Myth or Fact" Levis Horse claim"

[petng]

Is it a fact or myth that a pair of Levis can withstand the pulling power of 2 horses with out ripping apart as per their leather patch trademark?

The reason i ask this is that there is a lot of complaints about jeans not withstanding the wear and tear of everday wearing eg: Crotch blowouts and seams falling apart, etc...

Which to me is a contradiction to my beliefs for I always thought that jeans of yesterday were tough as nails and that the construction methods of todays jeans were inferior.

Were jeans very durable 100years ago or were they prone to the same problems as todays repro jeans?

If the Levi claim is indeed a fact, then any company that claims that they are repros should also be able to withstand such a torture test.

[AcrobaticTenement]

its just a myth

[spunkey]

e-mail mythbusters and tell them to do it, they already did one jeans related myth

[tk1o48]

i was compelled to watch this episode. quite dissapointing in my opinion. figured it be focused on something a little more interesting rather than the simple myth that jeans could possibly catch on fire. the answer was kinda clear to me from the start. ANYWHO, mythbusters are a group of talented people nonetheless and i love their show.

[spunkey]

i was compelled to watch this episode. quite dissapointing in my opinion. figured it be focused on something a little more interesting rather than the simple myth that jeans could possibly catch on fire. the answer was kinda clear to me from the start. ANYWHO, mythbusters are a group of talented people nonetheless and i love their show.

I meant the one where they make Grant wear STF jeans in a kiddie pool to see if they will shrink enough to cut off his circulation and kill him:p forgot about the fire one

[enojy]

i want that girl on mythbusters to get in the kiddie pool

[tk1o48]

oh ahah i totally forgot about that one. yeaaa only if they elaborated more into that field of denim.

[theshonen8899]

This would be pretty interesting.

[skiniks]

...a pair of jeans would not withstand the pulling power of two horses. myth busted.

[petng]

Why would they depict a drawing of 2 horses tugging a pair of jeans on their logo if they couldnt withstand it. Wouldnt that invite lawsuits to claim that they are misrepresenting it?

The fact that that logo on most of their jeans made me think that it was a matter of fact.

It would make an interesting Myth buster eposide!

I have read that in 1873 that in fact Levi Strauss did do a public demonstration with 2 horses pulling his jeans. See link below.

www.levistrauss.com/Downloads/EuropeFranchises/HQwebFranchiseBro.pdf -

[aho]

Why wait for Mythbusters? I'm pretty sure there is someone on here with access to horses/a ranch? I'm sure we'd all appreciate a well documented experimentation...for starters on a pair of STF's...(Although we all know they probably wouldn't last...)

I wonder if anyone is willing to experiment on a pair of Iron Hearts?

[petng]

We should start a thread "Worlds toughest jeans" I am sure Iron hearts will be right up there.

Why wait for Mythbusters? I'm pretty sure there is someone on here with access to horses/a ranch? I'm sure we'd all appreciate a well documented experimentation...for starters on a pair of STF's...(Although we all know they probably wouldn't last...)

I wonder if anyone is willing to experiment on a pair of Iron Hearts?

[skiniks]

i'd assume it's just a metaphor for the ultra durability of the denim. it would be a pretty cool experiment, though.

[tk1o48]

i'd assume it's just a metaphor for the ultra durability of the denim. it would be a pretty cool experiment, though.

i second that

[please underestimate]

"The legend has it that not long after inventing

denim jeans in 1873, Levi Strauss set off to

demonstrate their superior quality by hitching

two horses to a pair of Levi’s® Jeans – and

having them pull in opposite directions.

The pants withstood this test and, since 1886,

Levi’s®.jeans carry the Two Horse patch

on the waistband"

it was from the link that petng posted up there. i would love to see it being demonstrated to see if it's true.

[kapay]

I think some of us are assuming that the horses would be pulling by each leg of the pair of jeans but if you look at the logo it looks to be be pulled somewhere through the rise which would be harder to tear than if pulled from both legs. Also I'd think the distance between the horses would limit the full potential of the horses' strength. It's not like they have a running start. I'm not a physics major but I actually do think jeans may be able to withstand that type of stress. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction... or something like that. Perhaps the horses aren't even pulling on the jeans but rather pulling on each other.

[kapay]

I just asked a former physics major and she said if the two horses were exactly the same and pull at the same time they really would just be pulling on each other an not the pair of jeans. Obviously that can't really ever be the case so a pair of jeans might still be able to rip but I still would believe two similar horses wouldn't be able to rip apart a pair of jeans from the hip. Take this w/ a grain of salt though sometimes I just confuse her because she doesn't like arguing with me.

[fre-co]

still, it's a pretty showy way to stretch the waist out on a pair of sufu tight denimz.

[bruised]

wow, this thread sux

[littlebigman]

I just asked a former physics major and she said if the two horses were exactly the same and pull at the same time they really would just be pulling on each other an not the pair of jeans.

now we know why she's a former physics major.

[petng]

I think some of us are assuming that the horses would be pulling by each leg of the pair of jeans but if you look at the logo it looks to be be pulled somewhere through the rise which would be harder to tear than if pulled from both legs. Also I'd think the distance between the horses would limit the full potential of the horses' strength. It's not like they have a running start. I'm not a physics major but I actually do think jeans may be able to withstand that type of stress. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction... or something like that. Perhaps the horses aren't even pulling on the jeans but rather pulling on each other.

"Two horses pulling each other" That would make a great logo on a jean patch!!!!!!!

[gimmegimme]

LVC sold a reproduction of a pair that allgedely were used to tow a car from a ditch. I think they came in a paint can...I'll look for a link.

From Endclothing.co.uk:

"The celebration jean accompany this LVC collection is the 1933 501XX Tow Rope jean. Straight from the Levi archives, this jean is a 1 to 1 replica of a pair used by a man in the 1930's to tow his neighbor’s car to safety. Levi quality from 1938 to 2006. Each jean comes in a 1920's Levi Oil can, with a copy of the letter sent by the man to Levi Straus. Each jean is hand finished, hand numbered, and limited to a run of 501. "

[denimdestroyedmylife]

if one twisted the jeans into a rope not even two panicked unicorns could rend the pants asunder

[gimmegimme]

[6MT]

i want that girl on mythbusters to get in the kiddie pool

oh i know!!!

[Paul T]

Aren't they mules?

I think I remember that Levi's, or one of their customers, did the exercise in question, although it could just be marketing lore handed down thru the centuries.

There was one turn-of-the-century (1900, that is) competitor whose waist patch depicted two elephants attempting, unssuccessfully, to pull the jeans apart. Now THAT would be impressive...

[gimmegimme]

This one' still my favourite (from Patches on Jeans thread):

FOB Factory F151

[Charlie Delta]

Aren't they mules?

I think I remember that Levi's, or one of their customers, did the exercise in question, although it could just be marketing lore handed down thru the centuries.

That's from the "this is a pair of blue jeans" book

According to the story, a customer tried it and the overalls ripped on him so he wrote Levi's requesting a new pair (every pair guaranteed).

So they gave him credit for a new pair at a local store, wich he inturn send back to them with the story that he felt guilty as he had actually cheated.

He had used mules instead of horses, they are considered to be stronger, hence the jeans ripping on him.

Voila.

[chucksvintage]

Exactly.It is a true fact.