Recommended Winch Capacity
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
Sorry, but I probably have done more offroad recovery than most here, in all terrain from moab slickrock, to gumbo georgia mud. If you hook your stuck vehicle to a safety chain mount, you deserve all you get.
Safety chains and mounts are not designed for any pull at all. They are designed to hold a 500 lb tounge from hitting the ground. Dont believe me? call reese and ask them if the chain mounts are useable as a recovery point.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 256
Likes: 5
I've used the chain mounts before for some moderate-heavy pulls when there was nothing else available. I do not recommend them. They work, but they are not as strong as the hitch mount shackle that Stewart posted above. That shackle is much different than a ball. It is designed for recovery. The whole thing is solid steel and the shackle is rated much higher than any strap you should be using.
A huge percentage of guys on ExploringNH run those hitch mount shackles, myself included. They are strong and can handle serious recovery. I wouldn't use the strap through a hitch pin unless it was a last resort. The biggest issue with that method is that the edges of the receiver tube are sharp. It can and will fray the strap which can lead to failure. Side angles are severely restricted with that method for this reason as well.
A huge percentage of guys on ExploringNH run those hitch mount shackles, myself included. They are strong and can handle serious recovery. I wouldn't use the strap through a hitch pin unless it was a last resort. The biggest issue with that method is that the edges of the receiver tube are sharp. It can and will fray the strap which can lead to failure. Side angles are severely restricted with that method for this reason as well.
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 29,380
Likes: 118
From: Central Coast of CA
Well, I've never understood those shackle things you just shared a picture of. Stick the eye of the strap right into the hitch itself, that way if the hitch pin does break, the strap goes flying, but without the heavy shackle ball mount. Those things are ok for static pulls but if you are going offroad and getting stuck, you really need to step it up and add some real recovery points beyond the factory hitch.
I'm not nearly as knowledgeable or experienced as a lot of off-road guys, so when I did my research on the items I wanted to buy, I bought into the rule-of-thumb that the weak link in a recovery should be the rope or strap being used, not a clevis, shackle, d-ring, etc.
Stewart
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Robert6401
Offroad & 4x4
11
Aug 23, 2009 01:06 AM
