Why a winch?

They stick out further too which turns some folks off to that mounting style.

Mine have all been bumper mounted-it's just a prop for photo ops though. And yes, get some actual instruction on how to use one; they can permanently maim or kill you if something goes wrong. Even most tow truck operators act like crack monkeys and do dangerous stuff like yanking with J hooks, pulling with frame keys (T hooks), etc.

 

F=ma

 

I certainly can't say I've ever used any of the rescue gear I purchased for the truck. I've gotten stuck before, but nothing that couldn't be handled by normal fairly low effort means.

I would imagine just like trucks in general, a lot of people have them more for appearance than anything.

 

Need to look at area under the curve (i.e. energy)

 

yeah, um, no.

‘energy’, or more specifically work, is a function of force over a distance...


it ain’t the diameter of the rope, it’s the length.

 

thinner rope has similar stretch as a longer rope. However, depending on tightness of the trail, you won't have room to deploy a 50' rope. It's better to go with a thin rope that's ~20' long. If more reach is needed, connect it with a long strap using a soft shackle.

 

No - any material, of any percent elongation, has, in units of distance, almost no ‘stretch’ in an infinitesimally small length. Now take that same piece of material and make it close to infinitely long, and it will have almost infinite ‘stretch’.

A longer rope will stretch more, in total distance, than a shorter rope of the same material thereby allowing more work to be done in the stretching and unstretching.

Anybody who has ever fished, tightened up a clothes line or pulled a mason’s string knows this.

 

The kinetic ropes are braided from strands which are in turn weaved from fine threads. They don't behave the same way as fishing line, which is "solid". Even at shorter lengths, the stretch is very noticeable - I could get my 20' rope to stretch by 1/2" just pulling on it by hand (~80 lb of force).

 

It's not a matter of thinner kinetic straps stretching more. They require less force to stretch.

That's why you want the proper kinetic rope for the weight of your rig. Too thin, and it will likely snap. Too thick, and it won't stretch like it's supposed to.

I believe most manufacturers have a recommended size/strength based on vehicle weight.

 

Twisted, braided, woven, plaited, cabled, kernmantle, monofilament... ‘s got nothing to do with this.

any ‘rope’ (or any material) ‘stretches’ more, in total distance, the longer it is. You want more ‘yank’ from a little truck..? go longer, not thinner.


thinner ‘feels’ ‘stretchier’, but less work is being done.

 

Yes, but...

most all of them offer different lengths in most all of their various ‘recommended’ diameters/strengths.


This matters (maybe more than diameter/strength) and this is my point.

 

I think y'all are both correct in a sense, a thicker rope will require more force to stretch than a thinner rope, and a longer rope will stretch farther than a shorter rope in a sense.

A thicker rope has more cross sectional area and internal resistance along it's length leading to a great spread of the load so you get less stretch.

But also:

For arguments sake say a 3/4" rope will stretch 20% a 25ft then stretches to 30ft; 5ft of stretch, a 50ft would then stretch to 60ft, 10ft of stretch but it's still only 20%.

 

Yes, obviously a longer rope has more potential to stretch. But, if it's too strong it won't stretch enough to be effective. That was my point.

What good is a longer rope if it's too heavy for your truck to stretch it? You'll end up putting excessive force on your recovery points, and that's not really safe.

I do agree that a longer rope is better than a shorter one, if everything else is equal.

 

Material does have an effect on bungee stretch, but you are correct also.

I'll never forget the time I took the elevator down a mine shaft once. It was just a hair over a 4500 foot ride. I wish I knew the diameter of the steel cable that held that elevator car, but at the same time I'm grateful I never found out. When we reached the bottom of that shaft the whole elevator was bouncing like a yoyo. By that I mean over a 4 foot bounce that we had to wait out before disembarking. It was wild.

 

That sounds terrifying!

 

Not reading all these replies. Too much. I bought a MorePowerPuller come along. Got me out of a few jams. Just saying.

 

Is it time to check on the OP of that post I’m still waiting for testing results

 

Because trees fall onto the road all the time here in the PNW, I keep my winch and chainsaw always ready to go.

 

This is what I use mine for a lot

 

It was an experience. When I think of visiting that mine, seeing the tool shop, riding the underground train, visiting the working face, nope. I barely remember that shit. It was the elevator ride thats seared into my mind. It only took a couple of minutes, but damn that shit was better than six flags.

The real terrifying part was sitting on the working deck and realizing that the shaft was equipped with an "escape ladder." Now realistically, if shit really hits the fan, how many people can climb a 4500 foot ladder?