Snatch/kinetic vs tow rope/strap

Lol that makes sense. It can be used exactly as a normal shackle can?

 

Pretty much, yeah. And it's even more versatile than a normal shackle. Let's say a truck has rolled and is on it's side. You can hook a soft shackle to the slider to pull the truck upright.

 

You can use them as an exact replacement for a steel shackle. Absolute game changer.

 

I run the 7/16” diameter version. It was the original size from Bubba Rope before the expanded to larger/smaller styles. Obviously get whatever you need for your specific vehicle. Bubble Rope is a trusted brand by the Offroad community. Id pay for a reputable brand before any random Amazon knock off. Spend $20 more now or who knows how much later for damage if you get a cheapo version.

 

https://youtu.be/1eACngzx8pE

 

I think that it's good to have both. The snatch strap is good at recovery and the tow strap is good if you need to pull a disabled vehicle for a longer distance back to pavement.

 

the funny thing is Ronnie did some failure testing, and the "dampeners" did nothing to slow the broken line

 

what about one of these instead?

$59 Tow Ready 63044 Receiver Mount Tow Hook

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001TNDSDS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

I would not like that at all for fear of the strap slipping off.

 

They are for sure safer if it were to become a projectile which is great, but there are also reasons to keep a couple hard shackles around, too. Like if something will get dragged along the ground or if it's attached to a sharp corner.

There's another shackle thread (one of many, lol) with a video that shows just how much weaker soft shackles are when latched to something sharp. And by sharp I don't mean knife edge, I just mean metal with a corner - like the recovery points on my CBI bumper or many of the snatch blocks I've seen (smittybilt, etc). In those cases, even with a sheath, the shackle breaks below it's rated strength (in the video, it failed at under 8 tons). Compare that to the D-ring they tested that broke at something like 34 tons.

I don't care that I've seen people do it. It's outside my own personal safety standards.

Granted, there are stronger soft shackles than what is depicted in that video, but the take home for me is the sharp edge thing. I think the key is to design your recovery for each particular situation and figure out what's best for each. Like, you can't just replace all your D-rings with soft shackles and go about your day. I am extremely hesitant to want to latch a soft shackle directly to my bumper. Even if you design your entire recovery chain with 100% soft shackle friendly equipment (round edges), sometimes there are multiple vehicles doing a recovery, and you end up mixing equipment, or there are times where you end up dragging it across the ground.

 

That's not entirely true.

You can attach hard shackles to things with sharp edges. You can't with a soft shackle.

You can also drag a hard shackle across the ground and not ruin it.

 

Hooks definitely shouldn't be used as a "recovery" point in most circumstances. There are some instances where a hook is useful, like to be able to quickly toss a rope/loop around it to help steady a vehicle that's right on the edge of rolling.

I believe a front hook is (or at least was), according to an episode of Dirt Everyday, required equipment for 4Wheeler's Ultimate Adventure trucks for that reason.

I'd certainly rather have a more secure attachment point like a D-ring or loop.

 

Are you using your pocket knife as a recovery point?

Joking aside, I can’t think of a sharp edge on a vehicle I’d have any shackle rubbing against. Unless you are referring to winching off trees/boulders/etc. but you have straps for that.

 

No, the video I'm talking about just used a giant steel "loop" that really just looks like a larger version of my recovery points on my CBI bumper. They aren't "sharp" but they are far from being a rounded corner, too. That's where the soft shackle failed, even with a sheath below the rated break strength.

I'd be totally fine putting a soft shackle on a D-ring that's attached to my bumper, but not attaching the soft shackle directly to my bumper, for example...

Link to post with video:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-quality-shackles.614927/page-2#post-22165676

 

I took a dremel and rounded off the edges of my recovery points for this very reason, so I can use a soft shackle in them. Personally I wouldn’t put a soft shackle into a hard shackle because that’s just one more point of failure. at that point I’d just connect the strap with the hard shackle.

 

Most people are idiots but consider themselves great drivers. Couple that with having to evaluate a scene, choose the correct tool and use it correctly (how much does your Tahoe weigh?) and you will be looking at a complete imbecile stuck in the mud. Best option is to assure the driver has his seatbelt firmly in place and hope he’s actually in an immense sink hole.

Bro trucks can’t be adequately admonished on this forum for fear of breaking most of the forum’s decency policies.

 

Not that I'd do it either, I was just trying to illustrate the "soft" edges of a shackle vs. the "sharp" recovery points on my bumper.

That said, while it is another point of potential failure, a (quality) D-ring isn't likely to be the weak point in the system. The recovery point on the bumper would have to fail for that D-ring to become a projectile. Given MY welds, that's not out of the realm of possibilities, lol...

 

not all tests were on "sharp" corner. didnt break, untied. not that mode of failure matters, it failed.

and to compare to steel shackle

 

Oh yeah, I didnt mean to imply they only did “sharp” corner tests. Just that those “sharp” corners they used were basically the same as what my bumper, and most bumpers/recovery points have. So you either need to carefully modify the recovery point, or use a D ring.

 

Yeah, I start with an underlying assumption that I’m an idiot, so I take extra time to think things through, and that has kept me safe so far.

It’s the jackholes that are uber confident with all their newly purchased broverlander gear, or the red necks that uses chains that I’m scared of.