Soft shackles

[Kevin B.]

Any experience? Hammockers use these instead of beaners to save a few grams, but I never bothered. Then I stumbled across this: http://southeastoverland.com/index....ct_id=125&virtuemart_category_id=71&Itemid=33

The numbers are good, the price is right, and a few of these would cut several pounds out of my recovery bag. Not to mention it won't be a bullet if it breaks.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

No long-term experience but I've been around a few being used and they worked as advertised.

I am a bit leery when I read "Do not use for dynamic (snatch) recoveries. Not for lifting use or use during any life saving operations." I get the liability concern BUT if they are not comfortable for use with a dynamic tug or having to do some funky recovery relying on the shackle... do you continue to carry traditional recovery gear too?

 

[Kevin B.]

I'm not sure why they wouldn't be safe for dynamic recoveries, unless the maker is concerned that an inexperienced user wouldn't close the shackle tightly? But yeah, I don't see the point if I still have to carry bow shackles.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I'm not sure why they wouldn't be safe for dynamic recoveries, unless the maker is concerned that an inexperienced user wouldn't close the shackle tightly? But yeah, I don't see the point if I still have to carry bow shackles.

I think the worry is that the bouncing could cause the knot to come unseated and pull through? Or they simply get damaged with the higher forces incurred in the tug?

I do like the fact they would fit around many places a traditional bow shackle... axle housing, slider, bumper tube, etc. With a bow shackle you're often forced to use a static strap for these points which has its pro's and con's but options are king...

 

[Kevin B.]

Kevin,

Thanks for your email.

The base line we use for our soft shackles is Samson's Amsteel Blue, made in the US. The manufacturer of the bulk base line, Samson, doesn't rate the base material for shock (dynamic) loads. This is the same material that we and many others make quality synthetic winch lines out of. Because the manufacturer doesn't rate the material for dynamic loads then we do the same.

With that being said, may people, including some professional off road trainers, use our soft shackles for dynamic loading but doing so is done at the user's discretion and liability.

If you hook one up to a snatch strap the dynamic loading will be transferred from the snatch strap or kinetic rope to the soft shackle.

We haven't had any reported issues of the slip knot attachment coming undone.

Thanks again for your email and let us know if you have any other questions.

Steve
Southeast Overland

There's a lot of fear of lawyers in those lines, and a lot room to read between them. I think I'll get me a couple.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Cool. I saw on the facebookwebsternet that Sexton Offroad in Kamas carries a line of soft shackles as well.

 

[Skylinerider]

I've never seen them used in the wild, but the design does bring up a question. What are the chances of the loop slipping over the knot when under stress? The big reason I like regular shackles is that it provides a secure, closed loop when I hook up a strap. I've used knots countless times to hold myself onto a side of a cliff, but don't know that I'd trust a knot and loop to hold the kind of force and weight from a vehicle recovery.

 

[Kevin B.]

The knot is just a stopper, and won't come undone. I've seen the smaller version in action, and tension on the shackle closes the loop under the knot tighter. I don't know, but I'd bet that it would break before slipping that loop. Or that's how the Southeast Overland version works. Looking at the Gatorjaw version on Sexton's website, I'm not familiar with how that's spliced and I don't know if it works the same way?

 

[N-Smooth]

Such a thing would be especially nice for cold weather wheeling. Undoing a steel shackle that is frozen or having a strap cinch into itself sucks