Now the strap will adsorb some of it's own energy on the way back as well as loose some zing due to it's non-aerodynamic nature.
If it had been a chain breaking under that circumstance, it would probably have sent a link through the block.
I am curious about the straps that broke - and I hate how this hijack of the trip/pictures thread is taking up space - but safe recovery is such an important part of our collective hobby...
So, were these snatch straps or tow straps that broke and flew back for impact? Brand? Strap's fault or wear's fault or rigging fault?
Makes me start thinking of building a front grill out of catwalk material or something.
Those pictures are simply amazing. Post more please!
What was the vehicle total by model? I.e how many 40s, etc...?
What was the person total? Age range?
Other than the two straps - were there any additional recovery gear failures?
Mark W had mentioned possibly having a few 80s set up for rental for the trip for future years - any news on this? Do you have enough 80s up there? If not - maybe have people buy them down here, drive them up there for an event, sell them to you and fly back?
When is the sign up for 2011 going to get posted?
This is a truly epic thread - which is fitting.
Over a long distance, the strap will shed energy to air resistance. Rebounding straight back, not slinging in a circle... for a distance of 5 -10 feet... starting with in excess of 20,000 pounds of stored energy... it will not loose enough to matter.
A chain will not store the same amount of energy so even if it has more mass, it does not hit as hard.
The Rat prevented much more severe damage an likely injury when she stepped in as she arrived from further up the trail and saw that a steel shackle had been used to connect two lines. If she had not caught that, we might have been using the sat phone to call for a medivac when the first strap let go a couple minutes later. Maybe not... but I am glad we did not have to find out.
As to the questions about why the strap failed or if it was the correct strap... I am embarrassed enough that neither Charla or myself stepped in and made them use a beefier strap (Which I had handy in my rig) before they got started. But do you really think that we would have been letting them use a tow strap for this sort of full bore momentum based extraction? Or have let any other mis-rigging slip by? I would have said that no one on the Trek would mis-rig a strap anyway... but the close call with the shackle shows that folks can make mistakes. When you are more used to rock winch pulls than full throttle mud yanks, you bring a different perspective to the extraction sometimes.
The brand is unimportant I think. Any strap will fail if it is over stressed. These were not brand new straps and may have had some UV damage or slight abrasion/wear. But not to the point that most would have set them aside. In this situation it was just a matter of a mis-call on the amount of force being used to move the mired vehicle. A step up in the class of the strap, or a winch pull would have been the better answer. But these were experienced people performing a routine extraction method so we saw no need to make a call from the sidelines.
s*** happens. Sometimes it is just part of the game.
I agree about the grill protection. a rig that gets used the way ours do, need more than a plastic cover over the rad.
For the vehicle count and types... look at the group pics that have been posted (not the last day shot on the river, we had sent a couple of rigs on ahead at that point).
Age range 5-75... I was the only person riding solo and we had three people in a couple of the rigs. And 5 dogs... from 40lbs to 140lbs
Watch for an upcoming article in Trails from the Rat and I about the Trek for the full story and the best pics...
It will be truly Awesomer... maybe even Awesomerest... Promise!
If anyone wants to argue with me about our recovery methods... start a thread somewhere else please. I *might* join in.
The Next Trek is slated for next year at the moment... 2011. There will be a few rigs available for rental... details forthcoming later. After 2011, the commercial tour will take priority for me, but I hope to keep the Trek going separate from that.
If you want to by and bring a rig north for me to purchase from you... it will have to be the rig I want with the mods I want, at comparable cost to what I can procure and build myself... Probably not a winner for anyone considering it. But we could talk.
We have more Cruisers per-capita here than anywhere else in the US or Canada I think.
And if the Blue Moose does not give the nod to the deal, then I would have to turn you down.
He is a picky SOB.
Mark...
