[RedTerrano]

Although I am not into 4x4 or off road excursions, I was reading some post and realised it might be a good idea to have a towing cable in my car as a standard accessory. So I googled around and realised I will have to choose between cable or a belt/strap.

So what are the pros / cons between the two?
Which other factors should I consider while purchasing one?
Some expert advise please.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

I will have to choose between cable or a belt/strap.

It depends on the purpose. Let me put it with my limited knowledge and exposure

- Tow belt / strap has little flexibility and can take minor jerks (OTOH tor ropes are very much kinetic) They are light and doesn't require frequent maintenance.

- Tow cables are heavy (comparatively), and requires some preventive maintenance to save from corrosion.

Apart from this cables can be used for multiple purpose (including lifting) which is not possible with tow straps.

If you are not keen on off-roading, tow strap should be sufficient is my understanding.

[Amrik Singh]

Towing cables are heavy and prone to rust. These are available with PVC sleeve too, but once they get rubbed on road, or scraped in storage, steel cable is exposed. Firther damage could have strands of wires which are difficult to handle.
Towing Belt and Rope are comparatively easier to handle and store. Minor flexibility is an advantage as towing is smoother.
One rule I follow while towing another vehicle on road is to slowly stop before stop line at junction. Wait for car in tow to come to a standstill. Slowly move forward to remove the slack. Now, a movement would be smooth and without any jerk.

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Although I am not into 4x4 or off road excursions, I was reading some post and realised it might be a good idea to have a towing cable in my car as a standard accessory. So I googled around and realised I will have to choose between cable or a belt/strap.

There is a difference between a towing strap and a snatch / recovery strap. Tow straps are designed for towing and they stretch very little. Snatch strap is for recoveries and are designed to stretch to reduce impact to the vehicles during a kinetic recovery.

Since a snatch strap is more strong and can be used for recovery + towing, it is a good idea to have it as a standard accessory in your car. It can help you to rescue someone or help someone to rescue you.

The ones available on Amazon are not that good. You can go for Australian or US brands like TJM, ARB, Ironman, Rhino etc. These will last a lifetime and require no specific maintenance, except for general cleaning.

I bought my TJM recovery kit from Bluegarage, Bangalore which is there is my 4x4 SUV permanently and have used it about 4 times. The kit consists of one pouch containing the recovery strap, two shackles and one pair of gloves. I paid about Rs. 8000 for it and very satisfied with the product.
Link: https://bluegarage.in/Online-Automob...it?catid=57~88

Currently it is not in stock, however you can contact them if you plan to buy one.

[Jeroen]

This website does a good job explaining the difference between belt/strap/ropes and the various pro /cons:

https://letstowthat.com/tow-ropes-st...ains-compared/

I have both straps as well as towing rope.

For general purpose, (so not off roading) I prefer a rope. Make sure you get a good heavy duty one. Modern cars weigh a lot. Many cars these days weigh well over 1300 kg. A medium size family car will be at 1500+ kg.

Below an image of my towing rope. I have had this for at least twenty years and I have towed many cars with it. Mostly classic cars. This rope lives in the boot of my classic Alfa Spider. I keep the two sets of chains and shackle with it. The hooks don’t always fit on the towing eye. But with the little chain you can always make it fit.




Jeroen

[Ragul]

Talking about snatch straps - can somebody tell me if the stock recovery D-Ring welded in from factory to one side of chassis on a Gypsy or any other car is good for snatch recovery? Why do off-roaders weld extra recovery points or hooks in other places? What is the optimum position and type of welding joint to use when fitting new recovery points?

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by Ragul

Talking about snatch straps - can somebody tell me if the stock recovery D-Ring welded in from factory to one side of chassis on a Gypsy or any other car is good for snatch recovery? Why do off-roaders weld extra recovery points or hooks in other places? What is the optimum position and type of welding joint to use when fitting new recovery points?

They are good for normal road recovery but they are not strong enough for snatch recovery in tricky situations. I have broken 1 in my Jeep and Gypsy each.

[antony5279]

My experience doesn't come from towing cars but working on boats.
- I hate cables. They can rust (not unless they are specific grades of steel). Tough to coil and manage. Heavy. If they fray they can cause cuts.
- There are spectra ropes that are available that are tougher than steel. Very light. Pretty abrasion proof as well. Wont absorb water and therefore won't become heavier than they already are.
Cons - no stretch. Which is not a good thing when you are towing a car.
- Those yellow ropes that you see all over India. I absolutely hate them. They are not UV stabilised (which means they might fail just when you need them), difficult to work with.

What I would recommend is a twisted or braided rope that can stretch a bit to absorb shock. You need to get the die of the right strength. Also, a knot at the end of the rope to connect to your car can reduce the strength of the rope by 50 percent. Splice is better because it reduces strength by only 20 percent. But then many won't know how to splice a line.

Straps - again, make sure they are UV stabilised. Also you must protect them against abrasions.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by antony5279

Straps - again, make sure they are UV stabilised. Also you must protect them against abrasions.

For most of us, a towing strap, rope tends to live in the boot for about 99,9999999% of the time, I don’t think we need to loose any sleep over this.

[BhayanaV]

I have a lifting sling rated for 2 tons and D shackles. Got them on the recommendation of a friend who has lots of experience with these things. Got it from a dealer in local market (NCR) for 1700.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Firstly,

Terminology.

Tow Belt or Strap as the name suggests is solely meant for towing on tarmac. It is meant to tow a vehicle with all four wheels working.

Therefore a tow strap/belt/rope (to make it simple I'll just refer to it as a tow belt) doesn't have to be rated as much as a recovery strap. A tow strap should be approximately 1.5 times the GVW of the vehicle. These should have no stretch or max 5%. Buy a strap that clearly has a label that mentions all parameters like breaking strength etc and periodically inspect them for scratches, scuffs, etc

Do note, these are meant for extremely short distances - ideally is just to load the vehicle onto a flat bed.

For longer distances, it's better to have a rigid connection like the pipes that commercial tow trucks use - ideally is an A-bar.


Recovery Straps or Belts are used for recovery of a stuck vehicle.

These are either kinetic or static.

Static ones are like the tow straps but with a higher rating. You need to be at least 2.5times GVW here. They are meant to pull a vehicle out without the need for jerking/snatching it.


Kinetic straps are designed to be elastic in nature and the rubber band effect is what pulls the stuck vehicle out. But these are EXTREMELY dangerous and need good bolt on recovery points on both vehicles and the knowledge on how to use it.

Irrespective of the type of strap: Tow or recovery: you need to remember the following:

1. do not buy the ones with inbuilt hooks. buy the loop type ones where you can secure them with a bow shackle - ideal is the soft shackle. WE have no idea about the type of hook material and it's rating.

2. all straps loose strength when wet by uptown 30%. so be aware

3. UV light as mentioned degrades rope as does age. The age degrades not the actual rope as much as the stitching that holds the eyes/loops and I would be very scared to use a 5year old new strap

4. Avoid buying lifting slings that most people use. By things made for the specific purpose.


I'll be happy to guide you through your buying process to whet the straps you choose if you post links of what you have shortlisted here.

On a simple note:
2 shackles per strap
If you are an offroader - 2 straps - one short 3meter and one long 9meter strap - ergo 4 rated bow shackles. DO NOT BUY D SHACKLES.


Nomenclature for those who don't know:

GVW - Gross Vehicle Weight - includes all passengers, luggage and a full tank of fuel.


Educational Video on Shackles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT47KI38tuM

[Tejas@perioimpl]

To add to my previous post.

How you are storing a belt/rope/strap is also important.

You need to minimise the radius or the bends. So try to store it in a circular manner rather than flatish. The lesser the radius of the bends, the lesser the stress on the fibres.

Representative images:

Correct - Larger bends/Radii:



Incorrect - Sharper bends/radii: (unfortunately lifting slings come packed like this and land up being stored int he same manner)




Additionally, whenever towing/recovering, make sure the rope is not all twisted but nice and flat. Take a few moments to check your rigging.

[Odessey]

Adding to comments by ruzbehxyz and Tejas@perioimpl which are valid and worth noting.
Been using straps, ropes, cables and winches over 11 years to recover vehicles in desert.
1. Steel Cables and lifting slings - avoid as it transfers unwanted shock to both the vehicles and can be damaging.
2. Kinetic ropes / straps – highly recommended provided they are rated for the load (minimum 3 times the vehicle weight) with required elasticity (20%)
3. Winches – The safest method to recover a stuck vehicle.
A cautious approach is required when using kinetic ropes as if either end where the rope is attached breaks it can catapult the broken part like a missile to the other end hitting vehicle or bystander and can cause even fatality. People should not allowed to stand between the vehicles during recovery. For safety a weight ( a basmati rice bag filled with sand) can be tied to centre of the rope which will arrest the catapult.
It is ideal to use soft shackles (a loop made of rope material) than D shackles as D shackles are prone to get locked and difficult to open after the pull and heavier.
Most make the mistake of using Tie down hooks (used to tie vehicle on recovery truck while being transported) to pull than the tow hook ( heavily built to take load)
Both the vehicles must be in straight line as far as possible and an angular pull must be avoided which might cause an overturn.
The vehicle attempting the recovery must be heavier than the one stuck.


Few of the best kinetic recovery ropes seen are from Viking offroad U.S; American Off Road and ARB snatch strap.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

What is also important is the maintenance of your gear.

Ropes and straps need to be washed (not pressure washed) and cleaned to remove sand and muck and then hung to dry (not in sunlight). You need to soak it multiple times in a bucket of water till the water is not muddy anymore.

It's a laborious process but needs to be done if you want to maximise the life and safety of your equipment.

Here's a pic of my tree saver and winch extension strap hanging to dry after a weekend of mudding:

[pushpender_s]

Hello @Tejas
I drive a Honda CRV (2WD).
I am on the lookout for a tow strap.
Usecase: Just to tow the car in case of any failure.
https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07TVDTMLR/...dDbGljaz10cnVl

What is your advice on this product?