Tow Straps on Sale at Princess Auto

[Alltornup]

Just to let everyone know that Princess Auto has 4"x30' Tow Straps on sale for $22.22, limit 4 per customer.

[Rubi03 jef]

these arnt the good ones .. those dont have  a load rating

[Alltornup]

20000lb capacity, 6500 working load.  Good enough for me

[Waytec]

I do believe the ones at Modern are cheaper every day, and if you are getting a big enough order they will throw them in.

[FiEND]

if you are using them as tow straps, that's fine... price is meh.

just hope you aren't confusing them with recovery straps... there is a big difference.

[Waytec]

Tow strap is for towing. when the vehicle is not stuck. the strap has very low if any at elasticity in it. A recovery strap will expand when pulled on giving you the needed pull to get you out. If you pull on a Tow strap like a recovery strap it can fail. The same goes for a tree saver. They are not a recovery strap and a recovery strap is not a tree saver.

[boggincj7]

My experience with those TOW straps is it's like pulling with chains. Tow and recovery straps are definetly different. Mind you in a pince it will work.

[AMCJeep]

The straps on sale at Princess Auto have no hooks like a tow strap therefore they should really be classed as a recovery strap. They don't have the elasticity that say an Ericson strap does but like stated should work in a pinch for someone on a budget.

Good find

[FiEND]

not all tow straps have hooks.
they should be classed as tow straps, not recovery straps
if someone is on such a budget in this sport that they cannot afford a $50 snatch strap, get the hell away from me and my friends.

[lizard230]

thxs bud for letting me know i went and picked some up yesterday 

[Mudhawg]

i thought these would be a great idea... not so much, they dont withstand the preasure of getting yanked out with mine broke first try

[Evil-Jeep]

I have used a few of these in the past.... my experience, they are not recovery straps; however, I currently have 2 that have been used a few times on the jeep for simple pulling out usually for when someone is high centered. I have had one fail while pulling out a 79 ford, 3/4 ton on 44's, 460 ci, and a load of heavy extras, it failed because the person doing the pulling took a substantial run at pulling the truck out of mud that was to the top of the hood. The nice thing is that it was a simple break no decapitating whip back, if you happened to be sitting on top of the strap in a bikini you may have had some minor rope burn but would have walked away with all your limbs intact.

for $20 it's not bad to have one, just remember you pay for what you get and a $20 strap is going to have limitations, so use it carefully.

[WhiteOut]

While I can't speak for all the members, when I lead a run I want people to show up with recovery/snatch straps. This is usually one of the mandatory requirements on club runs. These are not recovery/snatch straps and while I won't mind of you have one, you have to have the correct gear as well.

If one of your tow straps breaks during a recovery and hurts someone, do you want to be responsible for that, plus the financial cost that will be associated with it?

[JackstandJohnny]

if you are using a tow strap, its to tow. not pull.  the only way it'd work on a recovery is someone is BARELY stuck, and you can gently snug the strap up and  pull. LIKE TOWING a vehicle.  you take any sort of run on these and they break... these are NOT recovery straps.

a recovery strap works quite simply. and effectively.  they have a certain elasticity in the strap, so when you take a 'run' at pulling someone out, it doesn't just snap right away. it expands, and creates an elasticity within the strap.  this elasticity is what ends up getting someone out. ever wonder why in an extraction, right afte that initial jolt the stuck vehicle comes out? its because the elasticity of the strap works with the forward momentum of the pulling vehicle to literally slingshot or yank the stuck vehicle out. its not much and its quick, but its the main difference between the strap snapping and falling to the ground (like tow straps)  or getting someone unstuck. 

this is also the reason when i yank someone out, i use my strap. its old; its used. its rated to 30k and i've reefed on it. its a high quality strap, and its like an elastic band ready to yank someone out

[Evil-Jeep]

agreed.... tow strap = "I wasn't sure how deep it was, so I stayed on the edge and lost traction" Recover strap = "I just closed my eyes and hit the gas"


J/K

In all seriousness, Shackles and hooks should all have a load rating stamped on them. Is there an easy way to look at a tow or recovery strap and tell 1) which it is and 2) its load rating?

There could probably be a whole course on this and when/how to use each type of recovery gear.