2 in receiver shackle/ clevis for tow straps and chains

[bdog]

You guys talking about chains just falling when the break must not have broken many chains. I have seen over a dozen break from pickups to big trucks to dozers to loaders, etc. sometimes they don't do much when they break but other times they go flying.

This is all we use to tow with now. towing rope, tow ropes, braided rope, rope for sale, tow hooks, tow rope It doesn't stretch and thus no recoil. We have broke a couple of the ropes one pulling with a dozer and the other pulling with a 25k international 4x4. They really did pretty much drop when they broke and they fix them for free. Definitely get the abrasion sheath on them.

 

[rwork]

Many years ago, I was driving my wife's new car. I was approaching an intersection where they were clearing some land. As I sat there waiting for the light to change, i saw they were trying to pull a stuck log truck out with a skidder. All of a sudden I heard a load "whack" , and the windshield shattered! The chain they were using broke, and threw a link through my windshield. They were about 100' off of the road!

 

[diesel lover]

Looks like 3/4 inch shackles are good for at least 8k and 1 inch are good for at least 12k pounds generally. Higher quality will hold up to a lot more weight.

Looks like on carid dot com I can get a smittybilt D ring shackle for 30$ with free shipping. Smittybilt seems to be built up to higher quality standards. The largest difference I found is the smittybilt is solid square and many others are hollow. I wish they made it with a 7/8 shackle but that's ok. Seems for something like this or a very heavy trailer that needs towing solid vs hollow makes a large difference. That seems to be what separates smitty from others. Others are 4k to 8k pound and hollow I could see a smitty lasting longer because it's solid square

 

[ovrszd]

What is the max a frame mounted 2 inch receiver hitch will handle? 10k? 12k? I know there is a reason they went to 2.5 inch receiver hitches all together on some 1 ton plus trucks

I'm not sure what they are rated at.

I saw a hitch tear the frame rail where it was bolted to a 3/4 Chevy once. One side tore completely loose, the other side was hanging on by a thread. Happened when the operator was jerking on a stuck combine with 2 30' tow ropes. So he had a 50-60' run.

Also saw a rear bumper yanked off a 3/4 Ford the same way.

 

[BHD]

 

[k0ua]

Oh,, I also want to talk about how to fasten two straps/ropes together. Assuming both have loops sewn in the ends. Grab a loop from each rope in each hand with each rope stretched out away from you on each side. Push the loop in your left hand thru the loop in your right hand. Then get the other looped end of the rope on your right and push it thru the loop of the left rope that you just pushed thru. Now stretch it back to your right. Now you have doubled the length of your ropes without adding any metal missiles. You can yank the snot out of it and when you are done, it comes right apart without any hassles. Give it a try. Works very slick. We'll sometimes have 4 or 5 ropes fastened together to retrieve someone at a distance.

That little tip alone was worth reading this thread. Thank you Richard.

 

[timster2]

That's my favorite video. It should be required viewing when anyone with a 4x4 buys a tow or recovery strap. I forced my kids to view the video, both my son and daughter, before they used my Jeep to tow a friend out of a snow bank or were 'helped' by someone.

 

[ruffdog]

This is the clevis hitch I made out of solid 304 stainless. The chain/strap, receiver, frame, and pin would fail before this would.

 

[diesel lover]

This is the clevis hitch I made out of solid 304 stainless. The chain/strap, receiver, frame, and pin would fail before this would. <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=361954"/>

That looks very nice! What was the cost and time involved ?

 

[ruffdog]

That looks very nice! What was the cost and time involved ?

Shoot, that was about twenty years ago! We just had some scrap stainless in the shop and working on my lunch, probably 1 hour labor.

 

[8N Ren]

Just bare this in mind, what ever you use is man made and can fail in a split second. Keep people at a safe distance and don't do anything without thinking about it first. To easy to get sued in your country.

 

[ruffdog]

Just bare this in mind, what ever you use is man made and can fail in a split second. Keep people at a safe distance and don't do anything without thinking about it first. To easy to get sued in your country.

Very, very true. NEVER trust anything and use your head instead of losing it. I have seen HUGE chains break, but that was a Cat D9 pulling out a smaller Deere 6way dozer.

 

[mikehaugen]

I too am a believer in straps vs. chains. When I was younger there was an abandoned rock quarry where everyone in the area would go "wheelin". I was there with a couple of my friends and it had gotten dark. We came across a truck that was stuck pretty bad. There was a pretty big f-350 trying to pull him out, but he couldn't get traction because he was still in some slick mud. Well I offered my strap to help extend the length so he could get to a dry patch. My strap was pretty old and well used so guess which one broke first? When it broke, it broke pretty tamely.

Anyway the driver of the stuck vehicle was pretty much an @ss. He said nothing in regards to thanking me, apologizing, or offering to pay for the strap... all he was doing was complaining that the guy (another stranger) that was trying to pull him out refused to use a chain. He said "if he would use a chain, I would be out by now... my friend is on his was and he will use a chain." Well I figured I had to see this, so I waited around and watched when his friend showed up. He was jerking and tugging like there was no tomorrow. I had turned around to say something to one of my friends when I heard what sounded like a machine gun, it was the chain (yeah the chain that doesn't recoil and falls to the ground) hitting the guys tailgate when it snapped. Lucky nobody was hurt.

As far as strap sizes go, I carry a 3" in my 3/4 dodge, a 2" in my suburban, and a smaller one with hooks in my impala. There is a huge difference in straps as far as ply ratings and it's corresponding "load" rating. I buy good straps, and find that a a 2" strap in good condition is plenty most of the time. I think the one I have is rated for 20k and the 3" is rated for 30k. The 3" strap is almost too big and doesn't have enough stretch I don't think, unless I am pulling out a very large vehicle. I think I may get another 2" to keep in the truck.

I got my suburban stuck a snow drift in the middle of the road about a month ago, I was close to home luckily but didn't have my truck as it was being borrowed. I went and got my tractor. It is only 2 wheel drive and the road was fairly icy so I had no chance of pulling it out straight. The tractor is probably around 3500lbs and I used the 2" strap and jerked about as hard as I could multiple times since I couldn't drive the suburban and tractor at the same time I just had to do a dead pull. I would get about a 15' start and was probably doing 8 mph or so and would have to brace myself against the steering wheel when the strap tensioned. Took about half a dozen tries but it came out and absolutely no complaint from the strap. This was not exactly a safe thing to do and I am not condoning it, but when it is -15 and you have been out in an open cab tractor for about 3 hours until 4am trying to clear a path down the road just to get the tractor to the vehicle, you will do just about anything.

 

[ovrszd]

That was a funny story about the stuck Suburban. What a guy will do to undo his mistake!!!

With that said, the story did nothing to verify the capabilities of your 2" strap. The road was so icy you had to get a 15' run to do any good at all. But it worked for you and that's what's important!!!

 

[diesel lover]

I too am a believer in straps vs. chains. When I was younger there was an abandoned rock quarry where everyone in the area would go "wheelin". I was there with a couple of my friends and it had gotten dark. We came across a truck that was stuck pretty bad. There was a pretty big f-350 trying to pull him out, but he couldn't get traction because he was still in some slick mud. Well I offered my strap to help extend the length so he could get to a dry patch. My strap was pretty old and well used so guess which one broke first? When it broke, it broke pretty tamely. Anyway the driver of the stuck vehicle was pretty much an @ss. He said nothing in regards to thanking me, apologizing, or offering to pay for the strap... all he was doing was complaining that the guy (another stranger) that was trying to pull him out refused to use a chain. He said "if he would use a chain, I would be out by now... my friend is on his was and he will use a chain." Well I figured I had to see this, so I waited around and watched when his friend showed up. He was jerking and tugging like there was no tomorrow. I had turned around to say something to one of my friends when I heard what sounded like a machine gun, it was the chain (yeah the chain that doesn't recoil and falls to the ground) hitting the guys tailgate when it snapped. Lucky nobody was hurt. As far as strap sizes go, I carry a 3" in my 3/4 dodge, a 2" in my suburban, and a smaller one with hooks in my impala. There is a huge difference in straps as far as ply ratings and it's corresponding "load" rating. I buy good straps, and find that a a 2" strap in good condition is plenty most of the time. I think the one I have is rated for 20k and the 3" is rated for 30k. The 3" strap is almost too big and doesn't have enough stretch I don't think, unless I am pulling out a very large vehicle. I think I may get another 2" to keep in the truck. I got my suburban stuck a snow drift in the middle of the road about a month ago, I was close to home luckily but didn't have my truck as it was being borrowed. I went and got my tractor. It is only 2 wheel drive and the road was fairly icy so I had no chance of pulling it out straight. The tractor is probably around 3500lbs and I used the 2" strap and jerked about as hard as I could multiple times since I couldn't drive the suburban and tractor at the same time I just had to do a dead pull. I would get about a 15' start and was probably doing 8 mph or so and would have to brace myself against the steering wheel when the strap tensioned. Took about half a dozen tries but it came out and absolutely no complaint from the strap. This was not exactly a safe thing to do and I am not condoning it, but when it is -15 and you have been out in an open cab tractor for about 3 hours until 4am trying to clear a path down the road just to get the tractor to the vehicle, you will do just about anything.

Been there done that! I bet your truck might have even been 4wd and you were having issues. This winter has been more than others. I always carry 1 hooked 15 foot tow strap for quick smaller jobs and 1 20 foot looped jerk strap. I too needed help this winter due to city traffic driving way too slow.

I'm a firm believer in helping people in need and who can't afford it as others help me all the time so it completely works for me.

There was a 4wd SUV in the ditch. The drivers husband was attempting to push it out but they pushed it all the way into the bottom. I stopped and told them if they wanted help I would stay. If they wanted to keep yelling at each other I would not help. He asked if I wanted to push and I told him not exactly I'm thinking smarter not harder, it's not worth all the effort. I was able to find a large crossmember that went parallel to the length of the vehicle. I attached my jerk strap only after I had witnesses and we agreed I was not responsible for damages. My truck is only two wheel drive with sand bags in the back for weight, I gained speed once maybe on 10 or 12 foot of the strap, I told the lady before we started to get on the gas and don't stop! Pulled it right out in seconds!! I stopped the truck on the side of the road and both the husband and wife had such a puzzled look on their face. I told them "these straps are fairly cheap you can get them at tractor supply or lowes" they paid me for the help.

On the flip side of the coin traffic was heavy built up over a bridge and trucks were inches from sliding into each other. I had a semi truck cut me off and here I was sliding sideways from having to stop up such a Icey hill. A very nice couple stopped and and offered help. They just watched a large pay loader straighten me out with my strap. He offered to hook up, but he said if we started to slide he couldn't help as it was just too risky. If I hadn't of had to stop it never would have happened. It was a new 4wd gmc that pulled me up and over the hill. The guy did not have a hitch or any strap/ chain . I ran a 1.5 foot chain through the safety loop section of his factory hook. Thank god for good people!!

Also I have had to use two wheel drive tractors multiple times to pull trucks, and even a 4wd tractor out of bad situations. Our ferguson 40 probably weighs 4000 pounds +/-. A competent operator can easily complete whatever task. I have used jerk straps in that situation as well.

In your situation I would have had to do the same thing! Wreckers took days this year to remove vehicles that slid off the road. Lots of people were left stranded. Good Samaritans got people home safely!! When it was neg 14F this year I wasn't thinking either and broke a 3/8 chain at work using our international plow truck to try to pull out a immovable semi truck. When you get that cold you start trying anything but you need to try to think every move through still!