Alternate use for a deck drive belt

[dodge trucker]

Last Saturday I had to go to my brother in law's funeral.
It had been raining all day, it was just before dark.
A guy who works with my son, (and used to work with me) that my in law's family grew up with, came to show his respect.
Only problem being, was that with all the puddles he didn't see a hole in the alley across the street from the funeral home, until the front end of his Honduh fell into it and he was stuck. He came in to see if anyone had a tow strap or chain or something. I was the only one who had anything, and it was a very light duty ratchet strap. Maybe 500 lb capacity, at most. We tried it, and snapped it just by letting off the brakes, not yet touching the gas.

looking in the club cab section of my Dakota I found a spare belt for a quiet line from the electric clutch to the deck that I forgot that I had. With nothing else available we figured why not.. hooked it up to my hitch ball and to a hook under his bumper and surprisingly I was able to pull him out with it.

[Rumblefish]

I believe it. Growing up, my dad was always "the guy" with a car trailer. There was several times we would go to pick up a non runner and the hook on the winch was too big and bulky to be able to hook to anything, so a fan belt was used as a flexible and non damaging strap to hook the winch to.

[bugeye]

A long time ago I had to tow a none running new to me car. Wasn't too far, maybe two miles some of which was uphill. I let my younger brother steer the little car, An Austin Healey Sprite while I pulled it with my Dad's Case garden tractor. I used a garden hose without incident. I think the brakes on the AH worked. At least the handbrake did.

[J-Mech]

A long time ago I had to tow a none running new to me car................. An Austin Healey Sprite.

Got any pictures of it?

How did you come by that car? Not real popular here were they?

Little predecessor to the MG Midget, right?



Yeah.... I've used things for things they weren't meant for and it all worked out. Belts are pretty tough really.
Especially belts that say

[Diesel Doc]

I have a good friend who is a water well driller. He uses belts about the size of a deck drive belt (5/8 x 90) as slings to lift and move 8" well casing. He says it grips the casing a lot better than a commercial nylon web style sling, especially when the casing is muddy. One thing he preaches while doing this, absolutely no one is ever in the crash zone should the belt fail. And yes, he buys new belts to do this and changes them out when needed.

[bugeye]

Got any pictures of it?

How did you come by that car? Not real popular here were they?

Little predecessor to the MG Midget, right?

Yeah.... I've used things for things they weren't meant for and it all worked out. Belts are pretty tough really.
Especially belts that say

No pictures unfortunately. It was a 1959 Bugeye Sprite. I traded some concrete work for the car. Had to cut down a tree between the front bumper and hood. The AH had been crashed prior to my ownership. The headlight buckets were ripped off by the car it ran into. I found a used hood which included the attached fenders near State College, Pa. I brought the hood home in the trunk of a friends 1963 Ford Galaxie. Pulled the engine/trans using Dad's backhoe. Replaced hydraulic throw out bearing, pressure plate, clutch disk. Rebuilt brakes. I had the little car for about 15 years, until I got married. Should have kept the car !

Yes, pretty much the same as a MG Midget. Had a 1962 Midget with side curtains. About 40 horsepower, 948 cc displacement. Top speed ~ 70 mph

[dodge trucker]

63 galaxie a car from back when cars actually had usable trunks. Today's cars are a joke. Every damn one of them
That's why I will always own a pick up for the rest of my driving days

[dodge trucker]

Got any pictures of it?

How did you come by that car? Not real popular here were they?

Little predecessor to the MG Midget, right?



Yeah.... I've used things for things they weren't meant for and it all worked out. Belts are pretty tough really.
Especially belts that say

this was actually a Green Gates Lawn and Garden one, not OEM but a "comparable replacement".

[Rescue11]

This is good life lesson! Will remember this one! Thanks for sharing!

[jaynjeep]

Amazing what you can do in a pinch! I have used automotive serpentine belts to pull and engine before in a u pull it yard when I didn't have anything else.. haven't broken one yet.. but I don't get anywhere near it when it's in the air.. don't trust it that well.. but it does work!