Soft shackles

Driving, recovery & more
User avatar
Peter Connan
Moderator
Posts: 6011
Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
Full Name: Peter Connan
Nickname: Piet
Home Town: Kempton Park
Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Kempton Park
Has thanked: 1067 times
Been thanked: 985 times

Soft shackles

Post by Peter Connan »

Please tell me what I am missing.

, Time stamp 43:11

:confused:
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
User avatar
Spike
Senior Member
Senior Member
Posts: 212
Joined: 09 Jul 2019 10:22
Full Name: Spike Pretorius
Nickname: Spike
Home Town: Milnerton
Current 4x4: 4.8 GRX 2008 (platkar/daily driver)
Many others, here and abroad.....it's my job
Home Language: Sleg soutpiel
Has thanked: 77 times
Been thanked: 84 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by Spike »

I use them. Rephrase...I have them amongst my recovery gear and seldom use them. I only use them as a Plan B in instances when a normal shackle is impractical or unsafe.
:oldtimer:
Sardonic Fattist

Ikigai. Do what you love. Love what you do.
Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of minds to think
User avatar
offroadbiker
Moderator
Posts: 2841
Joined: 25 Jul 2012 08:36
Full Name: Dirk de Clerk
Nickname: ORB
Home Town: Krugersdorp
Current 4x4: Patrol GQ 4.2 ST
Home Language: Afrikaans/English
Location: Krugersdorp
Has thanked: 186 times
Been thanked: 261 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by offroadbiker »

Peter Connan wrote: 13 May 2021 14:16 Please tell me what I am missing.

, Time stamp 43:11

:confused:
I also have a set, lighter and easier to pack away..... supposedly as strong as the old metal ones :think:
Dirk
1996 Nissan Patrol 4.2 ST
User avatar
Peter Connan
Moderator
Posts: 6011
Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
Full Name: Peter Connan
Nickname: Piet
Home Town: Kempton Park
Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Kempton Park
Has thanked: 1067 times
Been thanked: 985 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by Peter Connan »

Sure, but what earthly reason could there be for attaching a soft shackle to a metal D-shackle as shown in the video link?
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
User avatar
Russ Kellermann
Patrolman 1000+
Patrolman 1000+
Posts: 1148
Joined: 01 Feb 2010 22:39
Full Name: Russell Kellermann
Nickname: Russell Kellermann
Home Town: Cape Town now, grew up on the Wild Coast.
Current 4x4: 2007 Patrol 4.2D Pickup
2005 Patrol 4.2TD Wagon
Home Language: English
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 93 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by Russ Kellermann »

The ONLY benefit, when using them this way, is that the Bow-Shackle doesnt need to be undone. That is it.
'07 Patrol Pickup TD42 N/A,285's KM2,3" Lift,ONCA Bars,Warn High Mount,Alu Canopy, and some other Stuff.
User avatar
King Caractacus
Full Member
Full Member
Posts: 49
Joined: 07 Sep 2011 18:44
Full Name: Adrian Liebenberg
Nickname: -
Home Town: Westville, KZN
Current 4x4: 2006 4.8 GRX
Home Language: English
Location: Westville, KZN/Cabinda, Angola
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by King Caractacus »

i think the actual point on the car is sized for the pin on the bow shackle, the soft one probably wouldn't fit
and if it did, unless the edges of the point are rounded, that 90° steel would cut that soft shackle quickly (minimum radius of the rope)

from what i've seen in my browsing of the interwebs, the bow should be the part making contact with the recovery point, and the pin of the shackle should be on the strap/rope side
this prevents side loading
i.e. in your video example, the shackle is connected backwards
for a dead straight pull, this shouldnt matter

recovery points where the shackles attached by the pin with no other option, and where the shackles can rotate about the pin vertically but with no horizontal movement, are incorrect, i.m.v.h.o
the hole of the recovery point need to be big enough that one can fit the female threaded section of the shackle through

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pH2VuD3I1g
his accent/pronunciation is amusing occasionally, but he speaks a lot of sense

the rating of the shackle is 50% for a 90°load, and 70% for a 45°load
https://anchors.co.za/wp-content/upload ... ackles.pdf - page 3
King Caractacus
...just passing by
2006 Y61 4.8 GRX
User avatar
Peter Connan
Moderator
Posts: 6011
Joined: 10 Sep 2010 07:21
Full Name: Peter Connan
Nickname: Piet
Home Town: Kempton Park
Current 4x4: 1996 Patrol 4.5SGL
Home Language: Afrikaans
Location: Kempton Park
Has thanked: 1067 times
Been thanked: 985 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by Peter Connan »

King Caractacus wrote: 14 May 2021 08:39
from what i've seen in my browsing of the interwebs, the bow should be the part making contact with the recovery point, and the pin of the shackle should be on the strap/rope side
this prevents side loading
i.e. in your video example, the shackle is connected backwards
for a dead straight pull, this shouldnt matter

recovery points where the shackles attached by the pin with no other option, and where the shackles can rotate about the pin vertically but with no horizontal movement, are incorrect, i.m.v.h.o
What you say is technically correct. However, as always there is another side to the coin. A recovery point stronger than the bow shackle but with a hole large enough that the "knuckles" of the recovery point can fit through would need to have so much "meat" that there would be almost no room left for a rope. Because if the hole is that large, the recovery point would be loaded in a very small percentage of the hole, making it more likely to bend.

Also consider that the bow shackle's rating has a safety factor of 5, much higher tha the rest of the recovery equipment. Thus a 3 1/4 tonne bow shackle has a breaking strain of around 16 tonnes. Thus there is room in there for a significantly angled recovery. And a high stress recovery should probably be kept as straight as possible. Especially on the vehicle doing the recovery, else you are likely to roll it. Actually, thinking about it, that applies equally to the stuck vehicle.

Further to this, I have long been concerned about the strength of the vehicle's chassis at the point where the recovery points are attached. I am pretty sure my recovery point are stronger than the chassis. The strength of these will also be significantly reduced if the force is applied from a steep angle.

But the point of this thread was to consider the point of attaching a soft shackle to a bow shackle. To me that makes no sense at all.
Mag ons ons kenniskry met lekkerkry aanhoukry.
User avatar
Russ Kellermann
Patrolman 1000+
Patrolman 1000+
Posts: 1148
Joined: 01 Feb 2010 22:39
Full Name: Russell Kellermann
Nickname: Russell Kellermann
Home Town: Cape Town now, grew up on the Wild Coast.
Current 4x4: 2007 Patrol 4.2D Pickup
2005 Patrol 4.2TD Wagon
Home Language: English
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 93 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by Russ Kellermann »

agree with you pete, there's no sense whatsoever, other than the convenience of speedily attaching the snatchh/pull strap, as one doesnt need loosen and remove the bow shackle pin.
'07 Patrol Pickup TD42 N/A,285's KM2,3" Lift,ONCA Bars,Warn High Mount,Alu Canopy, and some other Stuff.
User avatar
King Caractacus
Full Member
Full Member
Posts: 49
Joined: 07 Sep 2011 18:44
Full Name: Adrian Liebenberg
Nickname: -
Home Town: Westville, KZN
Current 4x4: 2006 4.8 GRX
Home Language: English
Location: Westville, KZN/Cabinda, Angola
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by King Caractacus »

Peter Connan wrote: 14 May 2021 18:37 But the point of this thread was to consider the point of attaching a soft shackle to a bow shackle. To me that makes no sense at all.
Russ Kellermann wrote: 15 May 2021 07:51 agree with you pete, there's no sense whatsoever, other than the convenience of speedily attaching the snatchh/pull strap, as one doesnt need loosen and remove the bow shackle pin.
fair enough
it seems that the bow shackle then in this case is considered by the owner/driver to be the recovery point, one which is able to swivel
i would imagine it is a mostly permanent fixture
King Caractacus
...just passing by
2006 Y61 4.8 GRX
User avatar
Russ Kellermann
Patrolman 1000+
Patrolman 1000+
Posts: 1148
Joined: 01 Feb 2010 22:39
Full Name: Russell Kellermann
Nickname: Russell Kellermann
Home Town: Cape Town now, grew up on the Wild Coast.
Current 4x4: 2007 Patrol 4.2D Pickup
2005 Patrol 4.2TD Wagon
Home Language: English
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 93 times

Re: Soft shackles

Post by Russ Kellermann »

Ja, its counterintuitive:

The soft shackle was designed to be safer than using bow shackles but his recovery points are too sharp for the soft shackle, so he's using the bow shackle as it carries a smooth radius, so we back to using bow shackle, its just so silly. :thumbdown:
'07 Patrol Pickup TD42 N/A,285's KM2,3" Lift,ONCA Bars,Warn High Mount,Alu Canopy, and some other Stuff.
Post Reply

Return to “26. Techniques”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests