Logging Chains

[GenXer]

No matter how strong your rope, strap, chain cable is when attached to a drop hitch you are flirting with danger,

There is a reason drawbars are straight

Drawbars are a single piece of steel. The welds on a drop hitch creates the weak point from the uneven heat when welding.

It's expensive to heat treat the entire hitch after welding and I doubt that it actually is done.

 

[Bill G]

Drawbars are a single piece of steel. The welds on a drop hitch creates the weak point from the uneven heat when welding.

It's expensive to heat treat the entire hitch after welding and I doubt that it actually is done.

That was my point.

 

[northmanlogging]

Of course there are exceptions to everything but you won't convince me that using steel anything is a better option than nylon (or better yet a kinetic rope) for recovery. The stretch is what helps prevent damage of attachment points, frames, etc.
If your hitch broke with a nylon attached to it it would have taken less with a chain or a cable. Attachment points matter. That's not a dig on you because sometimes you have to use what is available. I've broken hitches also. It isn't pretty. I've got an old 2.5" straight hitch under my back seat for such purposes. No ball - shackle thru the hole.


Some damage is allowed but very little, assuming you are talking lifting equipment not yarding or logging. ASME B.30.20 is very specific and does not leave much for interpretation. Some nylon lifting slings have a different colored stitching within that if exposed must be removed from service. Slings with damaged or cut exterior stitching on the sides is another failure.
Wire rope criteria is kinda all over the place and depends on the type. Generally it's 10 wires in a lay or 5 in the same strand in one lay. Again type matters. Kinking, crushing, or bird caging is an automatic fail. Ain't no splicing back together of any lifting device by the end user for lifting slings. Some manufacturers will make repairs depending on severity of damage but they must be proof tested 3x weight rating and a new tag affixed. Usually just cheaper to toss and buy new. Again, this is for lifting service, I think the lines are being blurred here a little.
View attachment 1090987View attachment 1090989View attachment 1090990View attachment 1090991View attachment 1090992

I admit there are differences between what logging can get away with vs overhead lifting, though I'd say overhead lifting folks are more then a little paranoid (justifiably I guess but still paranoid)

A few locals my uncle included have winches for their tractors now to get to stuff, 100 ft of cable on the winch plus a chain for the choker.
Cable clamps work fine on cable, just remember to never saddle a dead horse so they're on the right way.
I have a lot of rigging training/experience and use cable straps at work but will stick to cheap chains for yarding as they work fine and I have them already.
I've been in the basket of a crane quite a bit to get to parts of the plant I run like pictured above.

Cable clamps are terrible, especially if used by themselves. Learn to do a Flemish Eye splice, sometimes called a Farmers Eye, demonstrably one of the easiest splices to learn, and ironically despite the name stronger by far then any other eye splice, especially if secured with a ferrule or a couple of cable clamps (cause the dead ends are left ragged and will get caught on stuff, then unravel... which is bad m kay)

 

[northmanlogging]

for context, the hitch that broke and took out the dumb truck... the lock pin sheared sent the whole damned insert flying 2" tubing, 2-5/16 ball, and the 4' of 3/8 chain.
And yes cable or chain would of broke stuff just as fast, but it wouldn't have sent the hitch flying.

 

[sean donato]

Cables and chain both get sent flying when they break, cable is one of the worst, overhead or straight pull, doesn't matter, the stored energy when under load is huge. There are loads of examples of winches, straps, chains and cables flying apart and doing damage.

 

[northmanlogging]

Cables and chain both get sent flying when they break, cable is one of the worst, overhead or straight pull, doesn't matter, the stored energy when under load is huge. There are loads of examples of winches, straps, chains and cables flying apart and doing damage.

again, air filled tires, not to mention did you notice the #$%(((IN nylon strap hooked to the "winch end" of the cable? keep in mind I regularly break cables under heavier loads then billies pickemup truck. Also note, that video is sponsored by the synthetic rope company they are shilling.
Pretty sure I poopooed in the comments of that video years ago
"sub sonic bullet" right... ok...

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I bet if I put all of my chains end to end, they would reach over 100 feet, but these blue "grade 100"'s stay on my loader tractor, for lifting,

I have a HEAVY grade 100 chain that must be 25 or more feet long, I use it "mostly" with my dozer.

SR

 

[sean donato]

again, air filled tires, not to mention did you notice the #$%(((IN nylon strap hooked to the "winch end" of the cable? keep in mind I regularly break cables under heavier loads then billies pickemup truck. Also note, that video is sponsored by the synthetic rope company they are shilling.
Pretty sure I poopooed in the comments of that video years ago
"sub sonic bullet" right... ok...

You keep thinking the way you think, and I'll remember fondly the next time were having 4 inch winch rope ultrasonic tested for integrity, when it fails and needs replaced that there are people that brag they regularly break cables and don't have a clue how dangerous they are.

 

[northmanlogging]

You keep thinking the way you think, and I'll remember fondly the next time were having 4 inch winch rope ultrasonic tested for integrity, when it fails and needs replaced that there are people that brag they regularly break cables and don't have a clue how dangerous they are.

its not a brag, its facts, synthetic rope stretches farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr more then wire ropes, that is a verifiable fact, being mr crane guy YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW THIS.
Not to mention WLL limits are different for wire rope then fiber ropes, because fiber ropes can be cut, abrade and do not hold up to heat, but lets not let facts get in the way.
All I'm saying repeatedly is that wire rope rebound is a wifes tale, again... its the load or the method of tension that causes wire rope to rebound, not necessarily the stretch in the rope itself, where as fiber ropes do stretch and have the potential to rebound farther and faster then wire ropes.
Don't believe me fine, look it up yourself, but do get past the marketing wank of folks like Amsteel and look at their actual specs vs wire ropes.

As for breaking cables, its logging, I don't take 3 days of set up to lift one object for 15 minutes, i hook and drag multi ton logs every couple minutes, if some thing hangs up, you don't always have time to stop and reverse either the cable breaks or the machine does a wheel stand, sometimes both. If its a yarder and the rope doesn't break... then it pulls the guys and you ride down the mountain in a multi ton death trap. there isn't 14 monkeys in blaze orange flapping their clipboards at every pebble that might be in my way, which makes it even more interesting that loggers are allowed to long or short splice ropes, in the field, without some OSHA moron getting all sweaty at the fist glimpse of a marlin spike.

 

[JRM]

being mr crane guy YOU SHOULD ALREADY KNOW THIS.

I feel like the lines are being blurred again here

which makes it even more interesting that loggers are allowed to long or short splice ropes, in the field, without some OSHA moron getting all sweaty at the fist glimpse of a marlin spike.

Like you said. It's logging. Nobody cares. If Billy Bob's half ass repair breaks dragging a log up a hill no big deal. Replace it and move on. If your stupid enough to be standing on the hospital side of Billy Bob's repair when it breaks, well, you just won the Darwin award.
Drop 60k lbs from 100ft in the air over a live chemical plant and the entire community is gonna care when you rupture tanks and lines full of chemicals and force the entire town to evacuate. This is an actual scenario for me on a regular basis. Different industries. Just because you haven't seen the reason why such rules exist don't mean they aren't legitimate.

 

[northmanlogging]

I feel like the lines are being blurred again here


Like you said. It's logging. Nobody cares. If Billy Bob's half ass repair breaks dragging a log up a hill no big deal. Replace it and move on. If your stupid enough to be standing on the hospital side of Billy Bob's repair when it breaks, well, you just won the Darwin award.
Drop 60k lbs from 100ft in the air over a live chemical plant and the entire community is gonna care when you rupture tanks and lines full of chemicals and force the entire town to evacuate. This is an actual scenario for me on a regular basis. Different industries. Just because you haven't seen the reason why such rules exist don't mean they aren't legitimate.

wait... now I don't remember who the crane guy is lol...
but yeah, the "risk" for collateral damage with logging isn't as bad as crane stuff, however... a lot of the rules surrounding wire rope came from the logging side, simply because loggers are hard on stuff (well really the damned trees are hard on stuff, they fight back you know...)

But yeah if yer dumb enough to stand in the bight, or under a suspended load, I feel you pretty much deserve whatever happens

Still though... don't waste yer money on cheap rigging i.e. harbor freight junk, drop some extra coin and get decent gear.

 

[user 122190]

Got Em. 20' each, not a link more or less. Bright and gleaming new. They look long all laid out. Going out Thursday and put them to use.

 

[user 122190]

Did the inventory, to see what I have. About 65' of 3/8 and a 1/4 inch chain of about 11 feet. And they all 3/8s hook together as expected. Also a four footer without a hook. Probably move a hook off one of the longer ones. Really only need a single hook per chain, especially for a short one as it is primarily as a choker.

 

[OM617YOTA]

I like the milk crates, need something like that for my chains and wedges. Right now it's all just piled on the floor next to my steel and lumber rack, kind of a pain.

 

[user 122190]

I like the milk crates, need something like that for my chains and wedges. Right now it's all just piled on the floor next to my steel and lumber rack, kind of a pain.

Get heavy duty ones. These chains are a load. I'd rather have a truck and store them in the bed. PITA to move them from the garage to the trailer for a day of cutting, but with the crates is manageable.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I put my chains in pails, at least the ones aren't on equipment, easy to use and easy to carry,

One of these days I'll line them all up and see what I got.

SR

 

[user 122190]

I put my chains in pails, at least the ones aren't on equipment, easy to use and easy to carry,

One of these days I'll line them all up and see what I got.

SR

I've a bunch of those plastic 5 gallon buckles. A bit heavy for them. These milk crates stack nicely is another plus.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have milk crates too, but the buckets seem to last longer for me. These are the better, "food grade" buckets, I like the handles for carrying one handed.

I just set one on/in the other to stack, works fine.

SR

 

[Mad Professor]

These have been in my Amazon cart for at least 4 years, waiting on a price drop. Once in the $80, then shot up and stayed up for years at $120+

I got them, finally...

Hours later they are now at $106. Looks like they dropped the price just for me....

View attachment 1090360

I was at a farm auction last month, a 60' recovery chain went for $30. I think it was 7/16 too

 

[fields_mj]

I store my chains in 50 cal ammo cans. I have different cans for different sizes. Ammo cans are the only thing durable enough that I've found where I don't destroy them in the first 24 months of use. I guess that's not true either. So long as I don't run over them with the tractor, they hold up pretty well...