Recovery gear deep dive: shackles, straps and kinetic ropes, what to buy!

[Snacktime]

Curious about minimum useful winch capacity - everyone wants a big beefy winch for the look, but I want to hide it and stay minimal - there are some really inexpensive 3-4000# winches - how much do you really need to get a little assist in getting out of a "stuck in the mud" situation and that sort of thing.

Depends on the mount and what your using the winch for. I will say a bigger winch is not a bad thing as you don't want any failures. Winches are kind of the opposite of a strap in the fact you usually are near or around the rope/wire and have a higher exposer to risk. The bigger and beefer the winch the better, also be careful with winch speed. If your looking at winches for the first time you don't want a fast line speed, as that increases the risks.

Now those small winches are great, but I wouldn't want to be using one with 5000lbs of potential energy attached because the mounts are not rated high enough. Bronco could easily overcome the winch if something happens (if your winching you are usually in the something will happen area). Concept is nice but you need to look at the realistic possibility of exceeding the winch gears exploding and coming loose.

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[JediMcMuffin]

Fantastic thread, now we need one on proper usage

 

[BIGJIM]

I agree with Jedi, great thread! I am also new to off-roading and put together my recovery kit. I didn't go with the full Sawtooth set-up from Factor 55, but chose the smaller Owyhee kit, and bought a separate Factor 55 30' kinetic rope. Prior to buying the good stuff I did have a soft shackle, an aluminum rope recovery shackle (similiar o Factor 55's but 1/3 the price) and recovery boards. Next install will be a RC high mount winch plate with their 9500 synthetic rope winch. Not the finest, but capable and affordable.

The Ford Warn kit is too much money and you could build your own and use a good bag you already have to carry/stow the gear. I put the rope, and the F55 bag inside an old Griot's garage bag I had laying around the garage.

 

[RC Bronco]

This is an extremely informative read for newbies and regulars alike. Very, very well done, Snacktime!

you have made my search for recovery gear much easier, much thanks for that!

 

[BENNYBRONCOnLILCYNDICKY]

Which is the better option, synthetic rope winch or wire rope winch?

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

Which is the better option, synthetic rope winch or wire rope winch?

Synthetic is safer - if it breaks the is much less risk of snap back injuries or damage.

Also it is lighter so you won’t lose as much suspension height up front.

 

[BigFootie]

Which is the better option, synthetic rope winch or wire rope winch?

For occasional pulls from snow and mud, I'd say synthetic. They are much easier to handle and lighter. Look at the Yankum fairlead, it works great with a synthetic rope. Also, I prefer the soft shackles for occasional use as well for the same reasons plus helps if you are pulling some one out without a recovery point.

 

[BigFootie]

Nice write up.

My only comment regarding using a 30ft rope is it's great for getting them out but I wouldn't use it on the trail as a tow strap. Get a 10 footer for towing on the trail and not yanking someone out. The longer the kinetic rope, the more kinetic energy, but the harder to maneuver around tight trails if towing.

 

[bcool2525]

Nice write up.

My only comment regarding using a 30ft rope is it's great for getting them out but I wouldn't use it on the trail as a tow strap. Get a 10 footer for towing on the trail and not yanking someone out. The longer the kinetic rope, the more kinetic energy, but the harder to maneuver around tight trails if towing.

True, but in those cases I can see someone doubling up the rope by attaching it to the powered vehicle twice, hence cutting the span between the vehicles in half.

 

[Tunagates]

As more people keep posting about recovery gear I figure we should have a technical discussion.

1)First is making sure you control your failure point! You really want the strap or kinetic rope to be the yield point. People put to much emphasis on getting a big strap, you want to have the strap fail before anything else. This sounds dangerous, but a whipping rope is safer than a fly hitch or shackle.

2)Most receiver hitches are in the 40,000lb break strength, this is not deform and yield area. So at 40,000lbs a hitch can break, so if your new to recovery stepping down to smaller straps is highly recommend.

3)Shackles, you don't need the biggest ones ever made. You want to be under the 40,000lb breaking strength so that the shackle fails before the mount. At this time a 7/16 soft shackle is around 40,000lb breaking point and as big as you want to go for a Bronco(they lose strength as they are used so typical safe to assume they will fail before 40,000lbs). Goal here is to stay under the hitch or mounts strength. A 3/8 soft shackle is around 30,000lbs breaking point and also a good option if paired with the right size rope/strap. Same theory applies to d ring metal shackles, watch the rating(they are all different). I always carry a metal shackle because they don't cut on sharp edges. For a metal shackle you want to stay in the 40,000lb and above area. Metal shackles are rated on working load so a 40,000lb shackle has a factor of safety before failure and safe to use with 40,000lb soft shackle (usually rated to failure strength). I would stay large on metal shackles as if the mounting point fails I rather have hopefully a whole bumper attached to the shackle than the shackle(something to think about when hooking up to pull someone).

4)Strap / Kinetic Rope should have a lower yield than shackles. You are controlling the failure zone to the strap. 1" Kinetic rope is rated to 30,000lbs as large as you want to go. Do not think you need a bigger rope/strap, bigger is not better it just moves the failure. 7/8" Kinetic rope is 25,000lbs followed by a 3/4" Kinetic rope at 20,000lbs. Same with straps a 3" wide strap is good for 30,000lbs and 2" wide strap is good for 20,000lbs.

5) Putting it all together! You want a step down in strength at each connection. You are controlling your failure point (yes the most costly item is the failure point).
7/16" soft shackle (40,000lbs) => 1" or 7/8" or 3/4" kinetic rope (30,000lbs to 20,000lbs)
7/16" soft shackle (40,000lbs) => 3" or 2" wide strap (30,000lbs to 20,000lbs)
3/8" soft shackle (30,000lbs) => 3/4" kinetic rope (20,000lbs)
3/8" soft shackle (30,000lbs) => 2" wide strap (20,000lbs)

Take away,
If you are new to offroading a 3/4" kinetic rope and 2" wide strap are what you want. Its perfectly fine to break a strap/rope, that just tells you need to rethink how your pulling and that something is not right. I wouldn't buy a 3/8" soft shackle, 7/16" is pretty much the standard and do not buy bigger soft shackles as you don't want to exceed the mounting point (that is how you get flying metal). I always recommend matching straps to kinetic ropes in case you need to use both at the same time try and have them equal strength.

Bigger kinetic ropes are becoming a hot item, don't be pulled in. You want the rope to fail before you rip the frame or mounts!

I always buy 30ft straps/ropes you want some distance between 5000lb vehicles buy the extra 10ft!

amazing write up man - ty!!!

 

[Snacktime]

Which is the better option, synthetic rope winch or wire rope winch?

Biggest benefits to synthetics is the handling. Steel cable gals and frays into sharp edges/needles.

Weight and elasticity also factor in to which is better. Reducing potential energy is key when selecting winching equipment.

I also think weather exposer factors in. Grit and grime wears down synthetics.

 

[BostonSasquatch]

This is fantastic information and despite my experience with rigging as a former commercial diver, the concept of defining the failure point is so enlightening to me and a great concept. Now you have me evaluating the recovery gear I currently have and considering what I might need to replace.

With respect to the Bronco recovery points, how does this all factor in? On my Badlands with modular bumper, I understand the front recovery points are rated by Ford at the Gross Vehicle Weight, which is 6,100 pounds, give or take. I can only assume that's very conservative but that's what we have to work with. How do you factor that in? Same question goes for the rear recovery points (factory hoops), although I'm not sure what they're rated for.

Here's my current inventory. What would you consider changing out? Maybe a lower rating on the soft shackle, and similar rating on the kinetic rope?

• Rhino Soft shackles 1/2” 46,250 lb
• OVS Hard shackles 3/4” 57,000 lb
• OVS Tow strap 3” x 30’ 30,000 lb
• Kinetic rope - TBD

Oh, and for fun, here's an old pic of me when I was in diving school, wearing 196 pounds of vintage 1940s MarkV gear, mullet and all.

Very happy that you escaped the Creature From the Black Lagoon.

 

[Rjacks258]

Very informative thread. It’s a department I need help in, and one that has kept me from experiencing some cool spots lately.

 

[srqfabrications]

A big thing to look for on soft shackles, kinetic ropes, and bridles are the tags shown below. These tags display the minimum tensile strength and the working load limit of the gear you are using. You need both of these numbers to use your recovery gear properly and safely recover a vehicle. Props to the OP for putting this information together but this is a lot of key information that is missing which is vital to a proper and safe vehicle recovery.

There is a big difference between MTS (Minimum Tensile Strength) and WLL (Working Load Limit). You do not want to use only the MTS in your calculations during recovery unless you know the safety factor the recovery gear is designed around. If you use a soft shackle based on just its MTS, you are in for a very bad day. It can not handle 40,000 lbs of force being pulled on it in an everyday scenario. This is just the minimum tensile strength found in the shackle material during testing prior to it getting spliced and knotted. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT as the shackle material is often not the failure point, the knot, and splice are. I can go into more detail on the quality of splices/knots if you guys are interested but it's probably better for a different thread. Every knot/splice is not the same and there are key design flaws to look out for in your recovery gear, mainly overseas tied recovery gear. This plays a huge role in the safety factor of the product.

Our soft shackles have a 5:1 factor accounted in them for safety. This is on the extreme safe side in terms of recovery gear and allows for error by the end-user in regards to rigging and maintenance of their gear. This also accounts for the strength of the knot and splice. Most gear you find has a 3:1 safety factor. If you find something with a 2:1 ratio, I would stay away from it as they are most likely not providing true numbers. If you divide the MTS of the product by the WLL of the product you will find the safety factor of the gear. This is why it is so important to know both numbers.

You will want to use the WLL of your recovery gear not the MTS of your gear for proper recovery calculations. If your 6000lb vehicle is tire-height deep in mud, one soft shackle with an 8,000lb working load is probably not going to be enough. There are some great apps out there that let you enter your current recovery situation and the gear you have on hand. It will then show you exactly how you need to rig your recovery setup using the gear you have available to you. It also brings the winch rating into the mix. Spoiler alert, a 10,000lb winch can't pull 10,000 pounds in a normal operation. This is a whole different topic though and get's interesting fast.

I highly recommend that everyone takes a recovery course class taught by a licensed and insured instructor. There is a lot of misinformation in the recovery world that can easily cost someone their life if not careful.

For those in FL, we have a recovery course for Broncos specifically at the end of April.

https://www.srqfabrications.com/store/FL6G-Bronco-Recovery-Course-April-29-30th-p528835967

Our Soft Shackles: https://www.srqfabrications.com/store/3-8-Soft-Shackle-p482025164

Our Kinetic Ropes: https://www.srqfabrications.com/store/7-8-x-30-Kinetic-Rope-p482060276

I highly recommend you order from a company that is upfront about the MTS and WLL of their products. You should also purchase USA-made gear as overseas gear often doesn't abide by the same stringent load testing. These aren't items you want to skimp out on.

P.S. I'm not a licensed and insured recovery course teacher, just providing information that we have come to learn from taking classes.

 

[RC Bronco]

This thread is entering the territory of deserving to be stickied IMO; not sure if there’s a process for this

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