Winching Operator Protection

[Billhook]

I have just fitted a Hyster D7N winch to my cabless 1956 D7C Caterpillar.   

Does anyone have any experience of the forces involved in a cable snapping and the minimum amount of cage protection needed.  I saw this video and thought that the mesh was not adequate but it seemed to be approved

 

[LGP Eddie]

Go with some punched plate not mesh would be a much stronger solution.

 

Eddie.

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, Billhook said:

Does anyone have any experience of the forces involved in a cable snapping and the minimum amount of cage protection needed.

The cable should not snap until twice its proof load and that's four times its working load, in  practice they snap because they have been damaged or are worn.

 

I never experienced any problem with wire whipping back and the cab was open above my igland winches but there was a full mesh guard on the Farmi 8 tonne 3pl mounted winch.

 

A rope cored rope will normally just fall if it breaks, the problem comes if there is anything that can store up energy that is being tensioned. Worse case is a nylon strop, when that lets go all the energy stored in its initial extension has to go somewhere and flinging the bit of wire it is attached to is one way. A whippy stem will store energy and also a chain as its links deform.

[woody paul]

To right when I worked for someone had cable snap more then once and it would just coil up and hit floor but once when a strop snapped right near shackle it sent shackle back like a missile. 

[Billhook]

Thanks for the replies.

The cable is very heavy and an inch in diameter.  

I think the Hyster has about 40,000 lb of pull on a bare drum.

A likely scenario in the woods is if you are dragging out a tree and it somehow flips sideways and becomes lodged between two standing trees.

I remember reading about a Royal Navy Frigate going at full speed towing a target with a long line.  The target snagged on a bit of debris and the line snapped and flew back and decapitated two sailors.

 

I think Eddie is right to go for plate rather than mesh.  It need to come off when not winching so perhaps four bits of box section bolted to the floor sticking up about a foot to put three fences around the operator which can be slipped in and out easily., maybe a roof fence too.

 

I suppose the other safety method is to hang some heavy material on the line to take the whip out should it snap. But I fear I may be misjudging the forces involved

[ESS]

As already has been suggested use hemp core rope, it will just fall flat if it snaps. I drove D4s for a number of years with hysters with no guarding. There were never any problems with the correct rope.

[LGP Eddie]

Seen this on Instagram this morning, nice example of punched plate to compare against mesh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eddie.

 

[Gray git]

Who was that Eddie, been looking at options for some valtra guarding and like the look of that.

[LGP Eddie]

Australian Crowd,

 

Holland Customised Services, do some nice work.

 

Eddie.

 

[Billhook]

12 hours ago, LGP Eddie said:

Seen this on Instagram this morning, nice example of punched plate to compare against mesh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eddie.

 

Thanks for that Eddie, I would feel safe inside that structure!