind of over the road trailer. I just wasn't sure what thier rolling capacity was, because they are good for 11,500 lifting, or close to 23,000 if you use them as a sling, I was curious if anyone knew what the rolling weight would be for something like that, but thanks for the info so far.

 

[Eagle]

The 11,500 pound vertical load rating is the absolute safe working load for the strap. Multiply that by whatever the factor of safety is to get an approximation of the breaking strength.

It generally takes less than the full weight of a vehicle to pull it as a rolling load, but extraction for "stucks" is a different situation. An XJ weighs about 4,000 pounds (some stockers a tad less, some heavily armored rigs with trail spares a bit more). The usual winch recommendation is a minimum of 1.5 times the vehicle weight, but it seems to me that most on the Jeep boards run winches rated for around 8,000 pounds. So your straps are probably strong enough.

However, as you note they probably don't stretch very well, so they should not be used as snatch straps. However, since good snatch straps are expensive and can get trashed if you use one for a tow strap to haul a broken vehicle off a trail back to pavement, the straps you have could be very useful for that purpose -- as "tow" straps, not "snatch" straps. I wouldn't throw them away, but do check them carefully for damage before using them. Why are they being discarded at work?

 

[Moto]

Thats what I was thinking, they seem to be pretty tough and I know I could find some type of use for them. Work was getting rid of them because a large bridge project we have is closing down and they are starting to clean up there were a whole bunch of them and most are getting tossed, some are pretty nasty, but the ones I took are in really good shape. The ones I took are "junk" because they can't be re certified because in once place a green thread is showing or sticking out of the yellow. They aren't torn or anything like that, but it is one of those rules that if you can see the green or other colored thread you have to toss them.

 

[Wayne Sihler]

You could use them for EXTRA long tree saver straps.
Wayne

 

[XJ_MAC]

I was told by the local shop that sells those straps that in no way should they EVER be used for anything but a static lift or pull. That means no snatching with them. I bought a couple 8 footers for tree straps.

 

[Eagle]

I was told by the local shop that sells those straps that in no way should they EVER be used for anything but a static lift or pull. That means no snatching with them. I bought a couple 8 footers for tree straps.

That's what we said. Wrapping a tree saver around a tree and hooking a winch cable to it is not a snatch, that's a static pull. A "snatch" is when the vehicle doing the pulling drives forward with slack in the strap so that when the strap reaches full extension the kinetic energy stretches the strap, adding to the force transferred to the stuckee.

Winching is not snatching.