Knotty
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I'm not sure if I am the other one, but I mentioned it briefly in my trip report on the Yampa River. Mine was a full length webbing strap from the manufacturer. It is almost two years old and I had not inspected it recently and I was at a maximum span. I was trying to maintain the proper angle, even climbing up the tree a bit to raise the attachment point. It was dark when I climbed in and it possibly was wedged improperly in the buckle. It tore completely through in a long ripping sound, which was heard by others nearby. Fortunately I had a soft landing on a mulch covered ground.
It would be helpful if the vendor that sold these straps would step up, take ownership of the problem, and join the discussion. Serious business, this.
Also, we need to explore the role, if there is one, of Dutch Clips in webbing failures. DCs were in use in this case.
It's generally agreed that Dynaglide whoopies are pushing the lower limits, strength wise, for suspensions. That being the case, 700# straps seem destined for problems.
Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
i am not even sure if i care about the load rating. Polypro is just not safe in my opinion(obviously 2000#+ will be pretty tough, but heavy). It is much more likely to let go at any spot of abrasion. I tested some for a few weeks and the webbing broke inside the marlin spike hitch. it looked like the friction melted the webbing to the point of failure. I think my whoopie may have slid behind the knot instead of resting on top of it but still i need a higher safety margin than that.
-Tim
Although I am not the vendor of the webbing, I obviously do make the Dutch clip. All the surfaces of the Dutch Clips are polished. I take great care to sand the inside corners to a radius where the webbing connects. That said, wear will eventually occur any time 2 surfaces rub together. That is true for biners, amsteel, buckles, rings, and also Dutch clip. I use webbing that is rated for 1000+ pounds and I inspect it regularly. The first surface to wear should be the loop it is sewn onto because it always rubs there. In this case the webbing didn't break where it intersected with the Dutch Clip. But it very well could have. There has to be a weakest area and any device will only acerbate the problem. I hope you didn't get hurt by the fall as I have had a fall or 2 myself. I also am glad no Dutch Clips were hurt.
Peace Dutch
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I haven't named the vendor because I didn't want to turn this into a debate about whose straps are "better". Also because I threw away all evidence and didn't take any pictures. I didn't want to start a "Don't buy from so-and-so because their straps break" kind of thing. Because I have no idea what caused the malfunction and it could have been operator error.
That aside, I was looking at strap works's website and came across this sentence. "Polypropylene does not have a high abrasion resistance." So Its possible that I rubbed a worn spot into the strap because I hang from the same trees often and thus the same spot rubbed every time.
Last edited by SpaceCadet; 07-20-2011 at 10:10. Reason: because i can't spell
If you don't try due to fear of failure you've already failed due to fear.
good reason to avoid polypro for tree straps!!!!
While I've never been a fan of polypro, don't think that the polyester straps are immune. I've trashed several sets of polyester webbing over the years because of obvious wear. This part is telling:
The straps I've thrown out have been used almost exclusively in my yard and hung from the same trees. I don't leave my nylon hammocks up for more than a day at a time (U/V), so every time I set up a new hammock the rings, buckles, tri-rings, etc. get placed on nearly the same spot on the webbing. Seeing as how I almost always have a hammock strung-up outside, the wear is heavy.
Not saying polyester is better, just saying suspensions need to be checked often. The more use, the more frequently they should be inspected; regardless of the materials used.
Trust nobody!
Thank you for sticking to your principles! This has been a great discussion, with caveats for all, but without any evidence left to determine what may have caused the problem, and especially without you having contacted the vendor personally first, I agree with your decision 100% and admire you for that decision. Happy hangin' with no more let-downs!!
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