Well, I'm not sure it's so much about annoying people Mike, as questioning the validity of the whole thread :confused:
Am I annoyed? No, I'm absolutely furious :argh:
So much so that I feel compelled to make the following comments:
Have you really not learned in your 20 years experience that winching has the potential to be highly dangerous?
Have you never considered the possibility that you were extremely lucky with your broken rope?
The point is you shouldn't have broken it in the first place.
Was the rope damaged prior to this incident? (point already made in this thread).
You've also admitted to rigging it incorrectly (point already made in this thread)
And what about insurance / liability? I suspect that your machines are covered by commercial/business insurance - the point I made in this thread was to make people aware that IF anything were to go wrong (and thanks to some of the excellent posts, by now everyone should be aware that it could go wrong big time) someone might be held to account, so be very aware of the risks you take.
Have you never looked at a winch rope in appalling condition on a preserved MV and thought "Oh dear, I hope that never gets put to use"?
I've not had anywhere near the amount of winching experience as you, but I've had enough to be very aware of the inherent dangers, and the need to approach the task responsibly in order to minimise risks (point already made in this thread).
I for one thought it was an excellent subject to discuss on the forum, and 10/10 to TonyB for starting it off!
In my view all the posts made so far have all been very valid, and when done in the now classic HMVF style of blending good advice / relevant experiences and of course humour, the result is a well-balanced thread which hopefully will encourage any budding winchers / recovery artists to approach the task with the right attitude, and to act responsibly.
And if it puts off a few who may take the view that their equipment is perhaps not in the best of condition, that might not be a bad thing.
Please re-read your post Mike, and if you really believe that we should all post in a responsible way on a public forum such as HMVF, then PLEASE make some alterations.
:tup::