A towing strap's Minimum Breaking Strength (MBS) is the force applied to the strap at the point it will break, commonly referred to in the industry as strap failure.
We decided to create this wiki blog due to the number of inquiries we receive where people are confused about the MBS, many mistaking it with how much weight they can pull with the strap regularly. This is NOT true, and by doing this you will almost certainly experience failure, and likely on the very first time you use the strap.
Do NOT mistake the MBS with some straps which indicate a working load limit (WLL)
Minimum Breaking Strength (MBS)
Let's say you have a vehicle that weighs 35,000 lb and you go out and buy a 35,000 - 40,000 lb tow strap. If your vehicle is stuck on wet grass, or maybe a patch of ice, and you are purely experiencing a loss of traction, your new strap will probably help and have a chance of surviving, because there is no significant resistance. So the force applied to pull your vehicle is going to be around the 35,000 lb mark.
You take that same vehicle and bury it in 6 - 12 inches of mud or wed sand, especially if your wheels are deep, your axle may be locked, breaks stuck, and the second you try pulling that vehicle, your strap WILL fail! You have the weight of the vehicle (35,000 lbs) as well as a huge amount of resistance preventing that vehicle from moving. In these types of scenarios, the force applied to the strap is significant, and can easily triple the gross vehicle weight.
Our Recommendations
Our recommendation would be to have a tow strap with at least a 3-factor cushion. So ideally, you’d be looking at a 100,000 lb strap, in severe situations, maybe even bigger!
Different industries have established specific working load limits (WLL) for towing equipment, and some site-specific regulations may even prohibit the use of tow straps with a low safety factor.
Industry standards typically range from a 2:1 to a 7:1 safety factor, so it’s crucial to verify these requirements before purchasing a new towing strap to ensure you're in compliance and prioritize safety.
%20on%20a%20Towing%20Strap?){kind=link}