Safety Thimble for Steel Cable?

[Master-Pull]

http://www.amsteelblue.com/Hardware/...-Stop-Thimble/

Here are our thimbles if you guys are interested.

-Alex

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Recovery discipline will as well and is, in my view, better than a person buying things to force themselves to do certain things they should be doing anyway. There will always be places, no matter what they buy, where they can take dangerous shortcuts.

This isn't to say you shouldn't get one if you want it, but I do think using the "it forces me to be safe" logic can actually be dangerous.

The same can be said for just about everything else in life

I know I shouldn't break the speed limit, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't take full advantage of my radar detector

I can be the most disciplined person in the world when it comes to winching, but since I'm not the only one handling the gear, I try to make everything as safe and goof proof as possible

That being said, as I stated before, not being able to take short cuts isn't the only reason for getting one

[HillbillyfromAL]

If I'm going to be using any of my equipment I do all the rigging. If someone's in to much of a hurry to let me do that I tell them maybe the next guy that comes along will help them out. The only exception is when someone is stuck in deep mud that I don't feel like walking into then I tell them where, and how to hook up to their truck. This takes care of alot of problems and leaves me with only myself to blame if I did something wrong.
As far as the thimbles they are nice but I don't think I'd pay that much. You could replace the entire cable with synthetic or a new wire setup the way you wanted for not much more than that. Steel cable on a hard pull eats up the rollers enough that you'd never be able to tell if the hook scratched it up anyways. I never tightened my hook into the rollers on any of my vehicles. I always found a nice solid place up above the Fairlead for it to hang and never tightened it enough to put any real pressure on the cable. When your the one stuck it makes it easier to get if the hooks not under snow/mud/water etc.

[Awkragt]

Actually in those photos you've got, the steel line already has a thimble on it. It would be better to get the aluminum block out of the equation and just use shackle through the thimbled eye. Rigging for cranes you just put a shackle in the eye of the wire rope. Thimbles are only added when you want more wear protection.

In my opinion the most useful setup would be a thimbled eye on the rope and a self locking gunnebo hook.

http://www.gunnebojohnson.com/gunneb...locking-hooks/

[98 SNAKE EATER]

If I'm going to be using any of my equipment I do all the rigging. If someone's in to much of a hurry to let me do that I tell them maybe the next guy that comes along will help them out. The only exception is when someone is stuck in deep mud that I don't feel like walking into then I tell them where, and how to hook up to their truck. This takes care of alot of problems and leaves me with only myself to blame if I did something wrong.

As I said in my second post, I'm not always willing to get muddy for just anyone

Also, I'm not an expert in knowing exactly where to hook up on all vehicles (especially when covered in mud or surf)

Like this one guy I helped out at the beach a couple weeks ago....



WTF kind of SUV doesn't come equipped with tow loops???

With the tide coming in, I didn't have much time, so I just grabbed a large J-hook and slipped it over sumthin solid

Actually in those photos you've got, the steel line already has a thimble on it. It would be better to get the aluminum block out of the equation and just use shackle through the thimbled eye.

That's what I'm currently running instead of a hook...




The problem with running a regular shackle is that the thimble eye on the cable has to sit vertical, like this...



Tension on the cable is needed to keep the shackle from rattling, but due to the small cable slot between the fair lead, the vertical thimble eye gets crimped

The Safety Thimble would allow the cable thimble eye to sit horizontal so there's no chance of damaging it

In my opinion the most useful setup would be a thimbled eye on the rope and a self locking gunnebo hook.

http://www.gunnebojohnson.com/gunneb...locking-hooks/

All of which will still rattle unless connected to something else (tow loop) with some tension.

[Awkragt]

WTF kind of SUV doesn't come equipped with tow loops???

Some JKs, Since I got the stripped down X version, it didn't come with tow hooks on the front bumper. That's been rectified. It was good to see hooks and loops out of the gate on the Landcruiser.


I've been doing the regular hook that came with the winch line. The rollers I got rusted really fast and look like crap anyway.



The main thing with winching in general is that all the numbers shown for strength are all tested or ultimate strength. Very different than the safe working load. Inspecting the line is critical if you do a lot of winching.
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wi...th-d_1518.html

[Jim K in PA]

Like this one guy I helped out at the beach a couple weeks ago....

98 - I watched the whole video, and man, you are one patient, generous fellow. Good on ya for taking care of those poor fools. The "mother-in-law" episode was an absolute riot!

What video system are you using on the truck that has simultaneous front, side and rear recording?

Sorry to hijack. PM me to keep this thread on course if you wish.

[98 SNAKE EATER]

98 - I watched the whole video, and man, you are one patient, generous fellow. Good on ya for taking care of those poor fools. The "mother-in-law" episode was an absolute riot!

What video system are you using on the truck that has simultaneous front, side and rear recording?

I'm using an EyeMax multi-channel DVR hidden in the glove box and cheap FleaBay cameras


4 Channel DVR
CF Based
30fps (per channel)
Programmable Motion Detection
Triplex (record/replay/live)
Audio (I have yet to install the mics)

Bumper cams are flush mount with IR night vision ($15 bucks each)
Side view cams have turtle shells ($13 bucks each)
Lipstick interior dash cam uses a suction cup mount ($20 bucks)


Here's a short walk thru video:




You'd be surprised some of the crazy $#!t this thing picks up lol




Here's an old video where an NYPD cruiser backs up into a Honda Pilot.



The ocifer's partner actually threatened the Honda driver and said he would cite him for failure to yield if he didn't leave right away, but the video clearly shows the ocifer backing up without looking.

The driver contacted me after seeing his video on YouTube and used it to file a complaint against the NYPD, but I'm not sure what happened after that...


Here's one where a lady driving a Camry and yapping on her phone did a panic stop on a yellow because she spotted a cop sitting at the intersection.



The cop was actually yapping on her own cell and missed the entire thing lol


A close call with a lady driving a Taxi... She was also yapping on her phone and pulled into a turning lane, then decided to try and force her way back into traffic when the lane ended...




A house trailer losing a wheel while turning a corner lol



Pushing a busted parts van off the road...



Hitting a refrigerator on the highway....



My insurance company thought I was pulling their leg until I showed them the video lol


A hit and run involving two Altimas.



I gave chase (not exactly a smart thing to do) and got the plate after boxing him in, but when he got desperate and busted a U-Turn blowing through a red light, I just pulled over and called the police, leaving the chase up to the car that got hit.

I honestly think dash cams should be standard equipment on all vehicles

[crazyeyez]

about dash cams, there was this thing on youtube, this guy had a dash cam going, and was in a traffic jam. and this guy backed into him. no reverse lights, but can clearly tell the guy rolled back into him. could hear the guys horn blowing at him. both guys get out of the car, and guy in front is yelling at the guy that he rolled back into, saying he hit him...

[98 SNAKE EATER]

about dash cams, there was this thing on youtube, this guy had a dash cam going, and was in a traffic jam. and this guy backed into him. no reverse lights, but can clearly tell the guy rolled back into him. could hear the guys horn blowing at him. both guys get out of the car, and guy in front is yelling at the guy that he rolled back into, saying he hit him...

Yep, there are tons of scammers on the road

This is probably the one you're talking about....





And here's another with a lady trying to pull the same thing (love her reaction lol)