Recovery shackle + ball ~ what is recommended

I need a recovery shackle because I plan to do some light wheeling. Though I don't have a trailer, I may someday and figure I could save some $ by getting them in a package. Is there somewhere I can get them both?

What is recommended? What do I look for when buying a shackle? What do I look for when buying a ball?

 

Thanks but not really. I'm just too impatient!

I'm just going to get the recovery bar/shackle and will get the hitch ball if I ever need it.

Here is what I am looking at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Warn...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories



It's $58 on ebay.

 

Ive never your a shackle that is slides into your receive but I bet it work alot better then a ball ( strap wont slip off and wont tear up your strap or get it greasy)

And I dont know if you have used shackle before but when you get ready to put a load on.
Tighten that pin all the way down then loosen it half a turn or so.

If you put the load in it when the bolt is tight you have to have a big ass pair of pliers to get it to unscrew

or atleast thats what always happens to be.

Good luck

 

That is exactly what I have.....you can get it way, way cheaper. Unless, you absolutely have to have the Warn name on the back of your truck.

 

http://www.cseoffroad.com/7610.html


This was on the back of my Tacoma. It now resides on the back of the Runner.

 

I was originally thinking this:


With that, I could add a ball:



Or a shackle:

 

You can do it that way....makes sense if you also tow trailers. I just don't tow, so the tow bar was not necessary for me. CSE Offroad is where I got my hitch shackle from. They are an E-Bay store. When I ordered, I also ordered a tow strap. Everything was better than described and shipped quickly.

 

Why not just get a tow strap that fits in the receiver and use the hitch pin to secure it? I've done it for years with no problems, and its cheaper than buying the whole hitch.

 

You do know if you just get a hitch pin, put the tow strap in the receiver then put the pin through the loop you can save about 50 bucks right??

 

I've done that too. I never had any problems doing it that way either, but it always made me nervous.

 

lol...touche sir!

 

Being a newb on the trail and doing organized trail runs, I would rather have the proper equipment. I can't imagine the pin is rated to 9000# like the bar is.

Maybe I'll go the cheaper route as I don't need the Warn name back there.

 

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...0551_10001_113532_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1

Here is one For less

 

I would imagine the pin ultimately holds all the weight, whether or not you have a shackle mounted at the end since thats what secures your hitch?? Just one less thing to buy.

 

The Pin holds in the shackle doesn't it! lol

Its always been way to pull people out... Iv never has issues.

 

LOL!!! What are you planning on holding that bar in with? A stick?

 

Pulling the center of the pin with a strap is different than a bar applying even pressure across the entire inner pin section. If the tow is straight on, I can see the strap maintaining more even pressure. But if you are pulling at an angle, all the pressure is going to applied to one side of the pin.

What happens if you bend that pin your receiver


Again, I am not interested in using the pin to pull out a truck. To be on organized runs with guides, I would like to have the correct gear. It's worth the $30 to me. Thank you for the ideas though.

 

I run/guide organized runs and a pin in a proper hitch is considered "the right equipment". The weak point in either of the scenarios (whether just the pin or a pin and a bar), is the actual hitch itself. I've seen pics of an entire tow hitch pulled in half before the pin bent.

Most straps barely fit in there and therefore will be pulling on the whole pin, not just the center like you are thinking. The pin is far enough back, that on a sidepull, it will still pull pretty even on the pin.

No worries if you want to buy the other thing, we're just telling you that it is a perfectly SAFE exceptable rear tow point for organized runs.

 

x2

 

Apparently using hitch pins alone while they may work for light recovery, can and do bend and therefore can be difficult to remove.

Post #17 / Expedition portal

I read the first 30 posts, a very interesting and informative discussion.

I am new to wheeling and had the same concerns as the author of this thread. I opted for the receiver and shackle.