Recovery Straps and Tow Shackles - Erring on the Side of Caution

Hello, everyone...and thanks for your time and consideration. 

I'm in the process of purchasing some recovery straps/shackles, and would appreciate any advice that you would be kind enough to offer. 

(Scenario 1:  My 6,000 lb van is stuck in a rut alongside the driveway during the PA winter.  Scenario 2:  My 6,000 lb van has our little 3,000 lb TT behind it, and we're having trouble on some soft turf during the summer in GA/FL/SC.) 

I know that there's a difference between "recovery" and "tow" straps, and that mistaking the latter for the former can result in a very dangerous "projectile" situation. 

I'm having conceptual difficulty reconciling the rating of the recovery straps with the rating of the metal shackles, however. 

It seems to me that a lot of people are successfully recovering vehicles using a 3"/30,000 lb or a 2"/20,000 lb strap - secured with a common, 3/4" shackle that is only rated to 9,500 lbs. 

Is that "luck" on their part?  More stress on the strap than on the shackle, and that's why it's working out for them?  Should they technically be investing in D-ring shackles that "match" the work load rating of the straps they're using? 

Any explanation would be greatly appreciated.  Larger 7/8", 1", and 1"+ shackles start to get much pricier than the tow straps themselves, and I'm not seeing any reference to shackles that "beefy" on any of the off-roading forums. 

If I need a little bit of help to get my 6,000 lb van + 3,000 lb trailer out of a "soft turf" situation on a relatively level campsite, what type of strap/shackle combo would you feel is advisable/necessary? 

Thank you! 

While not an expert on recovery, I have looked into it a bit while setting up my Jeep.  For my winch, I have a Warn 9500TI with a 100' metal cable.  The D rings on the front are Warn rated to 10000 pounds.  And my tow strap is 3" wide and 25' long and I have pulled out a few vehicles weighing in 5 to 6 thousand pound range.  My Jeep itself is just about 5000#.  Most of my recovery gear is just about rated at double the weight of the Jeep, which is a good recommendation on many off road sights. 

It is a good goal to shoot for as it provides a safety factor when needing to put stress on the equipment in a recovery situation. 

so in theory you could strap your jeep + another one just like it..... and hoist them both up into the air.
good to be prepared I guess! 8)

And I carry a "snatch block" that if I use in conjunction with the winch will about double the pulling power!  Really helps if you have gotten yourself in a "difficult" situation......

How am I going to get up there?

I'm no expert, but to me recovery would be pulling a vehicle back up the cliff.  It must support the full weight of the vehicle, plus more for safety.  For "tow", like pulling you out of a ditch or across soft ground, MOST of the weight remains on the ground.  You are not lifting anything, just pulling.  It should require much less force, and work with "weaker" components.  I would GUESS that a 4,000# strap could easily pull you out of a snow bank or small ditch.  Physics class was too long ago to get much more specific.

A 30,000 lb shackle is going to be HUGE Normally the safety factor is 5 meaning a shackle rated at 9,500 lb will have a failure point of 47,500 lb provided it is properly certified and not a knockoff. DO NOT go cheap here, those HF pieces are junk. I only use Crosby.  Recovery straps have a much higher rating due to the sling shot effect.

You have to watch on shackle ratings. You have a 3/4" shackles rated differently. I've seen them low as 2 3/4ton to high as 6 1/2ton. The Crosby shackle is rated at 4 3/4ton, the CM shackles are rated at 6 1/2 ton.The stainless steel ones are rated lower. I did rigging at work. 150ton crane. Ever see a 3" shackle? We use CM shackles. Stay away from the chinese junk. It will KILL you!


You have tow straps and jerk straps. Tow straps don't stretch. Jerk straps do stretch. The tow straps are for a slow steady pull. The jerk straps are for jerking you out, and anything off. Depends on where you attach the ends. LOL Do not loop the jerk strap around something, then attach it to itself. You'll ruin it. Also DO NOT tie a tow strap or a jerk strap to something or to it's self. That's where it will FAIL!

I off-road with a 8,000 lb Power Wagon with a 15,000 winch. Have a whole lot of recovery gear. Here's a link from our Power Wagon on recovery. Everything you need to know plus some. Lots of videos.

http://forum.powerwagonregistry.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2824

The picture is me coming up Hell's Gate on Hell's Revenge in Moab.

grashley said:

I'm no expert, but to me recovery would be pulling a vehicle back up the cliff.  It must support the full weight of the vehicle, plus more for safety.  For "tow", like pulling you out of a ditch or across soft ground, MOST of the weight remains on the ground.  You are not lifting anything, just pulling.  It should require much less force, and work with "weaker" components.  I would GUESS that a 4,000# strap could easily pull you out of a snow bank or small ditch.  Physics class was too long ago to get much more specific.

Click to expand...

You never pulling anything out of the mud then. LOL I've seen 1/2" steel winch cable break trying to get a Jeep out of a field that you could walk through and not leave a foot print. Think it would have been easier to just pick it straight up. LOL  2 days of hard work.

RoyM said:

A 30,000 lb shackle is going to be HUGE Normally the safety factor is 5 meaning a shackle rated at 9,500 lb will have a failure point of 47,500 lb provided it is properly certified and not a knockoff. DO NOT go cheap here, those HF pieces are junk. I only use Crosby.  Recovery straps have a much higher rating due to the sling shot effect.

Click to expand...

Roy,

Exactly the type of info I was hoping and waiting for...excellent.  Thank you! 

Russ+Chris said:

You have to watch on shackle ratings. You have a 3/4" shackles rated differently. I've seen them low as 2 3/4ton to high as 6 1/2ton. The Crosby shackle is rated at 4 3/4ton, the CM shackles are rated at 6 1/2 ton.The stainless steel ones are rated lower. I did rigging at work. 150ton crane. Ever see a 3" shackle? We use CM shackles. Stay away from the chinese junk. It will KILL you!


You have tow straps and jerk straps. Tow straps don't stretch. Jerk straps do stretch. The tow straps are for a slow steady pull. The jerk straps are for jerking you out, and anything off. Depends on where you attach the ends. LOL Do not loop the jerk strap around something, then attach it to itself. You'll ruin it. Also DO NOT tie a tow strap or a jerk strap to something or to it's self. That's where it will FAIL!

I off-road with a 8,000 lb Power Wagon with a 15,000 winch. Have a whole lot of recovery gear. Here's a link from our Power Wagon on recovery. Everything you need to know plus some. Lots of videos.

http://forum.powerwagonregistry.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2824

The picture is me coming up Hell's Gate on Hell's Revenge in Moab.

Click to expand...

Thanks so much for sharing - that's a wealth of great info right there.    Much appreciated!