** PICS ADDED** How can you tell the difference between...

[93BLAZER]

A tow strap and a recovery strap? I know the recovery strap is designed to "stretch". Long story short, I picked up two nearly new "tow straps" at a garage sale for 10 bucks! As what the guy sold them as. They look entirely different. No labels. No tags. One is about 20 feet long, yellow and kinda stiff. The second, about 30 feet long about 3 or 4 inch very thick flat webbing. It is not atidf, very flexable. Both have loops at each end.

Any ideas? I would like to use one as a winch extension.

 

[opie]

Can you post a picture?

Nylon will tend to be a little softer than polyester. And nylon is what you want in your recovery (snatch) strap.

You could also hook them up, pull on them to a predetermined distance and see which one stretches the most. The nylon should stretch a good deal more than the polyester. Noticeably more.

There is the flame test... Nylon burns differently than polyester.. But I doubt youd want to flame test a good strap.

 

[93BLAZER]

Thanks for the feedback. Ill post some pics. Good idea. Might make it a litte easier to assist, right?

Stand by for pics (in the AM)

Many thanks!

 

[off-roader]

A tow strap and a recovery strap? I know the recovery strap is designed to "stretch". Long story short, I picked up two nearly new "tow straps" at a garage sale for 10 bucks! As what the guy sold them as. They look entirely different. No labels. No tags. One is about 20 feet long, yellow and kinda stiff. The second, about 30 feet long about 3 or 4 inch very thick flat webbing. It is not atidf, very flexable. Both have loops at each end.

Any ideas? I would like to use one as a winch extension.

IMHO, I'd sell them at your next garage sale or on craighlist/eBay and get a proper recovery strap... Even a relatively inexpensive ProComp strap with a known performance rating (although it doesn't really stretch) is better than a strap without a known rating.

Using those is essentially playing Russian roulette and someone could be seriously or even mortally injured. Alternatively they could strike your rig and majorly damage it... Or it could work fine... I dont know about you, but I'm not willing to take that risk with family and friends I wheel with...

 

[PNWDad]

Use them as yanking straps! If they break, they break. There not cable, but yes they still can kill you. When using them, just like every strap you use, throw a weighted bag/heavy coat over them in case they snap. This will help keep the strap from swining out, sometimes.

I go through so many straps every year I have to use garage sale ones just to keep up. Straps break down, wear out very quickly. Always have some in reserve.

 

[Eventhough]

Use them as yanking straps! If they break, they break. There not cable, but yes they still can kill you. When using them, just like every strap you use, throw a weighted bag/heavy coat over them in case they snap. This will help keep the strap from swining out, sometimes.

I go through so many straps every year I have to use garage sale ones just to keep up. Straps break down, wear out very quickly. Always have some in reserve.

Yup, straps do break and they can kill so why chance it?

Post up some pics so we can see what ya got. I'm betting they are a generic Harbor Freight / Northland / Wal-Mart strap if there are no markings.

If we can't determine any better information I'd suggest you keep them for work around the yard like dragging a tree, etc. When you start snatching a vehicle you get major dynamic forces involved - not good juju to play with.

 

[Storz]

Brother in law lost a friend back in highschool due to a TOW strap breaking because he (brother in law was not present) was using it for recovery, the hook came through the windshield and killed him. It's worth the $$ for a proper recovery strap.

 

[Boz]

Brother in law lost a friend back in highschool due to a TOW strap breaking because he (brother in law was not present) was using it for recovery, the hook came through the windshield and killed him. It's worth the $$ for a proper recovery strap.

Which is why you never use straps with hooks. OP said both of his straps have looped ends, no hooks.

 

[Eventhough]

Which is why you never use straps with hooks. OP said both of his straps have looped ends, no hooks.

Straps with hooks in and of themselves are not totally a bad thing if used properly and in the right situation - it is when they are used improperly and/or they break - which is why most (including me) recommend not to use them. Most people that I've run across doing recoveries don't know what they are doing and are not safe. A hook is open and if a breakage occurs than extra bad things happen such as the hook end comes loose and instead of just having a strap whipping towards you, you now have a metal projectile. If a strap breaks with a D-shackle (closed) on the end you should only have the strap recoiling and not the metal shackle on the end also.

I will save money (read: be cheap) some places, but with recovery gear I will not cheap out.

I've attempted to help with recoveries and correct very unsafe recovery techniques before when others would not listen. Then I get away fast - it is amazing what I've seen before...

 

[93BLAZER]

IMHO, I'd sell them at your next garage sale or on craighlist/eBay and get a proper recovery strap... Even a relatively inexpensive ProComp strap with a known performance rating (although it doesn't really stretch) is better than a strap without a known rating.

Using those is essentially playing Russian roulette and someone could be seriously or even mortally injured. Alternatively they could strike your rig and majorly damage it... Or it could work fine... I dont know about you, but I'm not willing to take that risk with family and friends I wheel with...

Damn.. These things look practically brand new.

 

[off-roader]

Damn.. These things look practically brand new.

I wouldn't use a fresh from the factory harbor freight/pep boys type strap for anything but towing a vehicle. Definitely not for any kind of vehicle recovery.

 

[Eventhough]

Damn.. These things look practically brand new.

Post some pics with a ruler beside the strap so we can judge thickness and also note the # of plies.

A tow strap (static pulls) is much safer than a recovery strap (dynamic pulls). Whole 'nother ball game with safety. They might look nice but looks don't mean diddly when it comes to the safety of recovery equipment.

 

[93BLAZER]

The first pic is the smaller, shorter rope. Its in pretty good shape. Is this a TOW or RECOVERY rope?

Second pic is 3 or 4 inches thick. Better shape. TOW or RECOVERY?

Which one would be better to use as an "extension" on my winch? I have a M12000 mounted on my rig with a Shackle (?) instead of a WARN hook.

 

[Eventhough]

The first strap by Lift All is a sling and designed for lifting. I don't know the conversion, or if there is a suitable formula, to convert from lifting rating to pulling rating. Think of it this way - if a strap breaks that is towing a vehicle the vehicle stops being towed, if a sling breaks that is lifting a person the person falls!

It's model # is 4EE2-802D which means
4 = ? (appears hand written)
EE = Type 3 & 4
2 = 2 plies
8 = Webmaster 1600 or Tuff-Edge II
02 = sling width in inches
D = polyester

More info is available on Lift All's webpage in their slings catalog at http://www.lift-all.com/images/pdfs/WebSlings10-28-10.pdf, check out page 11. This is not a recovery strap and not made to stretch.

Was there a tag on the second strap?

 

[93BLAZER]

Was there a tag on the second strap?

Nope. Nothing.

Great info on the first strap. I guess it would not hurt to use it as a "Tow Strap". I guess if it breaks, then oh well. No one would get hurt if it snaps as it would just fall on the ground... right?

Or I could use the first strap to hook on my winch to.... lets say... a tree, as an anchor. Right?