The Official Work Pictures Thread

How often do arb ropes break (depends on the dummy overloading them, I know), and what do they do when they break?
 
Mostly a pop and then slack. I know ropes can store an awful lot of energy, but every one I've ever broken has been remarkably un-eventful, so far as ropes whipping around and such.

Steel cable is another matter entirely, as we all know. Back when my dad was driving tow trucks and pulling wrecks out of the Salt River Canyon, he snapped the J hook off of 300 ft of cable. The whole length just swung 90° to the right, parallel with the road and wrapped up in the guardrail. It swept the slope completely clean, threw crap everywhere. Obviously there was an enormous amount of energy stored in that cable, and it had to go somewhere.
 
With new, good condition rigging line you’d have to work pretty hard, and be pretty stupid to snap it.
As Kavey says, when it does happen it’s a lot less dramatic than some would have you believe.

Others experience may be different.
 
I've snapped 1/2" quite a few times, and 9/16" once (Stable Braid) while pulling. he drama of the rope breaking isn't near as monumental as what happens next with the piece being pulled. I bought a 175' length of 7/8" StableBraid a. while back for a job I had pulling a really big tree. Wound up reducing its weight a bit and pulling with 3/4" and 5/8" lines. I hate rolling that 7/8" rope up. It gets incredibly heavy before you're done.
 
I broke on ancient 1/2" in a no-risk pulling a back leaner scenario. Idk what happened, as knowing the situation, i was ducked out of harm's way , down behind the machine.

Remember that the rigging point is to be the weak link in the whole system!
 
I've snapped 1/2" quite a few times, and 9/16" once (Stable Braid) while pulling. he drama of the rope breaking isn't near as monumental as what happens next with the piece being pulled. I bought a 175' length of 7/8" StableBraid a. while back for a job I had pulling a really big tree. Wound up reducing its weight a bit and pulling with 3/4" and 5/8" lines. I hate rolling that 7/8" rope up. It gets incredibly heavy before you're done.
I’ve got a 200’ 1” that I flake into a 30 gallon garbage can, stupid heavy!
 
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