Draw bar w/shackle for recovery point

[Backwoods Rambler]

I don't really want to buy a $40-$50 hitch shackle plug like this:

Because of the cost and the fact that I have a draw bar similar to this in the garage:

I'm also planning on getting a few of these:

Any problem with just slipping my shackle through the draw bar?

 

[ntsqd]

I've seen it done. The offset pull is a bit of a concern, but I don't think that it's a large worry.

Why not skip the shackle et. al altogether and put the receiver pin through the strap's loop? This won't be good for high angle use as it will pull the strap into the sharp edge of the receiver socket, but for nearly straight pulls it will work.
EDIT: As calculation revealed, this is a bad idea.

Or, there are suppliers that sell shackle tabs made for the building of bumpers. I've seen at least one that was quite long, long enough to pop the needed 5/8" hole in it and slide it into the receiver and still allow the shackle pin's hole to be beyond the end of the receiver socket.

 

[Robert Bills]

Why not skip the shackle et. al altogether and put the receiver pin through the strap's loop? This won't be good for high angle use as it will pull the strap into the sharp edge of the receiver socket, but for nearly straight pulls it will work.

x2. Works fine for most situations.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

I've done it with the reciever pin on straight pulls and it works just fine, but I know they're not all going to be straight pulls. I may make a sleeve for the shackle pin to make up the difference in size from the hitch ball hole.

 

[BiG BoB]

I personally don't approve of using the pin with a strap.

The pin is designed to carry a load at its edges against the outside walls, whereas using a strap loads up the middle of the pin.

IMHO it's a much better option to put the pin of a shackle through the hole for the towball.

Sean

 

[Kilroy]

I don't really want to buy a $40-$50 hitch shackle plug like this:

I ran across my warn one for $26. It was somewhere I didn't expect to find it, can't remember where. Snapped it up at that price.

 

[Storz]

25-50 bucks for a shackle reciever plug is a pretty inexpensive recovery point IMHO. It might be worth it to just get one of those.

 

[ntsqd]

I personally don't approve of using the pin with a strap.

The pin is designed to carry a load at its edges against the outside walls, whereas using a strap loads up the middle of the pin.

IMHO it's a much better option to put the pin of a shackle through the hole for the towball.

Sean

I was prepared to disagree with you, but I thought that I'd run the numbers first just to see how it looked.

I am retracting my statement in my post above. Pulling on the pin alone is a bad idea.
In shear, as those devices shown above will load the pin, it is fine. In fact it was a surprising large number, and that makes me slightly suspicious of the validity of the calc.

In bending it was bad. Really bad. Even with a 4130 heat treated pin it was bad. Even after going through the calcs several times it was still really bad. I'm not publishing my numbers as I'm not yet convinced that they're 100% correct, but let's just say that with a 20k lbs rated strap that you'll bend the pin long, long before you'll tax the strap.

 

[Kilroy]

I would think by putting a shackle in the hole of the standard hitch, the shackle could lever against the hole putting other forces onto the hitch it wasn't designed for.

The shackle plug comes with a shackle you don't have to pay again for, so that reduces the outlay.

Your safety isn't the time to save $20.

Besides, it looks like you know what your doing and reflects on where you've been/you're going :ylsmoke:

 

[nwoods]

In bending it was bad. Really bad.

That's very interesting! Bill Burke's "Getting Unstuck" video actually reccommends this technique.

 

[ntsqd]

snipped....
I would think by putting a shackle in the hole of the standard hitch, the shackle could lever against the hole putting other forces onto the hitch it wasn't designed for.

That was my first reaction too, but think about with a ball on there instead. The loading is slightly different, but it isn't that different. It's more a case of the amount of loading than the manner in which it is loaded.

That's very interesting! Bill Burke's "Getting Unstuck" video actually reccommends this technique.

The numbers shocked me, which is why I ran them many times looking for an error. It may still be there, but I'm doubting it. I'd be interested in the results of any others that do the bending moment calc independently.

FWIW I built one of these shackle sliders. It's not too difficult of a project for a garage fabricator. Start with a piece of 2" x 3/4" (?) bar stock. The width needs to fit into the intended shackle's opening. Laminate it to 2" wide for the depth of insertion into the receiver by welding on plate stock. Drill a hole on center for the shackle pin. Drill another for the slider pin back far enough that there is clearance around the receiver's opening for access to the shackle.
Probably not worth the time, but not a difficult task with a welder and a drill press.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Well I do have a welder and a drill press, so I'll probably just make my own for a few dollars.

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

 

[Kilroy]

I was prepared to disagree with you, but I thought that I'd run the numbers first just to see how it looked.

I am retracting my statement in my post above. Pulling on the pin alone is a bad idea.
In shear, as those devices shown above will load the pin, it is fine. In fact it was a surprising large number, and that makes me slightly suspicious of the validity of the calc.

In bending it was bad. Really bad. Even with a 4130 heat treated pin it was bad. Even after going through the calcs several times it was still really bad. I'm not publishing my numbers as I'm not yet convinced that they're 100% correct, but let's just say that with a 20k lbs rated strap that you'll bend the pin long, long before you'll tax the strap.

Could it be that because the pull on the pin is spread evenly across the pin, not just in the middle, but also on the side near the wall of the receiver, it is stronger than might be thought?

 

[98dango]

i dont know the numbers but from experance with thes in the mud and sand. We have hooked a blown big block chevy with 40" paddels to a stuck motorhome with 4" tug bot line or sampson line as we call it in a 20' lenght hit the end of the in 3r gear to the flore and yarded the motor home 300 feet in 1 tug with out a broken hitch or a bent pin. I much pre fer this to a ball aney day as the shock on a ball will cause it to shatter

 

[Tanto]

Maybe I'm totally off the rails but my thought was that the draw bar when pulled up, down, or side to side presses on the receiver walls so a good portion of the load transfers to the walls of the receiver hitch and away from the pin. Therefore, direct pull on the pin without the draw bar subjects the pin to the entire load whereas under normal conditions the receiver and draw bar carry it instead.