“His buddy attached a nylon strap to the J-hook…”
Why towing should be done with a steel chain.
I have to disagree about towing with a steel chain. after 20+ yrs in the structural steel trade, and seeing countless chains snap, (none by me) and the damage they have done, I would rather pull someone out of the mud or a ditch with a strap every time. they each have their uses. the truckers who strapped down their loads with straps instead of chains were foolish, as were the yard jockeys who snapped chains yanking their mistakes out.
Excellent point. Steel chains don’t stretch. I’m sure the nylon strap was a factor in the accident.
when a steel chain snaps it is life threatening. it may not stretch, but it will recoil viciously when it breaks. and it usually flies right back at vehicle doing the towing. the accident was caused by the improperly installed J hook breaking loose, not by the strap. the same would have happened if a chain was used and the J hook broke, only the driver would have been hit with the hook and the chain
Chains are also dangerous, and proper safety precautions should always be used. Even more dangerous than chains and nylon straps are steel cables. Those buggers will take your head off if you let them.
Not to slightly change the subject but I always wondered about the strength of those eyebolt hitches. Used for heavy duty equipment. It just seemed like it was putting a lot of stress on a little eyebolt and cast iron hitch. I’m thinking Army trailers in particular.
YouTube videos show both chain and strap failures. The common cause seems to be the “snatch” method used. We always used heavy-duty chains on the farm and NEVER used the “snatch” method and never broke a chain.
yep. snatching bad
Agreed, snatching is bad.
Re: the eyebolts used on heavy equipment and military vehicles, those are designed by the vehicle designers (including their mounting) to withstand well over whatever the loads will be. Typically there’s at least a 50% “error budget”, which means they’ll withstand the maximum load plus 50%.
I was watching a NOVA special recently on military equipment. One of the vehicles they showed and described was a military tow truck designed to operate “behind the lines” to pull stuck military vehicles out. One of the winches had a 48,000 pound rating. And they have bigger ones.
There are also hyper-large over-the-road tow trucks used for towing big-rigs and other huge loads. I’ve seen these things operate, and they’re amazing. But every hook and line on these vehicles is designed specifically to do this.
The most important thing in towing is to know what you are doing, especially when it comes to safety. The deceased truck driver should have checked the hook to make sure it was attached properly. When he found that it was not attached correctly, he should have refused to use the hook or just refused to do the tow completely. Since his life was at stake, the onus is on him to make sure that all reasonable safety issues were dealt with.
you are correct jt.
Speaking of ‘most ridiculous aftermarket add-ons’:
Yeah, those chrome exhaust tips are too cheesy.
@texases, I’m confused. There are too many to pick from. So many that it took me a while to figure out that it is a PT Cruiser.
Personally, I like it. I have 1940s taste.
Bullet tail lights, a Continental kit, and fender skirts are fine on the right car. I am not enthused with them on a PT Cruiser. We can just chalk it up to personal taste.
Be very careful when towing,some grades of steel have very little tensile strength,most of our huge high voltage( high tension) cables are made of aluminum,with steel wires woven in I imagine,those things seem to have great tensile strength-Kevin
Two words, Jacked Ups.
Most “jacked ups” around here are chevy silverados with huge lift kits on them and huge tires, they usually have as many aftermarket accessories on them as the owners credit card could handle.
These trucks range in price from 40k to 70k dollars for a nice one, they never see any offroading nor do they ever get dirty. The largest concentration of these in my area tend to be in the driveways of 15k-30k rundown houses,junk trailers and dirt floor shacks with a kid running around the yard in a soiled diaper while mom and pop are on the porch drinking and smoking or ogling the truck.
From what I’ve seen at the gas station when they climb out, double chin, huge gut, look like they haven’t shaved/bathed in a week, dirty sweat pants/t shirt/ball cap combo.
Indeed, these might be hard working, salt of the earth people, but they make rush hour even worse with a “get the f*&k out of my way” foot to the floor attitude, Plus they often forgo things like dentist visits for their children so they can to afford to drive a 15mpg Jacked up that has a higher payment than many peoples houses.
That PT cruiser makes me feel a bit queasy…
I wonder what the inside looks like… 
Fuzzy dice perhaps?
I still like it. Definitely a matter of taste. Fortunately for me, I have none.