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There's too much risk if the chain breaks and snaps back under load.

Tom Bechman 1, Editor, Indiana Prairie Farm

February 17, 2016

2 Min Read

Have you ever seen a chain or strap break while someone is trying to extract a stuck vehicle? If you did and didn’t get hurt, consider yourself lucky. Fred Whitford, director of Purdue University Pesticide Programs, says the force of a broken chain or tow strap can shatter windshields and cause serious injury.

Let’s hope you don’t get stuck, but it will soon be the season of mud and more mud. Should it happen, make sure you use proper devices to remove whatever is stuck.

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Look at the chain in the picture. Here are four reasons why Whitford wouldn’t use it. He actually shot this picture looking a the chain in the back of a farmer’s pickup truck parked at a meeting site. Odds are someone used it!

Reason 1: The chain loops are stretched - Look closely.

The chain links aren’t the same size. Odds are good they started out at the same size. The chain has been used and abused until some links are stretched out. A stretched link is a weak leak, and weak links can break.

Reason 2: A bolt holds two sections together - How do you know how strong that bolt is?

The answer is you don’t. Even besides being rusty, you don’t know the hardness of the bolt. If it’s a soft bolt it could break very easily. Regardless, using a chain held together by a bolt in this condition just isn’t a smart idea, Whitford observes. 

Reason 3. It’s actually three chains in one!

Look closely and you can tell the links are of different sizes and shapes on the three main pieces. Chances are you have no idea on load ratings for any of the chains. One or more pieces may not have been designed or sold for pulling things. They may have been made for other uses.

Reason 4. It shows a total disregard for safety!

If you asked someone to pull you out of a ditch or out of the mud, and they brought out a chain like this, would you be impressed? Would you let them hook to your vehicle. Remember, you would be the one sitting in the vehicle steering it as the driver attempts to pull you out. If the chain breaks, it’s headed toward your windshield. Bam!

About the Author(s)

Tom Bechman 1

Editor, Indiana Prairie Farm

Tom Bechman is an important cog in the Farm Progress machinery. In addition to serving as editor of Indiana Prairie Farmer, Tom is nationally known for his coverage of Midwest agronomy, conservation, no-till farming, farm management, farm safety, high-tech farming and personal property tax relief. His byline appears monthly in many of the 18 state and regional farm magazines published by Farm Progress.

"I consider it my responsibility and opportunity as a farm magazine editor to supply useful information that will help today's farm families survive and thrive," the veteran editor says.

Tom graduated from Whiteland (Ind.) High School, earned his B.S. in animal science and agricultural education from Purdue University in 1975 and an M.S. in dairy nutrition two years later. He first joined the magazine as a field editor in 1981 after four years as a vocational agriculture teacher.

Tom enjoys interacting with farm families, university specialists and industry leaders, gathering and sifting through loads of information available in agriculture today. "Whenever I find a new idea or a new thought that could either improve someone's life or their income, I consider it a personal challenge to discover how to present it in the most useful form, " he says.

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