Instead of a tow ball, shackle instead.

You guys are awesome, thanks for the quick reply. I am going to go around town and see if I can get one today, I'm pretty excited.

Now that I think about it I think that it's a great idea to get a tow ball and leave it in the truck just in case. I may never use it but it's there just in case. Does anyone have a picture of a locking pin? I have no idea what they look like. So what is the average price for one of these(Hitch, shackle, locking pin)?\

Again, thanks for all the help everyone.

 

Unless I'm towing, I leave my shackle in the hitch at all times. I bought a Reese locking pin (like the one shown here) from Princess Auto, but Canadian Tire also sell them. No issues with fitment with this pin.

Having the shackle in all the time is handy... especially when it's snowing/raining and you can just hook up a recovery strap to your neighbour's Jimmy when he can't make it through a ditch . That was Friday night's adventure anyway.

 

Got my shackle hitch at tractor supply.

 

So that's what you guys do for fun on a Friday night in Ontario in the middle of winter, sounds great!
Well I am able to find a shackle but I am not able to find the hitch attached to it. I looked up "hitch shackle" for Canadian Tire and came up with no results. So I'm kind of confused. Do they come together as one piece or are they separately put together?

 

I don't think CT sells them. I was talking about the locking pin. I find Amazon.com a good place to start for looking up the different manufacturers that make them. Then look for a Canadian distributor. I'm close to Detroit, so hopping across the border to find better selection is easy. The shackle part and hitch part come together.

 

http://www.trail-gear.com/recovery

$64 WARN 29312 D-Ring Mount with 3/4" Pin for Standard 2" Class III Receiver Hitch Mounts

http://www.amazon.com/WARN-29312-Receiver-Shackle-Bracket/dp/B000CQFUQ6

http://www.cabelas.com/hitches-ball-mount-accessories-warn-receiver-shackle-1.shtml?WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=746687&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=538E9052-F5D2-DF11-82EF-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA

 

Yeah! I try to buy from a Canadian store, manufacture. I don't think that it's going to be possible with this one. Ha! I had no idea Amazon sold truck parts, accessories.

 

Did you try Princess Auto ?

 

I personally would get one from a member on here, probably better built than harbor frieght or Amazon. And you don't want to cheap out on recovery equipment. As said before, any paint will just wear off. Get one bear steel and take it to get powdercoated as a local shop.

 

Check out the one from Elite Off Road. A vendor here on the forums. I thoroughly enjoyed my dealings with them.

 

I bought my shackle/mount made by a member here. But, I keep the 2" ball/mount in the reciever most of the time to keep people from getting too close to my rear end. They will get a 2" steel ball in their grill.

 

Princess auto has them. I think like 30 or 40 dollars off the top of my head

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/eli...h-shackle.html

I purchased one of these from timicha. It is a solid piece of steel, not tube. Great addition to my truck.

 

Yeah! I looked on Princess Autos site and I they only had shackles. I need to go and get just shackles anyways. They didn't have any hitch shackles.
When it comes to recovery gear it's something that you don't want to cheap out on. I'm sure a lot of people do and it's put them in some bad situations.
I like my truck and my life and I want to keep both.

 

I had a shackle on my hitch until someone stole just the shackle (left the hitch mount in... even though it would've been quicker to pull the pin then to unscrew the shackle? thieves aren't very bright). Since then I've just been using the pin itself as a recovery point in the desert, it's just as easy as the shackle and that's where all the force is being applied anyway.

 

The only reason it was in at the time was because I was going out into the desert and stopped to get food or something first. When I came back out and walked around my truck I noticed the shackle was gone but not the mount.

I have a 5/8" steel pin, it's actually thicker than the tube wall on the mount I had (the Harbor Freight one posted earlier in the thread). I've only used it to give the truck a little tug in soft sand, I've never been seriously stuck. I'm also using straps with loops on the end, not the straps with the metal hooks on the end.

As far as I can tell, my steel pin is as thick as the tow package and the recovery points up front, so I don't see that I'll have any issues with it. I guess it depends on how its being used though. I'd be more hesitant if I had to actually pull against the whole weight of the truck.

 

So I think I'll get a tow ball and a shackle. Leave the tow ball on and when the roads are crap with a lot of snow or I'm out in the bush then I will put the shackle on. You guys have some great info, thanks!
What does the locking pin look like?

 

i just found a hook at princess auto for $20, take a look around atv sections

 

http://www.google.com/m/products/de...ocking+receiver+pin&cid=12728800631680284305# is close to what I have.

 

i had the same one and used it about 8 or 9 times pulling full size trucks stuck in the mud and i had no problems with it