recovery damper

[dhula Member Find all posts View Profile Close dhula]

Recovery dampers are used and recommended for use by many out and about. I believe they are mandatory for compilations and I believe some clubs strongly encourage their use during club trips/runs also.

I've had the pleasure of being involved in quite a few recoveries in the past and until now have not used a damper.
The use of rated recovery gear and working out required pulls, safety factors and the like. and the weights of vehicles/equipment involved at times have meant one wasn't used.

I'm not disagreeing with the theory but am wondering if anyone has seen or has a link to a video of one being "used" in anger.
ie - the damper stopping/slowing a run away rope, strap etc when something fails.

I did a search of the forum and didn't find anything (perhaps my searching skills are not the best.
I've also been looking on the interweb and haven't been able to find anything
so just wondering if anyone has

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: recovery damper

Not sure if I will be able to get them but aI know a fella at the 4WD club I a member of who showed so video showing the effect of a snatch strap breaking without a damper and with various dampers applied. The best result was with a drag chain used as a damper loosley connected to the strap about a third of the way along but the chain needs to be long enough so that when the snatch strap is streched that there is still slack on the chain as this does not have the elastisity of the snatch strap.

I'll see if I can get hold of this but it may be copyrighted material.

[butane8 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close butane8]

Re: recovery damper

Recovery dampers are used and recommended for use by many out and about. I believe they are mandatory for compilations and I believe some clubs strongly encourage their use during club trips/runs also.

I've had the pleasure of being involved in quite a few recoveries in the past and until now have not used a damper.
The use of rated recovery gear and working out required pulls, safety factors and the like. and the weights of vehicles/equipment involved at times have meant one wasn't used.

I'm not disagreeing with the theory but am wondering if anyone has seen or has a link to a video of one being "used" in anger.
ie - the damper stopping/slowing a run away rope, strap etc when something fails.

I did a search of the forum and didn't find anything (perhaps my searching skills are not the best.
I've also been looking on the interweb and haven't been able to find anything
so just wondering if anyone has

try this :lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkUj_6ZT8qU cheers butane :wink:

[VL400 Member Find all posts View Profile Close VL400]

Re: recovery damper

I have always used them when winching, but for snatching normally dont. But also when snatching I dont go for a giant run up either! If the vehicle is that stuck I look for alternatives such as digging first or snatching from another direction or winching out. I'd like to hear from others what the correct method is, the 4wd course I did used just a strap and no damper.


This guy may need to re-think further recoveries seeing as his recovery point is now broken - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsqHF_zHJeU&feature=fvw

[FC_Holden Member Find all posts View Profile Close FC_Holden]

Re: recovery damper

This guy may need to re-think further recoveries seeing as his recovery point is now broken - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsqHF_zHJeU&feature=fvw

That would be our taxes at work, not many brains some people. Probably went back to office and winged about the shoddy bar that was fitted to the ute

[Goodo Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Goodo]

Re: recovery damper

When i was a younger lad "1989" I was in the Army and we did a number of trials on straps with and without dampers. I had one come back through the windscreen a hit the edge of my seat......... We used dampers from then on :wink:

Cheers

Tim G

[dhula Member Find all posts View Profile Close dhula]

Re: recovery damper

the clips of the straps in the test rig show how dangerous a strap can be when subject to too much force that is for sure. there are heaps of those around on the interweb showing straps breaking. IMO people are thinking a strap can do way more than it really can and breaking them by doing stupid recoveries. in almost all cases i've seen (I have done it once also) the straps seam to return to home in a fairly straight line. doesn't make it any safer to be near a braking strap tho.

as a greaser i spent a few bit of time with our towie bretherin on the old twin boom and then the wrecker besides others. while i never think i know it all, i'm pretty happy that i can work some magic and be pretty safe doing so.

I found a few vids of winch ropes braking but they don't show a great deal of detail. i've seen one of a synthetic rope breaking under strain and it seams to confirm thoughts that they drop to the ground. I'm still to find a vid of a damper being used in anger so will keep looking.

cheers

[dhula Member Find all posts View Profile Close dhula]

Re: recovery damper

I found this youtube vid which seams to show what appears to be SWR breaking under strain.
It's about 1/2 way through the vid at about 1.20ish that it snaps.

After the break he uses something as a damper (looks like a blanket or similar) but before hand doesn't seam to use one.

The length of rope is quite short also which may have prevented a violent whip after the snap.

Thoughts, comments

[KybraBoss Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close KybraBoss]

Re: recovery damper

We always thought that the straps breaking went in the straight line of the pull from what we were told either in a high curving arc or a like path.
Trying to snatch out on the beach we hadn't noticed the damper had flopped off, of course that was the only time I have had a strap go on me and it whipped out and flipped a mate that was standing off to the side over in a full sumersult, luckily nothing was broken but the bruising on his legs was horrific. very lucky, could have been so much worse