New tow rope after about 40 years

[67Dart273]

Way back in the 70's some local friends had a small offroad club, we called ourselves the "2x4's" because it was a logging community, and the joke was that most of the time our 4x4's were actually broke and therefore only 2WD LOL

We discovered snatch/ tow ropes, and I ended up ordering a 20-25 ft 3/4 nylon rope from a local Spokane rigger. I could put one end (eye) over a hitch ball or tow hook, with no hardware needed. For times that was not possible, I made up a short heavy chain with huge eyes on the ends, I could put that chain around a frame, etc, and use a shackle to tie to the rope, thus creating a 'fairly breakproof" connection.

And I used the hell out of it. Some or other time, an overhand knot got into it, did not notice, and once it was stretched, the knot was there forever. But that caused a weak point, and it eventually broke. And over the years, it broke some more. When I roped the "new" 74 Scamp out of the alley, it became obvious that it's now too short and too rotten

So I ordered 60ft of 3/4 3 strand rope online from a Marine supplier. I think it cost me about 75 bucks. Make two ropes, which is overkill, 'cuz I don't 4wd anymore. But I will have them

Got online and searched a BUNCH of "how to" videos, this one here is the "go to." At least for me



The scrap rope I did a couple of years ago, I just did one eye of the new rope, have not finished the ends. This new rope unravels very easily, I might tape the strands and untape them as I go to keep them in better shape

 

[MrJLR]

Damn, that bottom pic is art!
I really need to learn some better knots....very useful stuff to know!
Thank for sharing!

Jeff

 

[64DartGTinAZ]

Use to do a fair bit of rope splicing when I was a Scout

 

[Garrett Ellison]

I have done something similar to this with 5/8 improved cable I got from my junk dealer who had a Holmes 750 on an international COE semi that he had to change cable on. The old man teaching it us called it plaiding the cable, and it was great to use with a Wyeth/Scott power puller (known locally as a red devil) for anything imaginable. At least until it was time to roll it back up onto the wire spool it lived on and carry it around, lolol.

 

[67Dart273]

^^Wire rope, now THAT is something else again. I am no expert on braiding rope eyes, certainly not wire. "But in a different life" in the 70's I worked for a large outfit here in town. "We had everything" was the rumor. Full line of auto/ light truck parts, line of industrial cleaning supplies, made hydraulic hoses and carried lots of fittings. Were were factory distributors for Timken/ Fafnir bearings, Proto tools, Wix filters, and other parts. Had a separate welding store, and the boss started a nice fastener's store

We sold wire rope/ chain/ logging chokers and rigging fittings. I've cut MANY feet of wire, some of it "heavy lube" which was never fun. I think the largest we carried was 3/4, don't remember.. Some of the spools were so large you just had to roll them, you put them under a frame and hoisted each end of the pip axle with chainfalls.

Nothing like that anywhere around here, anymore

 

[Tooljunkie]

Putting a loop in the synthetic winch rope is interesting.

Wire rope-i saw a video the other day, think you need strong hands for that if you want to braid it back into the main line.

 

[Garrett Ellison]

Yes, it doesn’t weave back into the main line. When you plaid it together, you unwind it as close to half as possible and take each half up into the shape of a loop and wind it back together. Done correctly, the two strands will wrap back around the main strand about three inches. The wire rope made with loops in the ends have a steel crimp cylinder swaged down over the loop point, but it’s only to keep from getting stabbed with the end of the cable. When it’s re wrapped, the loop has the same strength as the main cable because load pulls the wrap tighter against itself. We just wrapped the end joints with duct tape to cover the cable joint. And yes, if you do much of it, you can cancel your membership to the gym. I like working with rope whole lot better now.

 

[halifaxhops]

Wow reminds me of my Boatswain mates days. Nice splice! Wire Rope a marlinspike is mandatory did a bunch of it way back, always sucked!

 

[67Dart273]

Wow reminds me of my Boatswain mates days. Nice splice! Wire Rope a marlinspike is mandatory did a bunch of it way back, always sucked!

I was a dry-land sailer. Signed up for the electronics program, they made me an ET-R (RADAR) I did well in A school so they sent me to GCA school and I ended up at NAS Miramar. Then the gobt went broke in 72 and I got extended, so ended up the rest of my tour at Miramar. Great place to be then. Got to see the F-14's as they came in, along with just about everything else. It was Navy then, not Marines.

Two of the RADAR I maintained, FPN-36 QUAD

Life at the RADAR shop. The black 64 and the limelight 70 are both mine. It was a 440-6

A young "me" pretending to adjust the RADAR in the trailer. This was the precision approach stuff out of what was originally a mobile truck radar known as CPN-4

An example of a PAR (precision approach RADAR) or GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) display. Bottom half is azimuth, IE looking down at the runway. Top half is elevation, IE glideslope. Range marks are adjusted before hand so that the closest one is across the 'touchdown' reflector.........a triangular metal reflector designed to show up prominently on the display

The cursors are not curved "in space" they get curved because of distortion in the electronics, and because the outer range is "expanded" for better visibility. This would be sort of like having a telescope that got more magnification as you went out further.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I know enough to tie my shoes and sometimes they don't stay tied.

Del, it's always cool to see your pictures from back in the day.