Hood strap failure

[Tsuga8]

I went to cinch my bowlines down ahead of a long trip at interstate speeds, and one of my hoodstraps ripped. Seems like UV degradation, if I had to guess, it was flaking material everywhere. I melted the ends and tried to tie the long end to the carabiner and cinch again - it broke again. The other side held fine, but I will be replacing both after this trip. I can't recall exactly where or when I bought these, but looking at my old photos I think it was summer of 2022. Not very long in my book. It's the style with a grommet that bolts onto the frame under the hood.

Thankfully I had spares on hand, the kind with rubber piping that you shut the hood on. I like that the grommet style was always there and couldn't shift or get lost. Perhaps leaving them exposed much of the year accelerated their demise. At least it didn't rip while driving at highway speeds - I would have had a carabiner flapping against the hood and/windshield.

 

[Caledonia]

I inherited a couple sets with the rubber tube when I bought my used Phoenix and it feels like the webbing is getting a little crunchy on them but they haven’t broken yet. The owner said they were cheaper ones she had picked and the webbing seems less robust than the loops I’ve had from Piragis for a number of years. I haven’t had an issue with any of them slipping and I like being able to pop them in and out. There is kind of a natural place to fit them in below the hood on the Rav4 so maybe slightly different situation from yours. In either case it sure beats climbing under the car to look for an attachment point!

 

[Tryin']

TLDR: Don't leave synthetics exposed to UV.

@Caledonia If you can feel a textural difference, the fabric is shot.

Long answer:

Navigating the Effects of Sunlight on Polyester & Nylon Webbing Materials

This exploration is not just academic; it directly impacts industries reliant on these materials for safety-critical applications. Through rigorous testing and analysis, we uncover how polyester and nylon webbing, two commonly used materials

www.nationalwebbing.com

 

[Boatman53]

Glad you found that while just tying it down and not at highway speeds.
Jim

 

[Tsuga8]

Glad you found that while just tying it down and not at highway speeds.
Jim

Very glad!

 

[scoutergriz]

if they're building a highrise in your area ask the foreman for some of the used safety loops for lanyards- they're usually cemented directly into the walls when they pour them, and are just cut off and tossed when they finish the walls. This leaves them with dozens of 1' or longer 2" heavy kevlar reinforced nylon/ polyester, rot, UV, and chemical proof straps that can't be reused. you just cut off the d-ring, fold it over and burn a hole for the bolt, add a fender washer for extra clamping and you're good. Mine are on their 4th vehicle and are over 20 years old with only superficial fraying and no crunchiness- that's in Ontario where we have everything from +98° to -40° and literally tons of road salt every winter.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Yeah, it's a good idea to make your own with a more robust webbing. Cheaper too. And I never use carabiners or any hard objects for attaching the lines. Better to just use knots, like a trucker's hitch.

 

[Tsuga8]

Yeah, it's a good idea to make your own with a more robust webbing. Cheaper too. And I never use carabiners or any hard objects for attaching the lines. Better to just use knots, like a trucker's hitch.

More robust webbing - yup. I hear you on not using carabiners, but they're awfully fast and convenient. Maybe I'll reconsider for highway travel....

@scoutergriz those loops sound useful, but there aren't high rises anywhere near me. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled. I do have some climbing-grade tubular webbing, but it may suffer from UV susceptibility unlike what you're describing.

 

[yknpdlr]

Looks like you used single layer flat webbing from the hardware stor. Try to get some tubular webbing, it is much stronger. Definitely use a trucker's hitch plus a couple of half hitches with the excess line, holding moderate tension on the looped line. When not in use holding my canoe bow down, my loops lie nice and safe out of sun UV under the hood.

 

[gumpus]

Yeah, it's a good idea to make your own with a more robust webbing. Cheaper too. And I never use carabiners or any hard objects for attaching the lines. Better to just use knots, like a trucker's hitch.

Works for me.

I use woven nylon pulling tape for bow tie-downs and only pull them out when needed.

 

[ppine]

Nylong rope with a trucker's hitch is dependable. Store it indoors.

 

[Tsuga8]

The straps were purchased as they were, marketed as hood straps for tying down a boat (I didn't make em myself). I agree, in retrospect, that the webbing isn't terribly thick in any dimension. I can't recall where I got them but they were pretty cheap.

I store most of my gear indoors; my car, during most of the year, doesn't fit in the garage because of all the canoes (in winter I tetris all the boats so most aren't accessible and the car fits).

I try to get out 2-3x a week, so these hood straps have been left out for much of their lives. I could pop the hood each time I use them and put them away, but I go often enough, I think at their cost it's worth it to just leave them out and inspect/test them a few times a season. Making them out of more robust material might help but regardless they should be inspected regularly as should all safety gear. I retired my nylon tie-down ropes last year because they were starting to shed material - obvious sign of UV damage, even though the rope still felt very solid. When it comes to straps and rope, cost of replacement is low enough to err on the side of safety.

 

[yknpdlr]

I've used tubular webbing in my Subarus for many years. never noticed any degradation of the loops. There happens to be a very convenient bolt placed just right under the hood.

Under the hood of my Subaru Wilderness Forester:

 

[scoutergriz]

More robust webbing - yup. I hear you on not using carabiners, but they're awfully fast and convenient. Maybe I'll reconsider for highway travel....

@scoutergriz those loops sound useful, but there aren't high rises anywhere near me. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled. I do have some climbing-grade tubular webbing, but it may suffer from UV susceptibility unlike what you're describing.

some truckers use 2" binder straps for when there's not enough mounted ones. They're usually pretty ugly and beat up, but they're still rated for outdoor exposure- you might be able to find some at trucking garages or truck stops, not as good as the ones used in construction but still plenty strong enough for tiedowns. apparently roofers use something similar to anchor roofer's harnesses but I don't know if they pull the nails and reuse them...

 

[Cruiser]

This may be one area where there is some crossover to some of the hammock materials I use frequently. When making weight bearing hems, the thickness/strength of the webbing is important, here are a few items that may be interesting for this purpose.

My favourite webbing, is also the thinnest. It is made of Dyneema so it is not impacted by UV, it is very supple so easy to bend and fold, it is a little pricey though

Venom™ UHMWPE Ultralight Webbing

We searched far and wide for a webbing that was stronger, tougher, and lighter than everything else. When we couldn't find it, we made it. Introducing Venom™ UHMWPE webbing. Designed, woven, and produced from scratch by us, Venom™ webbing uses one of the world's strongest fibers (UHMWPE) to...

ripstopbytheroll.com

second from this vendor

1/2

1/2" tubular polyester webbing with a lower tensile (pulling) strength than our 1/2" MIL-SPEC tubular nylon webbing, but with lower stretch & increased UV resistance.

ripstopbytheroll.com

and an additional supplier for nylon webbing

Black Nylon Webbing

Nylon lightweight webbing is soft and ideal for bag handles and backpack straps, pet collars, leashes and harnesses, luggage straps, sports equipment and gear, and any other uses for a lightweight webbing.

www.sailrite.com

and a second offering from this supplier for Dyneema webbing

White Dyneema® Webbing

Dyneema Webbing has superior strength and excellent abrasion resistance. Use for towing, tie downs, harnesses and load-bearing applications.

www.sailrite.com

There are a couple of other suppliers I use, but whatever products you get from these will be the better quality of the various types, plus they give strength/weight bearing values .... I find that just finding the right vendor can be the main challenge, these are both good places IMO. The second vendor also offers many colours, so matching the vehicle colour is likely possible, if that matters to the buyer/






Brian

 

[Tsuga8]

Helpful tips, all, thanks for sharing.

 

[GeoBoy]

If you go on dutchwaregear.com you can buy webbing by the foot.