Hood-Loop Failure (Revisited)

[Sweetfancymoses]

The hood-loop on my car ripped today. Luckily, it happened when I tightened the ropes before I took off. It broke right in the fold where the material gets squeezed by the rope. I would never have thought it would break there before failing in more likely places (bolt falling out, rip out at the grommet). I will start with heavier strapping material and check more often in the future.

 

[yellowcanoe]

there is a lot of fraying from even a little movement of the rope
I try to notice that and replace when necessary. akso the loop is exposed to UV rays

 

[Guest]

I had the same thing happen a month ago. I figured time and ozone weakened the strap-they were app 6 years old. Thank god it happened tying on and not on the thruway. I got new ones now-thule-they look good quality. I will now replace them annually.
Turtle

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

https://flic.kr/p/TzY2zy https://www.flickr.com/photos/133956285@N05/

After another failure I revisited the design. I believe the reasons for the failures are 1) Scrunching (when tensioning the rope, the webbing gets scrunched), 2) low quality webbing, and a distant 3) UV degradation (distant because the hood loop spends most of it's life under the hood. Here is version 1.2 using heavy-duty polypropylene webbing and a 1" stainless steel D-ring. It's held in place with a few stitches. The D-ring should eliminate any scrunching. As a touch, I'm using silver webbing - the color of my car. Please tune in in a couple of years for an update.

 

[recped]

I'd go with cheap webbing and UV and the culprits. that's what I've experienced.

The first set I installed years ago was some leftover and previously used webbing, it never actually broke but was on the way to it after a couple of years. I replaced it with quality (new) webbing which has lasted a very long time. The other issue is that I'm kind of lazy so when not in use I let the loops remain exposed, just like on my older barrel harnesses and a few other things I leave the loop dangling and under full exposure to the sun.

On my current vehicle I'm using some webbing left over from a spray deck installation, I think it's been treated with something for UV because it is not only quite stiff it also hasn't faded like other webbing does after long sun exposure.

 

[latremorej]

I have never gave them any thought! Now I have to go and do an inspection. I can't remember what type of heavy duty strapping I used (they are on my third vehicle, its been over 15 years)... I think I cut pieces off a safety harness... I used them last week to haul some 16' 2x6 and 2x8 material and didn't notice any obvious signs of wear. The webbing I used is about twice as thick as my Yakima straps though.

thanks for the heads up!

Jason

 

[scoutergriz]

there is another very strong contender for #1 cause of failure, and that is the fact that under-hood environment is extremely harsh! On top of your normal conditions you've got high heat, high humidity, solvents, oils, antifreeze, and myriad other chemicals ,even the cleanest engine produces some filth and fumes. Add in the salt and sand that normally collects over the winter and you've got a recipe for disaster.
I too use pieces of safety harness, because it's usually good for 5000lb, and easy to come by, once the tag rips or one of the coloured strands break, it's supposed to be "retired"
Every spring I'll remove the tiedowns and soak them in hot soapy water, then give them a light scrubbing with an old tooth brush, You'd be surprised at how much crud is absorbed over one season!

 

[gumpus]

I've been a fan of Carl Busjahn of Carl's Paddlin for a long time. Anyone that knows Carl knows how much he likes to salvage and repurpose stuff. Carl uses strapping that was originally used to bundle fiber optic cables. It's totally floppy yet strong as heck since it has filaments of some kind in it. It's thinner than the normal Thule loops so fits more easily in the sheet metal gaps. I have not been able to find the material online.

Pic shows a loop on our 4Runner. I also used a pair of them on my former Subaru Outback and they lasted the 9 years I owned it. Side note was that I left them out all the time on the Subaru and they didn't even blow around at highway speeds...they would just hang limp so apparently there was a dead spot in the airflow.

In the 1990s there was a canoe shop called CanoeSport in Ann Arbor and they sold what looked like metal fishing leaders that you screwed right into the sheet metal of your front fenders in the gap between fender and hood and they would just sit there in the sheet metal gap out of sight when not in use but you could reach in with a finger and rotate them out for use without opening the hood.

 

[scoutergriz]

That stuff isn't used for bundling fiber, it's actually woven Kevlar pulling tape used for pulling wires through conduit, and the used stuff may be impregnated with wire lube which, if it gets on a knot can reduce the friction that keeps the knot tight to dangerous levels, and is almost impossible to remove- it's worked into the fibre as it gets pulled through the pipe, and most wirelube isn't water soluble.
That's why it's not normally re-used for heavy pulls and is discarded or only used on light-duty (single wire) pulls. Most electricians or telecom splicers end up with short lengths that can't be used for pulling, and even though never used, they generally discard it- that's the stuff you want!

 

[MagicPaddler]

I should go check my hood ties. I use para cord and it has been on my car for >10 years. I make a continuous loop through a hole in the cowling that is long enough to hang out when I want to use it. It naturally rotates a little every time it is put away so the ware points are always moving.

 

[gumpus]

That stuff isn't used for bundling fiber, it's actually woven Kevlar pulling tape used for pulling wires through conduit, and the used stuff may be impregnated with wire lube which, if it gets on a knot can reduce the friction that keeps the knot tight to dangerous levels, and is almost impossible to remove- it's worked into the fibre as it gets pulled through the pipe, and most wirelube isn't water soluble.
That's why it's not normally re-used for heavy pulls and is discarded or only used on light-duty (single wire) pulls. Most electricians or telecom splicers end up with short lengths that can't be used for pulling, and even though never used, they generally discard it- that's the stuff you want!

It's much easier to find online now that I know what it is! Pulling tape. I can't see getting a 5000 foot roll so I'll just keep taking Carl out to lunch when I see him and beg for more scraps.

 

[bcelect]

I've been a fan of Carl Busjahn of Carl's Paddlin for a long time. Anyone that knows Carl knows how much he likes to salvage and repurpose stuff. Carl uses strapping that was originally used to bundle fiber optic cables. It's totally floppy yet strong as heck since it has filaments of some kind in it. It's thinner than the normal Thule loops so fits more easily in the sheet metal gaps. I have not been able to find the material online.

Pic shows a loop on our 4Runner. I also used a pair of them on my former Subaru Outback and they lasted the 9 years I owned it. Side note was that I left them out all the time on the Subaru and they didn't even blow around at highway speeds...they would just hang limp so apparently there was a dead spot in the airflow.

In the 1990s there was a canoe shop called CanoeSport in Ann Arbor and they sold what looked like metal fishing leaders that you screwed right into the sheet metal of your front fenders in the gap between fender and hood and they would just sit there in the sheet metal gap out of sight when not in use but you could reach in with a finger and rotate them out for use without opening the hood.

Great idea on the Kevlar Pulling Tape. I collected some of that when a contractor was finished with a pull, that material is 3/8" wide and looks to be Kevlar. I also have some Greenlee "Muletape" which is Polyester and rated for 1800#. The polyester is somewhat UV resistant so you wouldn't want to leave it exposed continuously as I did with my black webbing.
I have a newer vehicle and was wondering what to put on it for my bow line anchors, I think that I will use the Polyester. I have about 100 feet of it so if anybody wants a 10 foot swath, send me $5 through Paypal and I will send you out a 10 foot length. Electbc@yahoo.com.
That Kevlar is 3/8" wide but the Muletape is 1/2" wide.

 

[gumpus]

bcelect - that is really generous of you! I'm happy if Carl's idea helps even one more paddler.

 

[bcelect]

Coldfeet and Myself paddled the Mullica river last Saturday/Sunday. On the drive down Saturday it was windy, really windy. I am fortunate to have good anchor points for my bow lines on this vehicle. We learned that one group we met on the river, lost two boats to the wind that day, it tore the roof racks right off.

 

[gumpus]

Coldfeet and Myself paddled the Mullica river last Saturday/Sunday. On the drive down Saturday it was windy, really windy. I am fortunate to have good anchor points for my bow lines on this vehicle. We learned that one group we met on the river, lost two boats to the wind that day, it tore the roof racks right off.

Do you know what failed on their racks? I'd be curious to know what the weak link was in their systems.