How Strong of a Receiver Shackle Mount?

[AZ_85623]

Now I have a dilemma, there is a hook available:
https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-recovery-hook/

25,000 lb. breaking strength

Sponsored

 

[Maxwellian]

But I'm not really talking about a tow situation. This is a thread specifically about recovery.

In a recovery situation, isn't it possible (while not necessarily advisable) to exceed the manufacturer's GVWR on the tow point? If you're in a dire situation, and your wheels are halfway into some thick mud, you might not be able to accurately calculate how much force its going to take to get you out. Isn't it better to be safe than sorry with a stronger piece? Or do you feel confident enought to know when a recovery might be too much for your setup and you need to call for help?

The aluminum recovery points rated to 9500 lbs are giving working load, so recovering a vehicle that weight. So you’re doubling the safety factor. In the case of the Factor 55 Hitchlink with an MBS of 51,000lbs, taking it over 10:1. There aren’t any big concerns with cycling loading or abrasion, so I I don’t see any advantage to steel.

 

[RushMan]

When my new Badlands arrives in a few months, I will be buying this item.

https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-soft-shackle-ring/

1.75″ ring diameter
40,000 lb. breaking strength

Obviously, our vehicles aren't huge 8ton animals, so I was going to cheap it out with a $40 aluminum receiver shackle mount for my recovery point on my new hitch.

My main purpose in getting my aftermarket Curt hitch was for an upcoming trip to the Rockies where I wanted to do some offroading, and wanted to make sure I had a SOLID recovery point in the rear, to go with my tow points in the front.

Then....I started digging around into "proper recovery gear" and came across this story about this poor guy in Arizona.
Father Killed In ORV Recovery Accident When Tow Hitch Snapped (roadandtrack.com)

His SuperDuty with rear locker got bogged down up to his nips. He called his buddy who came out with INADEQUATE recovery equipment for this job. They ended up shearing the receiver. Now, granted, the receiver was NOT a shackle mount receiver, but a tow ball receiver. This is not intended for a recovery. Especially one like this. But its given me room for pause. Maybe spending a little extra money might be worth some peace of mind?

So I'll ask you guys. My basic question is, how SAFE should I play it and opt for a stainless steel receiver shackle mount (maybe even finding one that accepts a 7/8 shackle pinhole) over just a normal aluminum receiver with a 3/4 inch shackle pin hole.

The latter is about twice the price of the former (often more).

That person made a lot of bad decisions on attempting that recovery: Using static straps and chains for a "jerk" kinetic recovery attempt, and not opening the hood on the stuck vehicle to act as temporary safety blocker in case of chain, strap or hitch/receiver failures.

There are 2 metrics usually quoted for Tow Points: WLL and WBS. Working Load Limit and Working Breaking Strength. The WBS is effectively the UTS (Ultimate Tensile Strength) of the material multiplied by the cross sectional area at the thinnest cross-section of the device. Neither of these metrics account for the toughness of the material (Impact strength) which is important in a kinetic recovery.
I'm not an expert in recovery techniques but have watched all of the YouTube videos for Matt's Off Road Recovery. I guess that's something like staying in a Holiday Inn Express.
In those instances where the stuck vehicle is in deep, sticky mud, or deep water, where there is a suction effect of the bottom of the vehicle to the holding media, a kinetic recovery's risks have to be carefully considered over a static pull.
In those instances where a kinetic recovery was used in deep sticky mud, Matt has raised the hood on the stuck vehicle as protection for the driver of the stuck vehicle. He recognized that the recovery technique he was using was very risky.

 

[RushMan]

@gatornek why not consider this one, designed and lab tested in the USA, $50

Thoughts?

Rhino USA Shackle Hitch Receiver (Fits 2" Receivers) Best Towing Accessories for Trucks, Jeep, Toyota & More - Connect Your Rhino Tow Strap for Vehicle Recovery, Mounts to 2" Receiver Hitches
https://a.co/d/aTffdZ2

That's very similar to the Curt Shackle: "Tested and rated for 13,000 lbs. straight-line pull "
https://www.curtmfg.com/part/45832

 

[gatornek]

There are 2 metrics usually quoted for Tow Points: WLL and WBS. Working Load Limit and Working Breaking Strength. The WBS is effectively the UTS (Ultimate Tensile Strength) of the material multiplied by the cross sectional area at the thinnest cross-section of the device. Neither of these metrics account for the toughness of the material (Impact strength) which is important in a kinetic recovery.

Great info!

I'm not an expert in recovery techniques but have watched all of the YouTube videos for Matt's Off Road Recovery. I guess that's something like staying in a Holiday Inn Express.

Haha. I watch BOTH Matt's. Arizona Matt and Australia Matt.

 

[gatornek]

I think I've found my shackle mount.

Quadratec D-Ring 2" Receiver Hitch Mount | Quadratec

All steel. And it has a 7/8 D ring pinhole, so I can fit a slightly larger D ring like the WARN.

All in all, with receiver and Dring, it will probably weigh about 12 pounds! I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but it does give me a warm fuzzy about the strength of it during a recovery situation. What say you?

 

[RushMan]

Great info!

Haha. I watch BOTH Matt's. Arizona Matt and Australia Matt.

Matt is from Hurricane, (prounouced Her-uh-kin), Utah, although he and his crew do recoveries in neighboring states to his home.
There's a lot to learn there, from his successful recoveries but also his lack of planning and foresight, both in the recoveries and his shop videos. When it comes to safety in his shop, Matt is disturbingly lax: e.g. no safety glasses when drilling or cutting metal, faling to secure parts on his drill press, etc.

My brother told me about this YouTube channel about 3 weeks ago, and I've been watching them every day, watching 7 am until Midnight. I just finished the day before yesterday. I think there's about 700 of his videos, maybe more. I'm done binge watching for a while!
It was a great distraction while waiting for a build date for my '24 BS BL. Maybe next year.

 

[RushMan]

I think I've found my shackle mount.

Quadratec D-Ring 2" Receiver Hitch Mount | Quadratec

All steel. And it has a 7/8 D ring pinhole, so I can fit a slightly larger D ring like the WARN.

All in all, with receiver and Dring, it will probably weigh about 12 pounds! I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but it does give me a warm fuzzy about the strength of it during a recovery situation. What say you?

The Q&A section on that link says that the WLL is 4-3/4 tons: 9500 pounds.
In comparison, the 6061 aluminum Yankum Toe Point has a WLL of 13,500 pounds.
MBS 66,400 lbs
It weighs something over 2 pounds.
It's a lot more money though. A LOT!

When I finally do get my BS BL, I'll be buying the Yankum. I don't intend to do any recoveries, but just to have to have it in the car to save my own butt should I get stuck in icy/snowy conditions.
I like that Yankum also posts warnings on their website:

• Pin can sheer before tow point failure. Only use quality hitch pins
• Pull IN LINE with hitch. DO NOT side pull (may damage shackle, receiver, or tip over vehicle)
• DO NOT exceed posted ratings

Disclaimer: I'm not an employee, of Yankum nor do I have any association with Yankum.
And I'm not even a customer, yet.
Food for thought. When It comes to safety, money is not a major consideration for me.

 

[RushMan]

When my new Badlands arrives in a few months, I will be buying this item.

https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-soft-shackle-ring/

1.75″ ring diameter
40,000 lb. breaking strength

I'm always wary of gimmicky looking stuff.
I'm reminded of an ad on the back of TV guide for a TV antenna (rabbit ears) that looked like a small radar dish. "No Cable TV subscription required!"
I thought it was so funny and taped it to my office door. Surprisingly, people knocked on my door to ask me if it was a good way to cut the cable TV cord and use this device. I took the advertisement off of my door.

But, hey, that tow point should work fine.

 

[Horse n Buggy]

Great info!

Haha. I watch BOTH Matt's. Arizona Matt and Australia Matt.

Since you watch not one but two Matt's, you should keep well in mind what Hurricane Matt always preaches. Leave heavy recovery to professionals.

It's not worth the risk to your life or your vehicle to trust a random on a trail to pull you out of a sketchy situation. If you need help clearing an obstacle or you are just out of your capability to get yourself free, self recovery is probably fine, but anything significant should be only done by professionals with insurance.

 

[gatornek]

Since you watch not one but two Matt's, you should keep well in mind what Hurricane Matt always preaches. Leave heavy recovery to professionals.

It's not worth the risk to your life or your vehicle to trust a random on a trail to pull you out of a sketchy situation. If you need help clearing an obstacle or you are just out of your capability to get yourself free, self recovery is probably fine, but anything significant should be only done by professionals with insurance.

Yes. This is a given.

 

[gatornek]

The Q&A section on that link says that the WLL is 4-3/4 tons: 9500 pounds.
In comparison, the 6061 aluminum Yankum Toe Point has a WLL of 13,500 pounds.
MBS 66,400 lbs
It weighs something over 2 pounds.
It's a lot more money though. A LOT!

When I finally do get my BS BL, I'll be buying the Yankum. I don't intend to do any recoveries, but just to have to have it in the car to save my own butt should I get stuck in icy/snowy conditions.
I like that Yankum also posts warnings on their website:

• Pin can sheer before tow point failure. Only use quality hitch pins
• Pull IN LINE with hitch. DO NOT side pull (may damage shackle, receiver, or tip over vehicle)
• DO NOT exceed posted ratings

Disclaimer: I'm not an employee, of Yankum nor do I have any association with Yankum.
And I'm not even a customer, yet.
Food for thought. When It comes to safety, money is not a major consideration for me.

I actually have been considering the Yankum.....didn't want to get laughed at my posting it and everyone seeing the price....so I've just been keeping it in my back pocked. lol

But if you're gonna out, then I'll out. lol

Its actually what kinda got me started on this whole aluminum vs steel.

So let me ask you, you'd feel safer with that pieceof Yankum aluminum, then that Quadratec piece of steel? I do appreciate the fact that I can take solace that the Yankum piece was designed and fab'd in the USA. And I also like the way they tout the design on the webpage. Most products don't offer up that kind of information.

Another aluminum piece I've been looking at is the Moose Knuckle.

But I'm really wanting to fit the WARN 7/8 D ring, and the Moose Knuckle doesn't offer that.

Im not paying the premium on the Factor55 pieces (I don't like the fact that everyone says its made in China, while they stamp it 'MADE IN THE USA), and have never trusted Mishimoto

 

[gatornek]

Yes. I know the WARN D-Ring is made in China. I will preempt that comment. I'm taking a pass on that because its an obvious quality heavy duty D ring, at a good price. Its either that or ther Harbor Freight Badlands, which is also 'China', unless someone can point me to a better 7/8 option

 

[RushMan]

I actually have been considering the Yankum.....didn't want to get laughed at my posting it and everyone seeing the price....so I've just been keeping it in my back pocked. lol

But if you're gonna out, then I'll out. lol

Its actually what kinda got me started on this whole aluminum vs steel.

So let me ask you, you'd feel safer with that pieceof Yankum aluminum, then that Quadratec piece of steel? I do appreciate the fact that I can take solace that the Yankum piece was designed and fab'd in the USA. And I also like the way they tout the design on the webpage. Most products don't offer up that kind of information.

Another aluminum piece I've been looking at is the Moose Knuckle.

But I'm really wanting to fit the WARN 7/8 D ring, and the Moose Knuckle doesn't offer that.

Im not paying the premium on the Factor55 pieces (I don't like the fact that everyone says its made in China, while they stamp it 'MADE IN THE USA), and have never trusted Mishimoto

Yes, I'd have full faith in the Yankum aluminum tow point. These folks are experts in vehicle recovery and recovery equipment. I'm not so sure that these other tow points have even been tested to failure to produce the quoted WLL and WBS numbers.
The lighter weight is an advantage in storage and convenience.
One question which I don't have an answer for is: what is the yield stress on the car? That is the stress which would do permanent deformation to the unibody.
Or what about the strength of the hitch pin? Or the hitch itself?
The Moose Knuckle Mohawk 2.0 Receiver appears to be nearly equivalent to the Yankum Toe Point.
The Moose Knuckle has 10,000 pounds WLL rating on the receiver as well as their jowl split shackle.

And pricewise, one can get the shackle and the toe point for the price of the Yankum Tow Point alone.

That's a very Interesting option to the Yankum! Thanks for that.

 

[CrashBend]

Obviously, our vehicles aren't huge 8ton animals, so I was going to cheap it out with a $40 aluminum receiver shackle mount for my recovery point on my new hitch.

My main purpose in getting my aftermarket Curt hitch was for an upcoming trip to the Rockies where I wanted to do some offroading, and wanted to make sure I had a SOLID recovery point in the rear, to go with my tow points in the front.

Then....I started digging around into "proper recovery gear" and came across this story about this poor guy in Arizona.
Father Killed In ORV Recovery Accident When Tow Hitch Snapped (roadandtrack.com)

His SuperDuty with rear locker got bogged down up to his nips. He called his buddy who came out with INADEQUATE recovery equipment for this job. They ended up shearing the receiver. Now, granted, the receiver was NOT a shackle mount receiver, but a tow ball receiver. This is not intended for a recovery. Especially one like this. But its given me room for pause. Maybe spending a little extra money might be worth some peace of mind?

So I'll ask you guys. My basic question is, how SAFE should I play it and opt for a stainless steel receiver shackle mount (maybe even finding one that accepts a 7/8 shackle pinhole) over just a normal aluminum receiver with a 3/4 inch shackle pin hole.

The latter is about twice the price of the former (often more).

https://yankum.com/

They make the best and safest recovery gear.

Sponsored