Risks of choking eye sling backwards?

[802climber]

I was taught when installing an eye sling choker style on a tree trunk, to always have the "bight" facing the right direction so it chokes properly.

Is the only risk of running a choker backwards that it may loosen/slip, or can it cause a sewn or spliced eye to fail?

I am specifically wondering about a heavy duty eye to eye strap sling (with sewn eyes) set up as a choker as an anchor point for a block for pulling/dragging trees.

Could having it choked "backwards" contribute to an eye failing? I am talking about the sewing ripping out, not the webbing itself breaking.

I know a long enough sling to run it basket style might be better for this kind of purpose.

My hunch is that improperly choking would not distribute the load throughout the whole device and could cause one eye to fail. Am I right?

 

[ozzy42]

Maybe a pic would help us answer you.
The way you're describing it doesn't make sense.
If you're asking if it makes any difference whether the loop should go around clockwise or counter? It shouldn't matter.

 

[sgreanbeans]

It shouldn't matter which way you go, as far as ripping goes. But you do need to orientate the sling to the line in a manner that when you tie it, that it chokes tightly, you can go backwards, away from it, if you do that, there is a small window that it may slip out, right before the line takes the weight. Once it takes weight, unless the piece it is really smooth, ya should have no problem. I leave nubs for removals, to prevent that exact thing. If you don't like nubbing it, then ya need to leave that sling real close to center, if ya but tie with a sling, that is when it can slip off, even if it is choked right. When the sling takes the weight, it creates a little space at the bite, if close to the edge of the piece, that space can slip over the top.

 

[pdqdl]

I might be wrong, 'cause I don't hardly ever use slings. So take this for what it is worth:

The eye of a sling is much more likely to tear out if it is loaded unevenly against a hard object, or shearing if one side is loaded more than the other. It works pretty much like tearing a phone book in 1/2.

The eye of the sling has less stress on it when it is not loaded heavily towards "choking". The choking force increases the load onto the eye, and it also puts a slightly greater force against one side of the eye. Given that most eyes are double layered, the shearing forces in a choker are probably not important until you grossly overload it. At the same time, however, if the log turns toward the eye, it will be allowed to roll.

I hope that helps.