Posted by John Eickhof [208.98.157.9] on Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 22:53:12 :
In Reply to: Winch Accessories You Use? posted by Willy-N [72.171.192.121] on Sunday, September 20, 2015 at 19:43:54 :
All of my winch trucks are equipped with appropriate sized fibre core wire rope, min. 3 snatch blocks, min 6 ground anchors, set of scotch blocks, 1 eac h 10ft, 15ft, 20ft grade 90 3/8 chains with proper chain hooks, 2 6ft tree straps, 1 20ft tow strap, several anchor shackles, and a 2ft grade 90 chain with grab hook on one end and chain hook on the other. my 2 1/2 ton is equipped similarly with appropriate rated items. My snatch blocks are either DRH Johnson (Holmes) or McKissick. And with FCWR the pully on a 4 ton block is 4.5" dia. as recommended by Ernest Holmes Co. My 10K rated winches have either 3/8" or 7/16" FCWR the deuce has 9/16" FCWR, My holmes 500 wrecker has 3/8" FCWR on both drums. (Recommended size from factory) I have only had one cable failure in 40 years of towing and recovery and it was a result of improper rigging. The 4 ton snatch blocks are plenty as your winch shear pin should fail before you exceed any breaking points of your rigging unless something was improperly handled or rigged. The 20-25 diameter rule is the return length of cable that is spliced with cable clamps. I buy all my cable assemblies from Boise Rigging supply with thimbled and swagged ends, 48" grade 90 chain leads and appropriate sized grab hooks all professionally made. Cable design, manufacture and overall quality has increased since WW2 when the cable sizes for the Dodge were specified, thus the 3/8 FCWR affords easy handling, minimal backlash and good memory after damage. and if you purchase a good quality cable it's rating will exceed that of the next larger size of 60 years ago. The ground anchors I use are factory made utility pole anchors, I carry 4" on the regular trucks and 6" on the deuce. (They are a triangular spade with a drive pin to start them in the ground, with a length of cable 36" to 48" with swagged eyelets on the pulling end, you set them 2ft apart then join their cables with a anchor shackle and attach your winch hook, then pull. When finished you pull them out with your winch from the opposite side you originally pulled from. If you intend to use your winch for more than looks, remember, safety first, check and double check your rigging, buy quality components, use common sense and don't get in a hurry!
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