Unimog
Eric
- Location
- Stansbury Park, UT
I hope I'm not just being disagreeable, but I disagree with the consensus here.
If the rest of the material is in good shape and you personally know about it's history, I would sew it up. I would do some common-sense decision making about thread material, stitch pattern and tightness as well as number of stitches by looking at other straps. I'm not an expert in this area, but give me 10 minute on google and I bet I would find that i need to use polyester thread and the thread pattern, size, and stitch count is available out there.
This is not unlike any other kind of repairs or construction that any number of us make on a daily basis. How many have built or repaired a trailer without engineer-approved plans? Sure, we practice welding, then copy or enhance a model that we know is engineered adequately. How many of us drive a rig with lug nuts that aren't torqued with a torque wrench? How many have serviced their own brakes?
If you are really concerned about the safety of your recovery equipment, I would say that inspection of fraying/wear and age of the product combined with time in the sun are the major factors affecting safety. Any climber will likely know that the strength of soft goods (straps, slings, and rope) are severely compromised by UV, but also by age and dirt. My tow straps are well cared for, but all are over 10 years old, so if you are hanging off a cliff, maybe choose someone else's strap.
If the rest of the material is in good shape and you personally know about it's history, I would sew it up. I would do some common-sense decision making about thread material, stitch pattern and tightness as well as number of stitches by looking at other straps. I'm not an expert in this area, but give me 10 minute on google and I bet I would find that i need to use polyester thread and the thread pattern, size, and stitch count is available out there.
This is not unlike any other kind of repairs or construction that any number of us make on a daily basis. How many have built or repaired a trailer without engineer-approved plans? Sure, we practice welding, then copy or enhance a model that we know is engineered adequately. How many of us drive a rig with lug nuts that aren't torqued with a torque wrench? How many have serviced their own brakes?
If you are really concerned about the safety of your recovery equipment, I would say that inspection of fraying/wear and age of the product combined with time in the sun are the major factors affecting safety. Any climber will likely know that the strength of soft goods (straps, slings, and rope) are severely compromised by UV, but also by age and dirt. My tow straps are well cared for, but all are over 10 years old, so if you are hanging off a cliff, maybe choose someone else's strap.
