How Strong of a Receiver Shackle Mount?

gatornek

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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).
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gatornek

gatornek

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I think the question is; How much is your life worth?
I get it. That's why I started this thread. I have little to no off road recovery experience, but I see an awful lot of people driving around with aluminum receiver shackle mounts. So Im just looking for guidance.
 

CableXJ

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I have the same steel one I’ve carried in all my trucks.
I read that article and while I feel terrible for that family, the drivers made several bad choices. The worst choice was keeping the wife and kids in the vehicle during recovery.
I’m glad you’re looking for guidance here. It’s an excellent forum with a lot of smart people on board.
 

Jmuns

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I think you can get quality aluminum and steel options, just buy one from a reputable company who produces them in America. Avoid buying a Chinese shackle and pairing it with a Chinese rope.
 


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gatornek

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gatornek

gatornek

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I have the same steel one I’ve carried in all my trucks.
I read that article and while I feel terrible for that family, the drivers made several bad choices. The worst choice was keeping the wife and kids in the vehicle during recovery.
I’m glad you’re looking for guidance here. It’s an excellent forum with a lot of smart people on board.
There are. I know what I read; and I know what I remember from a time Ilived in California many years ago and frequented the mountains....but when I have specific questions about the recovery gear that I'm assembling, I definitely appreciate any clarification. Thank you.
 
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gatornek

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For instance, I imagine Harbor Freight sells the sh!t out of these. Why? At that price point, they MUST be aluminum. If its such a risk, why are so many people buying these receiver shackle mounts? Why doesn't Harbor Freight sell an all steel one?

2 in. Hitch Mounted D-Ring Shackle (harborfreight.com)

Again, just playing Devil's Advocate here....
 


Jmuns

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For instance, I imagine Harbor Freight sells the sh!t out of these. Why? At that price point, they MUST be aluminum. If its such a risk, why are so many people buying these receiver shackle mounts? Why doesn't Harbor Freight sell an all steel one?

2 in. Hitch Mounted D-Ring Shackle (harborfreight.com)

Again, just playing Devil's Advocate here....
That’s steel. It weighs 7.6 pounds and it is powder coated to resist rust and corrosion it says.

You can get steel Smittybilt ones for $40.
 
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gatornek

gatornek

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That’s steel. It weighs 7.6 pounds and it is powder coated to resist rust and corrosion it says.

You can get steel Smittybilt ones for $40.
Interesting. There has to be a difference in the quality of steel then. I imagine if it was true steel through and through, they would advertise it, rather than inferring it from the weight and the fact that is powder coated. The only reason I cast doubt, is because every other piece of 'advertised heavy duty STEEL' receiver hitch mount is sitting around $100 or more like the CampBoss @Black Rob is running.
 

CableXJ

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For instance, I imagine Harbor Freight sells the sh!t out of these. Why? At that price point, they MUST be aluminum. If its such a risk, why are so many people buying these receiver shackle mounts? Why doesn't Harbor Freight sell an all steel one?

2 in. Hitch Mounted D-Ring Shackle (harborfreight.com)

Again, just playing Devil's Advocate here....

I found this on the same website. Couldn’t find material info on your link but this one is steel. Maybe get the other one and replace the ring.
https://www.harborfreight.com/78-in-d-ring-shackle-red-58633.html
 

Jmuns

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Interesting. There has to be a difference in the quality of steel then. I imagine if it was true steel through and through, they would advertise it, rather than inferring it from the weight and the fact that is powder coated. The only reason I cast doubt, is because every other piece of 'advertised heavy duty STEEL' receiver hitch mount is sitting around $100 or more like the CampBoss @Black Rob is running.
That Boss Hitch is aluminum. It’s got a higher working rate than the HF steel one. Prices vary from brands and sometimes you pay for the name. Same as anything.
 

Mark S.

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Re-read my OP. I said the same thing. I'm looking more specifics. Does an aluminum shackle mount suffice?
I did read your OP; it wasn't just a tow ball receiver, it was a drop hitch receiver. The leverage placed on the joint between the down tube and the receiver tube when used in that fashion is the primary reason it failed. A shackle mount has no down tube, therefore cannot generate the kind of leverage that caused this failure. In other words, the failure mode that caused the death in this accident is not possible with a shackle mount.

The most common shackles in use for 4X4 recovery are 3/4" and 7/8", rated at 9500 lbs and 13000 lbs respectively. I don't believe I've seen a shackle mount rated lower than 9500 lbs. If the one you're looking at is rated lower then I'd think twice.

To take it a step further, if you use a soft shackle instead of a metal bow shackle during recovery you can be fairly sure the soft shackle will fail before the shackle mount.

I'm using this one available on Amazon. It's rated for 11,000 lbs working limit, and features a chamfered shackle hole specifically for use with soft shackles.
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