Guys, we talked about this before, but I'll tell you about a little incident that took place last Saturday.

My neighbors boy Chris, has one of those "side-by-side" 4-wheeler contraptions. It's got a snow blade, dump bed, CD player and all that junk. Anyway, Chris and 2 of his friends were out on the back side of the farm riding the other day.

I talk to Chris just about every day. Just a day or 2 before the incident, he was telling me about this BIG mud-hole he found, a couple of humps over from so-and-so. He was bragging about how deep the water is, etc.

Chris is an adult, 20 years old or so, but just a kid. And according to him, his machine is tougher than the average Sherman tank.

Long story short, Chris got his buggy stuck in the mud. And it must have been stuck pretty good!

So, he had one of his buds hook up their winch cables. They strapped down, tied-up-to or chained the other 4-wheeler to a tree.

All 3 of the boys are old enough to know better. Chris's winch cable snapped. The boy sitting on the other 4-wheeler (right on top of that winch line) caught the cable hooks on his forehead. Just above his right eye.

I talked to the boy that evening, he had a big blue goose egg, from his hair line to his eyebrow. Heck, it stuck out about (---------) that far.

He's just lucky it didn't smack him in the eye. He told me that it happened fast, and I'm sure it did. Ouch! So, you guys keep that in mind!

Very bad things can happen when cables snap. Unlike chains, they can store energy that is released violently when they fail. Placing a coat or an old rug over a cable will absorb a lot of energy if a cable should break.

I forget where this happened but... Some town had a "tug of war" with a bunch of people on each side. They used a polypropylene or some type of synthetic rope. They pulled so hard they stretched, and stretched, and finally broke the rope. There was so much energy stored in that rope that it injured a number of people. Some people on the front of the rope had digits amputated.

When you pull anything with a rope or chain, be exceedingly careful.

Cable snapping back is exactly why I put Dyneema cable on my 4-wheeler winch...it is twice as strong and if it snaps it goes limp...

However, if it is still a real good idea to drop a blanket or even a jacket over the center of the length of any cable when winching...it will help tame the broken cable.

Mike, a chain will store energy. I've watched chain break, and it's wild. Best thing to do is get the H. outta the way.

Neotoxo, I don't understand what you mean by the winch line "goes limp".

You've all broken your fishing line, getting stuck in the rocks or under a log, etc. You pull, tug, the line will stretch, then Ka-ping. And that line is in your face in a heartbeat. Now, just imagine a "fish line" that's rated at 1,000 pounds. Or one that's rated at 10-tons. It'll be in your face in a heartbeat!

The point I was trying to make is this: Just like the 3 boys above I mentioned, they have a 4-wheeler and a little toy winch, and think that they can drag a 5-ton oak tree outta the trail. It's not going to happen!

But, you guys have seen this before. Somebody gets their truck stuck, and you've got 10 guys standing around, right there beside of the chain or winch line, between the truck and the tractor/dozer. If that chain or cable breaks, somebody is going to get hurt!

That's just like those "tow hooks" on the front of some of your vehicles. I can think of several guys that have had them fail. Once you pull that chain/cable tight enough to snap off a tow hook, you can bet there's plenty of stored energy. And that chain isn't just going to drop to the ground, it'll get evil first!

Dyneema does not stretch. Therefore it does not store energy. Break one and it basically just goes limp.

I just searched Dyneema, sounds like good stuff. Here's a little more information.

"Quadratec's legendary Q-Series Winches are now available with Dyneema® winch line; an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber developed in the Netherlands over 20 years ago. Synthetic winch lines are a real game changer in off road recovery. Despite being softer and flexible, Dyneema® is stronger and more durable than winch steel cables. In fact, when properly cared for, Dyneema® winch lines will outlast steel winch cables. Weight for weight, Dyneema® is 15 times stronger than steel and its light weight significantly improves the ease of handling. It even floats and is an obvious benefit when winching in water conditions. Dyneema® will not rust, kink and loose strength like steel cables can. Handling steel cables can sometimes result in wire splinters but synthetic winch lines are much safer and easier to use. In the unlikely event of a synthetic winch line breaking there is virtually no recoil, unlike steel wire where recoil is extremely dangerous. The ease of handling, increased safety and improved longevity of Dyneema® are why so many off road enthusiasts are making the switch. Each Synthetic Series Winch features 90' of Synthetic winch line with a 12' ballistic nylon chafe guard to protect your winch line from abrasions. Each winch line is 3/8" diameter and rated for 18,000 lbs. Other features include a billet aluminum hawse fairlead, deluxe winch hook and Winch Operator's Guide which includes helpful information on winching and the care and use of synthetic line."

My neighbors boy Chris does have some type synthetic winch line on his buggy. I asked him what it was, and he's not sure. The way his machine is rigged up, the winch operates his snow blade, up/down. So, who knows how many times that last 2 or 3 feet of cable have been in and out?

This last decent snow we had, Chris was out pushing snow, at least 4 or 5 hours. I'm sure that section of winch line was chaffed-up.

Next time I see Chris in person, I'll ask him the details of the incident. And I'll check on the other boys forehead too.

Redsnow, the chain itself does not store any appreciable energy. The method of use when the chain breaks is what causes any movement. An example would be a situation I witnessed one time when a vehicle had all 4 wheels stuck in the mud. The vehicle trying to pull it out could not get it to move, so they thought it was a good idea to back up and gun it. On about the sixth try the chain broke, flipped up and over the cab of the stuck truck and crashed through the windshield.

Mike, I respectfully disagree. Chain will stretch, before breaking. (I'll be out on the farm in the morning, I'll try to find a piece of almost broken chain, and get a picture.)

I don't know the details of the chain break, you mentioned above. But if the chain didn't store energy, why would it have flipped, up over the stationary vehicle? As opposed to just dropping on the ground?

A chain is only as strong as the weakest link.

Here's a link, I just checked.

http://www.1st-chainsupply.com/chain/gr30_spec.htm

Look at the stats for 3/8's inch chain, breaking strength of 5-tons, and 50 feet of that chain weighs 75 pounds.

If each chain link stretches just a fraction of an inch, before it snaps, you've got stored energy.

And of course there's a big difference between a slow and steady pull, and a sudden jerk.

I agree that a chain will store "some" energy, but it is very little. Not enough to do harm, or whip around wildly, when used properly. It is kind of like the compression of water, for practical reasons water can not be compressed; but scientifically there is a very small amount of compression that takes place.