Date:         Thu, 26 May 2011 08:11:05 -0700
Reply-To:     Gary Bawden <goldfieldgary@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Gary Bawden <goldfieldgary@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Place to mount shackles?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Last year I was returning from some local hot springs on a previously usable
dirt road, which I had been on before, however this time the off-road racers
had been on it and turned part of it into 3 feet of loose sand (separate
rant for another time). To make a long story short, I got all four wheels
buried and had to jack up each wheel and put lengths of plywood under them,
but still had over 100' to go to firm ground. I hooked a 7/16" Goldline (a
long-retired nylon climbing rope) to that sheet metal front tow-loop, had a
friend in Hector to help, and we charged off the end of the plywood planks
at speed pulling Hector with my heavy recovery vehicle. Got Hector back on
firm ground, but just at the last of the deep sand, that Goldline snapped -
- Twang! - - lucky it didn't take out the windshield!

I'd say based on that experience that the afore-mentioned tow loop is strong
enough for most recovery purposes. Sure, that rope had been long retired,
but still, 7/16" nylon is strong stuff! The shortened pieces of rope have
been stored away for future abuse.

Gary


Date:    Wed, 25 May 2011 23:43:25 -0600
> From:    miguel pacheco <mundopacheco@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Place to mount shackles?
>
> Back to reality.....Mr Squirrel has made it pretty clear just how
> aggressive
> he intends to get. Clearly that 'sheet metal' is adequate for his needs. I
> can safely guess that most of the people on this list will find that front
> loop more than adequate. I don't know just where I might fall into a 'study
> group,' if one ever was created, but I can safely state, judging by this
> conversation, that I've tested this little loop more than enough to have a
> damned good opinion of what it can do. I've used it and never wondered what
> it's limitations were. I've just put it to work and it has never failed.
> Not
> like a damned fool, tearing away, shocking the works and so on. That's how
> you break anything. In any case, I've pulled many embarrassed 3/4 ton pick
> em up trucks out of the snow banks, with my little old Syncro, over the
> last
> 25 yrs in Colorado....with that little loop in the front. So here is my
> science. Go and try to break it........I have.
> Miguel
>
> Controversial, revolutionary signature line removed as requested........
>
>