What is a recovery shackle?
The shackle sits on the end of the hitch and is used to winch to, tow from or tug/snatch from. One of the things you need to consider before using a shackle hitch is the load rating for which it is rated for.
Can you use a hitch as a recovery point?
Using a hitch as a recovery point is a perfectly acceptable practice as long as it is not one of those cheesy receivers that bolts to a bumper. While not ideal, it’s far safer to use a hitch pin in a receiver than wrapping a strap around a trailer ball, bumper, axle, leaf spring shackle, tie rod, and so on.
What size recovery shackles do I need?
Shackles with a rating of at least 3.25t should be the minimum and are suitable for attaching one end of a strap. 4.75t rated shackles have a larger eye and are more suited to applications such as tree trunk protectors where two ends of the strap are fitted in the shackle. Never over-tighten the shackle pin.
Do you really need Rated recovery points?
ABOVE This is a tie-down point – NOT a recovery point. Don’t use it to recover someone! Rated recovery points are the very first thing you want to look at adding to your four-wheel drive. You’ll want to look for the rating stamp on the actual recovery point, to ensure it is actually rated to a specific breaking point.
Are soft shackles worth it?
PROS: Soft shackles are lightweight, easy to handle, and easy to use. Plus, there’s no screw pin to worry about. They can be stowed in glove boxes, bags, and don’t take up much space. Plus, they don’t store as much potential energy as a metal shackle.
Are soft shackles any good?
Because they’re safer than a steel shackle commonly used to connect recovery equipment, like a snatch strap. Sure, being hit in the head by soft shackle snapping will still hurt, but it’ll hurt a lot less than a piece of steel flicked through the air at speeds of several hundreds of kilometres per hour.
How strong of a recovery strap do I need?
When choosing the size of your Kinetic Recovery Rope, the breaking strength should be approximately 3 times the weight of the vehicle you are pulling. For example if the Jeep or truck you are recovering weighs 4,000 lbs., you would multiply that by 3.0 (4,000 lbs x 3.0 = 12,000 lbs.)
How long should a recovery strap be?
With regards to length, recovery tow straps are normally 30 inches long, but you’ll also find them in lengths of 16, 20, and 25 inches. The size of the strap needed all depends on the vehicle being towing. If you’re pulling a large truck, then a wider strap would be needed.