Soft Shackles
-
anyone use them? I already have a nice kinetic rope (bubba rope) but the Rover's recovery points are closed loops. I'm used to having hooks or removable shackles on some aftermarket bumper of sorts. they work just like the hard ones I reckon? never even seen on IRL.
what kinda WLL should I be getting? I see them all over, from 20k to 50k. any brand recos?
-
*Firstly, if the curators have an issue with anything safety related I wrote in here, I have no problems with them nuking or editing this post. Recovery/load bearing gear is not a thing to take lightly and disinformation can kill.
@adamftw This ended up being really long and possibly less helpful than intended...oops!
I would do soft shackles myself, but haven't had recovery gear in years, so all opinion. I'd get name brand ones probably from a winch company or others that sell synth rope recovery gear - Bubba, Yankum, etc. and have a protective sleeve to prevent physical damage. Anyone that load tests or certifies their equipment is a good choice.
WLL needs to be minimum higher than max vehicle GVWR. A lot of people will say "My GVWR or normal wheeling weight is X, so any shackle rated above X is fine." It gets murky because when you're stuck, and I mean stuck-stuck/buried in the mud, it's easy to have more static load than GVWR. You can spread loads on your gear/set up your pull to mitigate this, but it's something to think about. Shackles should have a FS of 2-5:1 (some places have FS, others minimum tensile strength so you can calculate it), so people will rely on that FS to get them through really big pulls. I think it's better to go a little higher in differential between your GVWR/WLL or use the highest FS you can find. At some point relying on just FS will burn you. BUT it depends because you also need to factor in what the WLL of you recovery points are. I'll be happy breaking shackles over a winch, winch rope, parts/my frame, etc but if you're really mucked in, max pull is handy. Recovery gear needs to work as a system (winch max+FS, winch rope+FS, recovery/kinetic ropes+FS, snatch straps+FS, shackles+FS, recovery points+FS, etc) so you have a solid idea of your failure points and how to avoid them if all possible.
Personally (not a professional opinion), shackles make a good fail point, especially if it's all synth gear. When I used to wheel a bunch I had my normal recovery gear and then I had some RECOVERY gear. Winch (steel cable as synth was just hitting the market), snatch blocks, rings, all normal for my rig size and needs. But then I had a set of monster shackles and straps that would either nuke my winch, cable, or recovery points first. But if I needed to get out because it's a super unsafe situation or whatever, I was willing to damage/break some things. Ideally you don't put yourself in these situations to begin with obviously...
I always hesitate to recommend stuff, but I'd go something a bit above GVWR + high FS and inspection before/after every use and a willingness to replace or use any questionable ones as a backup (keep in mind replacement costs for your budget). Add a much higher WLL version if you're playing in the serious stuff and getting buried to the doors in mud regularly. But be mentally prepared for the potential of tearing up your vehicle and recovery equipment to get out.
I would recommend always setting your pull to mitigate stresses on your equipment, no matter how easy the pull is. Things can and do go wrong in a hurry, and slowing down to think things through in order to remove or lower the opportunities for failures, breakage, damage, and injury are well worth your time. Done a lot of crane ops in in my time, so I've seen some crazy shit...
If you end up getting d-rings/metal shackles, get Crosby's from a trustworthy source (Crosby direct, Grainger, etc). Worth the extra money, and won't need to worry about counterfeits.
-
@looseonexit thanks for all that. I know about having stuff rated for MUCH higher than GVWR, been there for sure and have broken my fair share of shitty tow straps. My "wheelin" days are over, but getting stuck happens and recovering people who need help is something I like being prepared to do. You make a good point about using the soft shackles as fuses, I used to not GAF about doing a full throttle snatch recovery of a 5,000lb Jeep door deep in mud, holding the pedal at the rev-limiter backing up and doing it three more times (lol), but I don't want to break my shit anymore. I like not having any metal parts now that you can safely do that, I have bent both cheap and "made in USA" metal D-rings. It's scary to think how that can go from bad to worse.
I'll pick up a couple brand name ones to throw in my wheelin' box. Thanks again for the long reply
-
So many full throttle snatch strap holeshots in my day, but no more. Watching a wire winch cable snap and split a CJ windshield and hardtop down the middle was my first big eye opener. Yikes! but yay for cages...
Mud is a sneaky bastard!
But sometimes you win.
-
@looseonexit no issues, thanks for sharing this detailed info. We're not presenting to be experts here teaching people, just folks sharing information and experience so I think we're safe here.
Feel free to share this excellent kind of information and experiences!
-
we've got an I4WDA instructor on staff, he and bill burke (also I4WDA certified) recommend against soft shackles. i tend to agree, i think it's a solution looking for a problem. The safety factor on soft recovery devices is significantly less than steel. having said that, everyone here runs CW shackles which are the "standard" size you commonly see but rated for overhead lifting at 6.5t instead of 4.75t commonly seen.
