Disclamer: These clamps aren't on my vehicle. They are installed on a fire engine that has seen 4 years of service at a full-time career department. The clamps get used almost daily, so compared to what you will see, this is EXTREME use.
So we were cleaning the engine today and I decided to snap a few pictures of where these rubber clamps have failed or are starting to fail. I thought it might help some folks see where and how they fail. I will say, it seems that user error and rough use contribute to the failures the most.
As you can see, the pull tap broke off. This clamp holds a plastic shovel that we use on motor vehicle collisions to scoop up oil dry and debris. It get used nearly daily, so this particular clamp saw a lot of use before it failed. Nearly 3 years for this one. Again, heavy handed fire fighters broke this from over tightening it time and time again.
This one is one of two clamps that held a large pair of bolt cutters (~36"). The first one had all 4 screws slip through and was lost. This one was over tightened until it about pinched through again. This is why you need to be careful not to over tighten or put too heavy of an object in the clamp. I believe the heavy bolt cutters were too much for these small clamps and pulled them off the screws. Bigger screw heads may have helped too.
I hope this can sort of help, I know there are a lot of these holding shovels and the like on rigs. They are great when they are used properly. Don't over tighten, and don't over load them and you should be in good shape.
So we were cleaning the engine today and I decided to snap a few pictures of where these rubber clamps have failed or are starting to fail. I thought it might help some folks see where and how they fail. I will say, it seems that user error and rough use contribute to the failures the most.
As you can see, the pull tap broke off. This clamp holds a plastic shovel that we use on motor vehicle collisions to scoop up oil dry and debris. It get used nearly daily, so this particular clamp saw a lot of use before it failed. Nearly 3 years for this one. Again, heavy handed fire fighters broke this from over tightening it time and time again.
This one is one of two clamps that held a large pair of bolt cutters (~36"). The first one had all 4 screws slip through and was lost. This one was over tightened until it about pinched through again. This is why you need to be careful not to over tighten or put too heavy of an object in the clamp. I believe the heavy bolt cutters were too much for these small clamps and pulled them off the screws. Bigger screw heads may have helped too.
I hope this can sort of help, I know there are a lot of these holding shovels and the like on rigs. They are great when they are used properly. Don't over tighten, and don't over load them and you should be in good shape.
