What does the city do when a transit bus is stuck in the snow? Or the off-roader when their truck gets caught in the mud? These scenarios call for a strong recovery strap and tow vehicle capable of handling the weight and tension needed to “recover” those vehicles. With so many straps, how do you know which one is the right one? Using a little math, you can rest assured that you have what it takes to get that recovery job done.
The material used to make your recovery strap is important. A nylon recovery strap is preferred over a polyester strap since nylon has a better stretch factor. When you’re pulling a vehicle out of a sticky situation, you want some flexibility. Because nylon stretches, it has what some call a good “memory”. Once it’s stretched while handling the initial tug, it can then remember how it used to be and contract to its previous size, helping with the momentum of the recovery.
There are many sizes and widths available for a recovery strap, ranging from 2″ wide all the way up to 12″ wide. A foot wide strap may be a little cumbersome for your purposes. It also costs a little more. You are able to get the same strength that this width offers by stacking up the layers, or “ply”, and getting a strap that has a greater thickness, lesser width, but still allows for the power, or tensile strength, needed to recover a vehicle.
The math on this is pretty simple. You can always round up your numbers to make it a little easier to calculate and give yourself a little wiggle room. You will need to know the tow capacity which is the maximum weight of the vehicle being recovered. So, if the vehicle weighs 56,000 pounds, you need to double that number to figure the break strength. In this example: 56,000 x 2 = 112,000 pounds. Since you will divide this number by 10,000, let’s round it up to 120,000 for easy calculation.
You may ask why am I dividing by 10,000? The answer is: that is the amount of strength (rounded up) in a nylon strap. Next, you will take your result of 120,000, divided by 10,000 to get a result of 12. This is the width of recovery strap you need: 12 inches.
But, that can be an expensive strap. So, to get the same strength for a more economical price, just find a variation of strap that totals 12. You have several options which include:
- *12″ wide x 1 ply webbing (12×1=12)
- *6″ wide x 2 ply webbing (6×2=12)
- *4″ wide x 3 ply webbing (4×3 =12)
- *3″ wide x 4 ply webbing (3×4=12)
Most Cargo companies will assist you with the right strap if you just call them up and ask. Additionally, many of the better companies will also make straps for you to your specifications. Don’t get left hanging; know which recovery strap will work best for your job.
