Can someone post a picture of their roading drag setup they use. I have read about using heavy cable but am unclear how to safely attach this to the roading harness.
Thanks
Roading Drag Setup ?
Re: Roading Drag Setup ?
Get a harness like this:
attach a 24" rubber tarp strap for a shock absorber and then hook up either logging chain or heavy welding cable - as much weight as you will need. I 3/8" chain in 6 lb. chunks. Some dogs tow two of them. Be sure the drag is heavy enough that if it gets caught up and the dog pulls on the rubber strap that it can't throw the drag forward and hit the dog when it comes free.
attach a 24" rubber tarp strap for a shock absorber and then hook up either logging chain or heavy welding cable - as much weight as you will need. I 3/8" chain in 6 lb. chunks. Some dogs tow two of them. Be sure the drag is heavy enough that if it gets caught up and the dog pulls on the rubber strap that it can't throw the drag forward and hit the dog when it comes free.
Re: Roading Drag Setup ?
Is a rubber tarp strap the same as a bungie cord?
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RayGubernat
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Re: Roading Drag Setup ?
Daddyfid -
no pics...sorry.
However that is not the kind of harness I would use and i definitely would not use logging chain. I would use a leather or biothane harness that had D rings on each flank. There are several quality manufacturers. I would use welding cable, #4 or #6 would work fine. A ten foot section of #6 cable weighs about 10#, as I recall.
Thread a quality snap swivel on one end of the cable and wrap the cable around a metal thimble. Use electrical tape to wrap the whole thng together. A metal thimbl is necessary or the brass or bronze swivel will saw right through the palstic coating and the soft copper cable. You can run a strip of duct tape lengthwise to protect the plastc cable covering.
Welding cable lays flat, pretty much no matter what and if it does bump the dog it is plastic coated and will not snap around and injure the dog like chain can. Chain is cheaper but , can whip around and do real damage. To me, the danger just isn't worth it.
RayG
no pics...sorry.
However that is not the kind of harness I would use and i definitely would not use logging chain. I would use a leather or biothane harness that had D rings on each flank. There are several quality manufacturers. I would use welding cable, #4 or #6 would work fine. A ten foot section of #6 cable weighs about 10#, as I recall.
Thread a quality snap swivel on one end of the cable and wrap the cable around a metal thimble. Use electrical tape to wrap the whole thng together. A metal thimbl is necessary or the brass or bronze swivel will saw right through the palstic coating and the soft copper cable. You can run a strip of duct tape lengthwise to protect the plastc cable covering.
Welding cable lays flat, pretty much no matter what and if it does bump the dog it is plastic coated and will not snap around and injure the dog like chain can. Chain is cheaper but , can whip around and do real damage. To me, the danger just isn't worth it.
RayG
Re: Roading Drag Setup ?
Ray, have you used the x-back harness? I have used both. I was actually put onto the x-back by a pro dog trainer. As for the cable, like I said, use either. I have tried both materials on each harness. I find the chain offers much more resistance for similar weight, but I road on gravel almost exclusively. If I was roading in rough terrain I would opt for the welding cable - or a piece of cheap vinyl hose filled with playground sand. The only time I had chain whip up to the dog was when I ran too light a chain. The tarp strap won't whip 6 lbs of chain. I also would not hitch the cable directly to the harness - when I first started roading that was how I had it hooked up and in rough terrain the dogs can snag the cable and they need a shock absorber.
Re: Roading Drag Setup ?
daddyfid wrote:Is a rubber tarp strap the same as a bungie cord?
Be sure to close the ends of the S hooks with a vice or something.
Last edited by slistoe on Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Roading Drag Setup ?
From the archives back when I used to work dogs - Howling Dog Alaska Pulka harness, Howling Dog Alaska elastic leash, ~12ft. soft braid ~1/2" rope with snaps on each end, 1" sliding ring, ~10# chain with snap (substitue welding cable if ya want - I've got both but prefer chain for pulling like I've pictured), 1 dog 'el campione das Stitchomatic:
