| Author | Message | ||
| Bill Keller (Busnut104)
Registered Member Username: Busnut104 Post Number: 7 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 71.31.79.249 Rating: N/A |
I have a chance to buy a 1" Double Braided Nylon Rope, type used for anchor or dockline. Is this heavy enough and is this the type some of you are using like a bungy to unstuck you bus. | ||
| Douglas Wotring (Tekebird)
Registered Member Username: Tekebird Post Number: 135 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 71.59.75.212 Rating: N/A |
way to small for a bus | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 255 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.105.217 Rating: |
Huh. Get a long enough piece and get the tow vehicle up to about 40 mph, and when you get to the end of that "bungy" it oughta' toss the tow vehicle back through the bus windshield at about 25 mph backwards... Buy a heavy duty chain, one made for logging or construction vehicles. Youse has got a piece of heavy equipment! | ||
| larry currier (Larryc)
Registered Member Username: Larryc Post Number: 55 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 207.200.116.13 Rating: N/A |
Get the real thing. Its made by Keeper Corp especially for a 30,000 lb bus or truck. It cost $115.00 or less. You can't break it and you will fall in love with it as soon as you use it. Its called a vehicle recovery strap and the part # is 02963. Go to keepercorp.com and click on the black Toyota. Unlike a chain you can tow anything and never jerk. It works kinda like John said! | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 256 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.106.149 Rating: N/A |
"you can tow anything -and never jerk-." Good grief, Larry. What if he has to tow me? | ||
| larry currier (Larryc)
Registered Member Username: Larryc Post Number: 56 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 207.200.116.13 Rating: N/A |
John,... Like you said...thru the windshield! | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
Registered Member Username: Drdave Post Number: 741 Registered: 5-2005 Posted From: 72.189.203.211 Rating: N/A |
Whiplash... It's a killer... You want a positive pull not a bungee cord. If it breaks what else gets injured, damaged or killed in the ensueing whiplash..... Ever watch Mythbusters? | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1865 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.85.33 Rating: |
Bill, http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=2484.0 http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=2324.0 Read all the above posts before you make your decision. If somebody posts and they have not actually tried it, please ignore their advice. Notice H3Jim's post in the above. He has actually tried it. 1 inch is what I used, and many others that went to the sand dunes at Glamis used the same. . My bus is over 40,000 pounds and I retrieved it several times from the sand. Actually three stranded which allows you to weave in an eyelet is best. It absolutely must be the soft nylon, not polypropylene. The flat straps pretty well proved useless in the sand. They are a tow strap, not a snatch strap. Richard (Message edited by drivingmisslazy on March 20, 2007) (Message edited by drivingmisslazy on March 20, 2007) | ||
| Ed Jewett (Kristinsgrandpa)
Registered Member Username: Kristinsgrandpa Post Number: 300 Registered: 2-2003 Posted From: 64.24.212.29 Rating: N/A |
Bill, Richard's advise is correct. It has been a well known fact for years that this works. While in the Navy we were told that the nylon ropes, used to tie up ships, would stretch 400% before breaking. They stretch like a bungee cord. There are commercially made straps (for smaller vehicles) that do the same thing. One in particular that I remember is called a "Snatch-em Strap". Ed | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1866 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.85.33 Rating: N/A |
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=2324.0 This is the other link that is clickable (I hope) Richard | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 298 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
If you are going to use a chain, you will need a BIG tow vehicle with good low speed control. Since you will most likely have to call a tow service with a BIG tow truck, let them provide the chain. The nylon rope uses momentum of a smaller vehicle to put a gradually applied & increasing pull on the stuck vehicle. Not much for the faint of heart the first time you do it. BTW, I've seen chains & ropes break. Lots less damage from the broken rope than from a broken chain (with similar loads). YMMV | ||
| Douglas Wotring (Tekebird)
Registered Member Username: Tekebird Post Number: 136 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 71.59.75.212 Rating: N/A |
Best not to drive somewhere where you will get stuck. | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
Registered Member Username: Drdave Post Number: 742 Registered: 5-2005 Posted From: 72.189.203.211 Rating: |
The answer is given with experience. You should pretty well have an idea on how much tension that you can apply without breaking the rope. Many times the trick is to apply the minimum force needed to get the tension up to assist the vehicle that you are trying to move. All without actually needing a vehicle that is equally massive or larger to literally snatch the stuck one out. I once pulled a 1962 Dodge school bus with a 1972 Ford Pinto 4-cyl with 3spd for over 30 miles in stop and go traffic with a 50 foot 6-twist nylon marine rope. Run out until the momentum starts to transfer, ease up and let the rope do the work until you get things moving. Then it's not too bad.. Just laying on the power until something breaks is what we all want to avoid. Whether it's the tow vehicle or some part of the bus being towed. I have been stuck so many times that to me it's a normal everyday way of life. Being prepared is the name of the game. | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 299 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
RE: Best not to drive somewhere where you will get stuck. Well yeah, of course that is generally good advice, but sometimes, things happen beyond one's ability to plan for. Unexpected rain can make some campsites difficult to leave. Like Drdave said, working smart & being prepared makes for an easier trip. | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1867 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.85.33 Rating: N/A |
"Best not to drive somewhere where you will get stuck." Better stay away from the sand dunes at Pismo Beach or Glamis or Buttercup then. I really do not know anyone who has gone there on somewhat of a regular basis that has never been stuck at least once. LOL Richard | ||
| larry currier (Larryc)
Registered Member Username: Larryc Post Number: 57 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 207.200.116.13 Rating: N/A |
Guys, the Keepers Recovery Strap is the same thing. Not everyone has the time to make their own out of ropes. If you need one and you have to buy one all the 4WD shops sell them. I have the next to largest one and have had it chained to a semi on one end and chained to a tree on the other. (Logging). Unlike a chain or belt, they are bad about throwing off whatever you put on them for a safety brake. | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1868 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.85.33 Rating: N/A |
Many have tried the flat tow strap and they work great for towing. They are not however the same thing as the nylon line snatch type line that stretches very significantly (per Ed Jewett 400%) and it is very different than the Keepers Recovery Strap. Again, I caution everyone to be very cautious about advice from any one posting that has not actually used one of these lines. Richard | ||
| Muddog16 (Muddog16)
Registered Member Username: Muddog16 Post Number: 334 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 4.224.189.63 Rating: N/A |
DrDave....LOL Mythbusters, I love that show, they show exactly how "NOT" to do something! We have a pool to see who takes themselves out first (we hope its not the cute redhead)! Great show DrDave!  | ||
| Muddog16 (Muddog16)
Registered Member Username: Muddog16 Post Number: 335 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 4.224.189.63 Rating: N/A |
Now in all seriousness, while in the military we used steel cable to pull 57ton tanks from swamps and soft ground "whip lash is a real threat" the longer the cable the more chance of that happening! Pulling from a distance where you can get traction is a good idea and works! Always inspect your tow ropes or lifting straps for tears! You only get one chance at life don't screw it up by getting in a hurry! If you don't know what your doing call for professional help(note here, just because the guy drives a tow truck doesn't mean he knows what he's doing!) If your going to drive a 40,000 lb monster do some research yourself! | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 257 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.106.123 Rating: N/A |
Ya'know... The odd part of all this, is that there's a big difference between "towing" a bus, and pulling a bus out of a stuck position. If you call for a wrecker, they're going to winch it out, not pull it out (possibly damaging their tow vehicle's drive train), and either a chain or cable winch will be used. Hey, we all try things to save a few bucks.... All well and good. Maybe the "rope" will do fine, just as those that have used it, say it does. And a cable used with a winch might be fine as well, if the cable's the right size for the enormous amount of weight resistance that will be applied.... Me? I'd still prefer a good ol' logging chain. If it breaks, it falls flat to the ground instead of whipping at your head. But then, I don't have a vehicle that has a drive train that can withstand that much exertion, to even attempt to "yank" a stuck bus out of sand. The couple hundred spent for a tow truck winching, is still cheaper than my vehicle's transmission. To each their own.... | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 300 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
RE: Me? I'd still prefer a good ol' logging chain. If it breaks, it falls flat to the ground instead of whipping at your head. That has NOT been my experience when a logging chain breaks. The damn things can shoot back like a rocket! A rope or strap has lots of internal friction that helps dissipate the stored internal energy that is released when it breaks. A chain has almost no internal friction to dissipate energy. I lost a class mate in HS when they were trying to get a stuck jeep out of the mud. When the chain broke, it went thru the back of his head. Of course they were not doing it properly - someone died. After seeing what happened, I doubt a rope or strap failure would have been fatal. I ain't a big fan of exceeding the safe load capacity of any rope, cable, or chain. But if I have to be around when that happens, I prefer rope over chain. But that's just my opinion & I base it on experience & physics. YMMV (Message edited by kyle4501 on March 21, 2007) | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 258 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.105.65 Rating: N/A |
"when a logging chain breaks. The damn things can shoot back like a rocket! " I've seen a chain break when they were trying to pull a loaded Oshkosh transit mix out of the muddy bottom of an excavation site..... And, I've seen (and had) chain fall breaks while pulling engines. The chain never whipped one iota in either case)s_, it simply fell to the ground. The chain fall end didn't go through the roof, it hung like a limp snake from the fall pulley.... An elasticized strap however, will indeed whip back. BTDT. Do whatever... Just don't be in direct line of the frikkin things, chain, rope, or otherwise. | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 301 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
If you want to see a good way to retrieve a stuck vehicle, look at how a Russian Tank was recovered from a lake after 50 Years: http://englishrussia.com/?p=299 Now, that looks like they knew what to do & brought the right stuff to the party. Notice the size of cables they used! Not to mention the 68 ton dozer! | ||
| Jim Stewart (H3jim)
Registered Member Username: H3jim Post Number: 282 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 68.6.175.166 Rating: N/A |
For safety sake when pulling out with a chain or rope, the best thing is to put the chain rope through a tire. That way if it breaks, the tire pulls it down to to the ground, and disspates the energy. Antoher option is to at least put your jacket over the chain / rope. big safety improvement, small effort / cost. |
