Recovery Chain from Car Boot Sale

[RichardAllen]

I recently picked up a 30 foot odd recovery chain from a car boot sale. It is clearly used but looks quite serviceable. I have washed the mud off, dried it, oiled it and inspected for damage, and it is in pretty good condition, no obvious overstrain, or cracks.

Each link is 50mm x 35mm made of 10mm wire butt welded to form the loop. It has a hook on each end of the slotted type, so if fits well when looped back on itself and hooked between two links. The hook is painted yellow and attached to the chain with a free 10mm pin held in place with a rollpin. It has forged on it in raised letters 10 8 ACE AP25.

I intend using it for green-lane / expedition style recovery in conjunction with a Goodwinch TDS 9000lb and tree strops etc. It looks pretty chunky, and the guy I bought it from did not look like he was selling iffy copy stuff.

Can anyone tell me anything about this chain ? In particular, is there anything I should sensibly do before having to use it in anger ?

[disco_al]

IIRC it should have the safe working load stamped on it too

[GBMUD]

IMHO a chain has little or no place in off-road recovery. The main issue being that it is heavy and if used with other recovery materials which have stretch in them the chain can end up as a missile. I have seen it happen with shackles and a towball and IMHO it could be lethal. Don't use it.

I would suggest that chain might be OK used alone if you were using a tractor or similar to pull a car out of a ditch but not for off-road Landrover type recovery.

See this video for the destructive power of flying chain, OK it is slightly ramped up but not as different as you might imagine based on what I have seen.

Chris

[Milemarker Type S]

Sounds like a shortening chain- ideal for using with a high lift when using it as a 'winch' (the lack of stretch means that you do not lose any of the potential travel available.

As has been said I am not sure that use for winching with a vehicle mounted winch would be ideal- especially as you have no idea of its history. Also if you use for towing someone out again you have no stretch when the tension is applied which tends to give a snatch- not good for attachments etc.

[clbarclay]

If you don't know its history then could you not get it tested and certified. When I worked for a while at a comerical workshop all the lifting equipment was reguarly tested and ceretified like and MOT but IIRC they test them to to a load qyuite a bit higher than the SWL.

[FridgeFreezer]

The only real use I've seen for chains is either winching with a hi-lift (which you would very rarely if ever need to do) or for general lifting round the workshop.

They are heavy and cumbersome to carry in the truck and not much use for recovery as has been said, they have no stretch themselves and if you use them with something that does have a bit of stretch, it can end up as a missile.

[JST]

IMHO a chain has little or no place in off-road recovery.

Chris

For general recovery vehicle to vehicle i fully agree but shortening or choke Chains are ideal for ladder jack work as Simon mentions.

Sounds like a shortening chain- ideal for using with a high lift when using it as a 'winch' (the lack of stretch means that you do not lose any of the potential travel available.

[tacr2man]

Chain is useful to use where a strop/strap could get cut , and for attaching to a vehicle where proper points are not available , it does not become a missile if attatched at the dead end of a winch cable and not used as a choke on the cable hook i.e only as open loop . Like all kit its how you use it that is more important JMHO

[JST]

How do you know which is the dead end of a winch cable?

[ltwt1981]

We generally ban chains for recovery.

Only use for me is to attach your winch vehicle to a tree or similar but we always use a wide strop for this to avoid tree damage as much as possible.

[BogMonster]

How do you know which is the dead end of a winch cable?

It's the end that isn't parked in your windscreen

[western]

Chains can be used as a attachment to the casualty vehicle, instead of using stops/shackles, I often use my 2 leg chain brothers or 15ft shortening chains to attach to axles if no other strong point is available, just be wary of brakelines that could be crushed while winching as the chain takes up it's working position.

& it's already been said good for using with a hi-lift for short pull winch jobs.

[Mo Murphy]

I'd be inclined to steer well clear of any recovery involving a chain !

Mo

[muddy]

They are very good for situations where you want a very finite control eg straightening bodywork or doing a recovery where the vehicles are extremley mismatched, such as a tractor pulling a clio off a grass verge as you can feel exactly whats going on.

I would not use it in winching with a reasonable load OR anytype of recovery where the mobile vehicle may lose traction.

Will.

[western]

if it's not snatched loaded then it's as safe as any other connection method.

found this in a motorsport recovery book I have

for attaching bridle to the front, or rear of a car, is to use a 12 foot length of 3/8" grade 80 chain with a grab hook at each end. This allows both for a margin of adjustment and ease of attachment to the stranded vehicle. If the winch rope is terminated with a third grab hook, this permits the pull to be biased to one side or the other. Using a grab hook on the end of a winch rope also has the advantage that, if one end of the bridle lets go, the chain is more likely to remain coupled to the winch. The use of a plain hook or shackle may allow the chain to run through and lose the car, most embarrassing for all concerned. Other operators often use a "set of brothers" for vehicle attachment. This consists of a master link (large oval) with two or more equal length slings attached to it. These are commonly terminated in plain hooks, and sometimes also have shortening clutches attached to the master link. The shortening clutches allow the length of each leg to be varied, permitting a bias of pull to one side. When fixing either a grab or plain hook to an axle, it is important to feed it over the axle first and then back on to itself. In this manner, should the winch rope become slack, the hook will still remain around the chain rather than hanging loosely.

also use the brothers to attach to the cars suspension strong points if the vehicle is 'on it's roof' much easier than having your strops damaged when the car gets to the wheels down normal position.

[freeagent]

i'm used to using chains for lifting at work, today we picked up a refrigeration plant weighing almost 13 tonnes.. for a recovery where the chain isn't going to be subject to shock loading i think it'd be usefull, and as safe as a strop or rope.

I'd steer well clear of using it as a 'tow rope' but for fine control when moving things (or winching with a high-lift) it could be handy.

[bishbosh]

A shortening chain is extremely useful when you don't have an anchor point in quite the right place - you use the chain to position a snatch block on the line you want with the winch rope going to a second (off line) anchor point.

The small adjustments to the length of the chain are ideal for getting the snatch block just right.

Used like this I see no problem with it - the chain has a strop and a tree on one end and a snatch block and a shackle on the other. If the chain breaks the snatch block will be contained by the winch rope and the tree should take care of the other end.

Just my 2p.

[RichardAllen]

Brilliant help as always. I note the dangers of flying chain, which recall my merchant navy distant past and training on the dangers of stretchy stuff springing back, with, or without heavy metal bits (bitts !) attached.

My intended use was definitely for positioning snatch blocks, and attaching a winching vehicle to something solid, rather than have it as a winch rope extension. I am looking forward to doing a full day's recovery course at some point soon, which will help all round.

It would have saved a lot of hassle when we were pulling out tree stumps with a hi-lift earlier in the year too.

Does anyone know what the markings on the hooks mean ?

Thanks again to all

Regards

Richard

[western]

looking forward to doing a full day's recovery course at some point soon,

Richard --- Where ?

[Guest WALFY]

Do you need a course as well then Ralph

[western]

Nope, my AMRO training is agreed with MSA for the requirement I need to meet, just interested in other training schemes/courses for vehicle recovery.

[streaky]

Here's a couple of pictures showing why I find chains invaluable for some recoveries.

As Ralph has already mentioned they shouldn't be used in snatch recoveries but you try fixing an expensive recovery strap to a rolled vehicle that needs pulling off of the racing line in a hurry! There are plenty of sharp edges to cut a strap, where as a chain can be threaded through any part of the chassis rail without fear of being damaged.

I always keep a chain in my recovery arsenal. They are very safe to use if you know what you are doing.

[RichardAllen]

Richard --- Where ?

Western,

I have in mind Whitecliff 4x4.

http://www.whitecliff4x4.co.uk/

I did an excellent full day driving course there a while ago, so I want to do the follow-up. I think they call it Full Day 4x4 Extreme (so maybe it's painted orange !!)

[RichardAllen]

On the subject of snatch recoveries, I do not have a kinetic rope, and having seen David Bowyer's instruction video a few times, I am content to leaving this technique alone until I have done a proper course and got the badge.

In the meantime, I do have a non-kinetic tow rope plush winch and bow rope to help get me out of the odd green-laning trouble spot.

[Guest WALFY]

I don't have a problem with kinetic ropes. As long as the people using them know how to use it properly and understand the consequences of taking shortcuts.

They are not a black art and should not be shied away from. As usefull as a chain in the correct circumstances