hilift come along with straps vs chain?

trae

Adventurer
Hey folks, I'm wondering if there is an option to use hilift or a farm jack with straps rather than chains? I'm already carrying a tow strap and a tree protector; I'm not gonna carry any chain. But I can't visualize how repositioning would be done with straps. Is it even possible?
 
It makes for a long hard day with plenty of opportunity to hurt yourself. Even a polyester 'tow' strap is still going to stretch about 5-10% plus whatever you are going to need just to take up the slack. Adjusting the length of the strap can be done by twisting it, but honestly, I wouldn't wish farm jack 'winching' on my worst enemy even with the best setup.
 
You should have at least two lengths of load chain with grab hooks... for the genius on a trail with no business there and therefore, no proper recovery points. (Or that one time the entire front bumper/winch mount ripped off the frame...)

Don't like long lengths of grade-100 chain? me either. I carry a spare 50-ft length of "plasma cable" or whatever you kids are calling it these days (Synthetic winch line). Super-light and very little stretch- no stored energy...

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Don't like long lengths of grade-100 chain? me either. I carry a spare 50-ft length of "plasma cable" or whatever you kids are calling it these days (Synthetic winch line). Super-light and very little stretch- no stored energy...

How do you re-rig/shorten the winch extension when using hilift as a come a long?
 
You can knot it to a shackle, or whatever else. The knot reduces the load capacity, but a hi-lift won't exceed this.
 
You can use the daisy chain technique with a rolled up magazine or a stick....



That is brilliant. Something that has to be practiced regularly though, I forgot it the second I closed the video. Though it seems very straightforward when watching said video.
 
That is brilliant. Something that has to be practiced regularly though, I forgot it the second I closed the video. Though it seems very straightforward when watching said video.
Daisy chaining is how i store lashing straps - you can practice with those. I had been doing this for 25 years but using this method for a rigging synthetic winch line had never occurred to me. Cool to see.
 
You can also use an X-Lock to shorten an extension cable.

Both the recommended "shortening" configuration of the XLock and the daisy chain have limits though - can't easily shorten it to less than 1/3 of its overall length.

Instead, use the X-Lock in "belay (lowering)" configuration but instead of holding the tail, lock it off around the X-Lock like you would do with a dock line on a cleat. That way, you can get most any length that you need.
 

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