Advice on tow ropes

[Aggieturbo]

As i can't afford a winch I thought it might be useful to have a rope in the back of the truck, in case some kind person wants to help me out if i get stuck! What length is useful (apparently 4 metres is the legal maximum for road towing)? Is it worth getting anything other than that? Can i connect multiples of 4 metres together? What tonnage should it be capable of pulling, bearing in mind the vehicle is likely to be 2 tonnes standing, but could well exert more load if it gets stuck. What materials do they come in?

Thanks.

[Divster]

As i can't afford a winch I thought it might be useful to have a rope in the back of the truck, in case some kind person wants to help me out if i get stuck! What length is useful (apparently 4 metres is the legal maximum for road towing)? Is it worth getting anything other than that? Can i connect multiples of 4 metres together? What tonnage should it be capable of pulling, bearing in mind the vehicle is likely to be 2 tonnes standing, but could well exert more load if it gets stuck. What materials do they come in?

Thanks.

The maximum bumper to bumper distance between vehicles towing/ being towed must not exceed 4.5m, and if the rope or chain is longer than 1.5m, it must be made clearly visible so as to assist other road users but the law does not define exactly what 'clearly visable' is!!

[Night Train]

Obviously length is less of an issue off road when you are stuck while playing.

The stuff I have is all from playing off road about 20 years back and is a set of polypropelene 25mm ropes. These are dead ropes that don't stretch so only used for pulling not snatching.

Mine are:

One at 1.5m (to use as a bridle on the vehicle or around a tree,

Two at 3m, two at 4m,

One at 6m,

And one at 10m long.

I also had two 50mm rated webbing straps at 4m long but lost one.

I also have a set of rated lifting shackles from 4 ton to 25 ton (just cos).

I have a selection of huge pulley blocks that would take 25mm rope that I can use to change the direction of pull if needed. These are rated at 15-25 tons and so even given they are old and untested they are not going to give up on me.

I used to carry a two leg chain sling that was 1.5m long and rated at 4 ton for... dunno, never used it off road.

I join the ropes by feeding feading each through the eye of the other so there are no mechanical bits in the rope.

To do this make sure all your ropes have an eye platted in each end. Take the eye on rope one and feed the eye on rope two through it. then take the other end of rope one and feed it though this eye of rope two. Pull snug so the two eyes looks like a reef knot. Place a bit of round wood in the middle of the two eyes so that they can't tighten. This joins two ropes together. Try to use whole ropes where possible and protect the ropes if there is any chance of chaffing.

To do this I have some waste leather that has been sewn into 3-4" diameter tubes about 1-2' long to slide over the ropes to protect them.

Of course you can get 8 strand nylon rope which is 'live'. This means that it stretches and can be used to 'snatch'. It is known as Kenetic Energy Recovery Rope (KERR). I know how to use it safely but someone else will come along who will tell you that bit.

My stuff is seriously out of date now and if I was going off road I would get all new again. In the meantime it is still useful for moving and shifting trees, logs and stone gateposts and window sills (and the occasional safe) with a 500kg hand winch.

[Bull Bar Cowboy]

For offroad use ............... then buy an 8 metre yellow strop .................and a couple of tested shackles (minimum 3.25T)

For Road use ............... a portable solid bar tow...................... or just double the yellow tow strop..........

Ian

[andyb]

I've got a Kenetic rope (KERR). It's my 'weapon' of choice for general off-road recovery. The trick is to use only just enough momentum....which usually means building up slowly rather than a full throttle recovery attempt at the first go. I have seen some hideous KERR useage at play days and there are many reported 'accidents' with KERR useage. IMHO most of this is down to mis-use and insuffient recovery point security. I only use a KERR (on an unknown vehicle at a play day etc) if I am happy with the recovery point and I explain to the driver what is going to happen.

You don't have to use the kenetic bit of a KERR, you can just recover someone with it; but never use it to actually tow anyone on or off the road.

A proper 'dead' rope if a good place to start and get it from an off road accesory supplier not Half*rds!

HTH

[Night Train]

If in doubt, don't use KERR's on a recovery. Low flying, high speed, recovery points and cross members tend to really ruin your day.

A good dead rope pull usually does the trick especially if you have the length to allow the recovery vehicle, or two, to get onto good ground. Alternatively I have used a solid vehicle base with wheel chocks and dead ropes to hand winch a vehicle out that wouldn't tow out. Often the slow pull of a winch will break suction in deep mud that a straight tow can't.