Towline Loading
One of the major concerns during a towing operation is how much load is being put on the towline and the fittings used to secure it. There is a way of approximately calculating this – and it will at least give an indication of when the tow line is getting close to or has reached its safe working load. Maximum safe working load is usually taken to be 50% of the rated strength of the rope. The rated strength or break load being the load at which the line will probably part. Any rope manufacturer or supplier should be able to give not just the rated strength of a rope, but also its ‘elongation at break’ or ‘stretch at breaking’. For example Polyester 3 strand 20 mm Diameter - break load 6300kgs - elongation at break 30%. Using the above example a cheap & easy ‘eyeball’ method of gauging loads on the towline can be set up. If the elongation at break is 30%, then the elongation at the ropes max safe working load (50%) will be approx 15%. A preset length is measured an