Soft Shackle Receiver Adapter, SSRA or 'SaRAh' Device

[Metcalf]

Time to show this to the world.....



I've been working on a safe and direct way to attach a soft shackle into a receiver hitch. This is what I came up with. After some extensive geometry development in some 3d printed models, it was time to make it in 6061-T6 aluminum. The 5-axis machining on these turned out amazing!





The aluminum adapter provides a full 1" working diameter for the soft shackle that provides proper support for the normal 5/8" trailer hitch pin. A gentle 1/4" radius on each side of that 1" tubular cross-member helps prevent any high load crack propagation in the corners while also providing additional support for the soft shackle line diameter. The throat has a large 3/8" radius around the full opening to allow for pulling at up to 90 degrees in any direction without the need for any re-rigging. Vehicle recovery is rarely in a straight line.





This adapter provides a very low profile that is protects the device from trail damage while also eliminating an extra leverage from the typical pin to shackle adapters currently on the market when pulling offline.

What do you think?

 

[frans]

Huh, interesting it eliminates the need to carry a ring or a hook type Hitch.
Although I’ve done plenty of recoveries using my ball hitch. Slick idea!

 

[Metcalf]

Huh, interesting it eliminates the need to carry a ring or a hook type Hitch.
Although I’ve done plenty of recoveries using my ball hitch. Slick idea!

Thank you. It also eliminates an 'extra' attachment point in the rigging which is much safer vs the typical slide in hard shackle mounts.

We have all used a ball hitch when we probable shouldn't.

 

[Beowulf]

Very unique

 

[WOODY2]

Time to show this to the world.....



I've been working on a safe and direct way to attach a soft shackle into a receiver hitch. This is what I came up with. After some extensive geometry development in some 3d printed models, it was time to make it in 6061-T6 aluminum. The 5-axis machining on these turned out amazing!





The aluminum adapter provides a full 1" working diameter for the soft shackle that provides proper support for the normal 5/8" trailer hitch pin. A gentle 1/4" radius on each side of that 1" tubular cross-member helps prevent any high load crack propagation in the corners while also providing additional support for the soft shackle line diameter. The throat has a large 3/8" radius around the full opening to allow for pulling at up to 90 degrees in any direction without the need for any re-rigging. Vehicle recovery is rarely in a straight line.





This adapter provides a very low profile that is protects the device from trail damage while also eliminating an extra leverage from the typical pin to shackle adapters currently on the market when pulling offline.

What do you think?

I think I would like one please?

 

[Metcalf]

I think I would like one please?

You can click that little link for my store in my signature to read more about it. Thank you for the interest.

 

[moderndaynorseman]

First I see your Tauler Jack, and now this... Are you conspiring to try and part me from ALL my moolah? ?

Jokes aside, this looks awesome! You are killing it on the design work here.

 

[Metcalf]

First I see your Tauler Jack, and now this... Are you conspiring to try and part me from ALL my moolah? ?

Jokes aside, this looks awesome! You are killing it on the design work here.

Thank you very much!

 

[jgaz]

Very nice design and excellent execution.

You will know if it’s a good idea if there is a Chinese copy of it available in May at OEX West.

 

[Metcalf]

Very nice design and excellent execution.

You will know if it’s a good idea if there is a Chinese copy of it available in May at OEX West.

Aye, don't get me started on that. At least I know I did it first.

 

[Metcalf]

Another small bonus with the SSRA 'Sarah' device. less worry about dropping a steel shackles/pin in the snow, mud, water, or down the side of a mountain when working with cold wet hands. You can re-rig with the device in place. The soft shackle is a snug fit so that even if you leave it open by mistake, it isn't likely to fall out.

 

[Inukshuk]

Innovative. Creative. Nice radii. I think many people will like having this in their kit.

I only recently bought a rated receiver insert. My trucks have rear recovery points but I wanted to have one more tool and be able to assist others who only had receivers. Good chance I would have bought this instead. Might still. Small. Lightweight. Competitively priced as against rated receiver inserts and the AL really doesn't need a rating since with your design the hitch pin carries all the load (I use a grade 8 bolt), rating the aluminum would be largely irrelevant, and you said the grade is 6061.

Pin location: Is there a standard? I never looked into that before. Google tells me that the face of receiver to CL of pin is 2 3/8 typical. Naturally you'd never want the AL part recessed. You say: "2.63" working length"

Do you also make the soft shackle? Your website says "ultimate breaking strength in excess of 40k pounds with a 3:1 safe Working Load Limit of over 6 tons." It is good to see a WLL based on a breaking strength divided by safety factor. That's good info many leave out of or are oblivious to. How are you / your manufacturer defining "ultimate breaking strength"? Is the rating on actual destructive testing of built shackles or derived from the rope used? Is the knot mechanically set? Will the soft shackles be labeled with the specifications so I can pick one up and know about it? If there is testing data, would you include it on the website / with product?

Thanks!

 

[dstefan]

Very nice! Totally beautiful and trick piece of kit.

Not trying to be a jerk, but I honestly want to know: why is this better/necessary when all you have to do is insert the soft shackle loop into the receiver and then insert a standard steel hitch pin? That’s what I’ve always done …

 

[BritKLR]

I like it.

An additional benefit of all these newer recovery systems (aluminum, synthetic line, etc......) is the massive reduction of weight and space consumption in/on your rig. Hate to think about the 100's of pounds of chains, shackles, cable I used to carry in my rigs!

Well done.

P.S. Shoot me a DM if you get to the point you need a custom recovery/gear bag designed for entire systems. Cheers.

 

[Metcalf]

Innovative. Creative. Nice radii. I think many people will like having this in their kit.

I only recently bought a rated receiver insert. My trucks have rear recovery points but I wanted to have one more tool and be able to assist others who only had receivers. Good chance I would have bought this instead. Might still. Small. Lightweight. Competitively priced as against rated receiver inserts and the AL really doesn't need a rating since with your design the hitch pin carries all the load (I use a grade 8 bolt), rating the aluminum would be largely irrelevant, and you said the grade is 6061.

Pin location: Is there a standard? I never looked into that before. Google tells me that the face of receiver to CL of pin is 2 3/8 typical. Naturally you'd never want the AL part recessed. You say: "2.63" working length"

Do you also make the soft shackle? Your website says "ultimate breaking strength in excess of 40k pounds with a 3:1 safe Working Load Limit of over 6 tons." It is good to see a WLL based on a breaking strength divided by safety factor. That's good info many leave out of or are oblivious to. How are you / your manufacturer defining "ultimate breaking strength"? Is the rating on actual destructive testing of built shackles or derived from the rope used? Is the knot mechanically set? Will the soft shackles be labeled with the specifications so I can pick one up and know about it? If there is testing data, would you include it on the website / with product?

Thanks!

Hello, thank you for the thoughtful reply.

Pin location. There isn't a perfect number. I measured probably a few hundred hitches, of OEM and aftermarket flavors, and had friends measure what they could find. I also spoke with any hitch manufactures that would talk to me. The number I came up with as the average was 2.5" from pin center to the end of the hitch. I added 1/8" of length beyond that to make sure the soft shackle legs where past the end of the hitch when operating at high angles. If the device sticks out a little more on a hitch with a shallow pin position it isn't ideal, but exposes the device to more damage. In an extreme case, the 5/8" pin of the hitch could pull out the end of the tube. If the pin depth is extra deep, I could recommend either re-drilling a more normal pin position if possible, or perhaps trimming the end of the receiver hitch down slightly.

Soft shackle rating. Doing an 'official' soft shackle rating is not something I want to get into. I've done both destructive testing and a LOT of real world testing. Since every unit is slightly unique in it's construction, it just isn't practical. You can stick a pretty tag on it, but it doesn't really mean much in my opinion. I use quality materials and quality construction methods, including a high force setting of the top knot, and that is as far as I want to go down the rabbit hole. If you need a fancy tag, just buy them elsewhere if that makes you feel more comfortable. There is not a higher quality soft shackle on the market at this price point in my opinion. I do this because I enjoy it, I am not trying to sell millions to the military or something. Soft Shackles, just like their steel cousins, are for all intents a wear item. We aren't logging and tracking every pull or lift on them. Most people have never used a load cell during a recovery. They do wear. They are often abused. They should be inspected and retired as required.