Hitch mounted shackle Q's

Hey there!

Can people help enlighten me regarding Hitch mounted shackles. I'd like to pick one up but I have several concerns.

$38 Smittybilt 29312B Receiver Hitch D-Ring with 3/4" Shackle for 2" Receivers , Black

https://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-2...074979&sr=8-3&keywords=hitch+receiver+shackle

A) are they strong enough? I know the shackles can be, but what about the block itself?

B) should a pin be used or a grade 8 bolt? If a pin can be used what are opinions of locking pins?

C) can the OEM tow package hitch handle recovery or being recovered? Does it use grade 8 bolts?

Thanks for all your help!!!

 

my biggest concern would be the pin and the hitch. a hitch is only rated for a certain weight. it depends on what your plan is for it, i'm guessing. if your planning on pulling a friend out of the mud, probably not the best idea. if your planning on pulling out landscaping shrubs, you will be fine.

 

For what its worth I recovered a tractor out of a mud pit. So I can confirm the hitch did provide adequate strength for extraction.

I would say use the Grade 8 bolt in place of the pin for assurance, but I don't thing it's necessary in all cases.

 

I've used these for recoveries and being recovered. Just make sure the shackle is rated for 4.5T+

I use a locking pin instead of one with a cotter pin. No issues with it so far. Just be sure not to tighten the pin before using it for recovery. Screw it on and then 1/2 turn back. Unless you're down for feats of strength on trail.

Word of warning, do not leave the shackle on while driving. Especially off roading, least you find that the shackle fell off from a loose pin.

 

Considering a hitch pin is meant to be loaded in shear vs the bolt in tensile plus the larger minimum diameter of the pin...I'd go with the pin. The actual block depends on what brand you buy. I think my Smittybuilt is a solid chunk of (Chinese) steel that I really doubt is going to fail before something else. The shackle on the other hand, you'd be better off not getting the Smittybuilt Chinese version.

As far as the bolts that attach the hitch I couldn't tell you but one would have to assume grade 8 or better.

I ziptie mine. Easily cut if I need to use it and it keeps it from backing out via vibrations or other people's hands.

 

Thanks! I was concerned about the shear strength of a locking pin vs the standard pin (for the hitch not the shackle). I've already read some story's of missing shackles lol.

 

Thanks! It's hard to see from most photos if the blocks are solid. I will definitely look for a shackle with a 4.5T or more rating!

 

I switched to a shackle like this

$78 Crosby 1019515 Carbon Steel G-2130 Bolt Type Anchor Shackle, Galvanized, 4-3/4 Ton Working Load Limit, 3/4" Size

https://www.amazon.com/Crosby-1019515-Shackle-Galvanized-Working/dp/B005647Z4Y/

Really deters the riff raff

 

Been using one for 16yrs. Always used a pin, and i leave the shackle off unless i go wheeling when i hook it up with a strap and leave it in the bed. I do that so its hooked up and ready to go incase i get stuck or need to extract someone.

 

IMHO either a hitch pin or bolt is fine.

A fastener is a fastener, they don't have a preference for shear or tension. A grade 5 hitch pin is the same as a grade 5 bolt of the same diameter along the unthreaded length. What you have to watch using a bolt is that you either get it long enough that only the unthreaded part of the bolt is in shear or you adjust the bolt's rating down to the minor diameter compensate. For a 5/8-18 UNF the minor diameter is 0.556".

Grade 8 is always going to be better than 5. This is a pretty solid walk through of why:
http://tinelok.com/grade-5-vs-grade-8-fasteners/

The only reason not to use grade 8 is cost. If you don't need the higher capacity then spending money for it is unnecessary. For a recovery point I prefer not to skimp so I personally use a grade 8 bolt.

Partially this is so that I can snug everything down and prevent the pin/bolt from vibrating and rotating. With a lock washer the bolt is nice and tight, no movement or rotation to wear anything. I also feel better that the bolt has washers and shoulders for a little more resistance to deflecting or the receiver trying to spread or twist. I just don't like that hitch pins can move around so much.

As far as shackles, I would only use well known brands: Crosby (red), Gunnebo (yellow), Columbus McKinnon (CM, usually orange), Campbell (blue) or Van Beest (green pins). You'll often see knock-offs painted to look like the real ones but I'd only trust the genuine ones.

I completely agree, don't use cheap Chinese unknown junk. A hunk of steel is fine but not so much for anything else. I have a Warn brand adapter. Not sure if it's domestically made or not, but 5 or 10 lbs of cast steel is probably not the weak point in the rigging regardless of the source.

 

Thanks guys for all your help! I feel a lot more comfortable having a set up like this stored behind the seats for when i go trail riding. I was concerned because some area's we've gone have been very muddy...I want to make sure we could get my truck out if I got stuck.

BTW, what are you running for snatch straps?

 

I'm glad you asked this question. I was thinking about getting one but wasn't sure about it. Nice to hear from users of the product

 

I prefer the ARB snatch strap. I forget the rating but it's the middle of the three ratings they manufacture.

 

Keep in mind that tow ratings take into account a lot more than the hitch. Brakes, suspension, motor, all go into the tow rating. The actual hitch can handle a lot more weight than the tow rating.

 

Thanks! I was looking at the ARB or TGL.

 

I had no idea tow ratings took all that into account. Thanks!! I feel a lot more confident about using the hitch as a recovery point!

 

I've always used a standard 2" receiver hitch with a 3/4" shackle instead of the 2 1/4 " ball - No problems with a 5000# frame mounted receiver .

 

He's talking about the towing rating of the truck. The hitch is what it is. If you have the Toyota tow package (at least on my 2008) you got a class IV hitch, which is rated to 10,000 lbs towing, 1,000 tongue weight. That's because the truck is rated to tow 6,500 lbs. So they couldn't use a class III hitch, which is rated to 6,000 lbs, 600 tongue weight.

There's no guarantee that the hitch rating is the same as the truck's tow rating. The base truck is rated for 3,500 lbs so it's possible someone puts on even as low as a class II hitch, which is 3,500 lbs rated. So you just have to know what everything is designed for. I'm not sure you can say the tow point could actually handle 10,000 lbs. Perhaps it's the frame that gives up at 6,500 lbs so trying to use 10,000 lbs in the hitch would mean the hitch itself would stay intact but pull the frame apart. It's maybe due to brakes, not exceeding the weight of the truck itself too much, stability. But that's all speculation. All you can say is you know 6,500 lbs is fine.

 

Good to know. I'm not a tow rig kind of guy. I'm usually just a haul in the back of the truck kind of guy.

 

I ended up buying the Vault Cargo Management Hitch Shackle, the reviews on Amazon were better than the Smittybilt and it was essentially the same price. It has an extra hole so it can be mounted so the shackle is vertical as well. The finish on the product is excellent and that seemed to be a big complaint on the Smittybilt. The link has a short blog post I did with a few pics of the Vault Cargo Hitch.