Hook, shackle or thimble

[Stumpalump]

Large safty hooks. A lot of times straps are allready out or atached to vehicles so a quick snap later and I'm pulling. Too often sombodys wife, kid or inexperianced off roader fumbles with the additional gear slowing progress. This makes some try an obsticle more times than they should increasing risk. Also in a pinch like teetering on a cliff sombody can grab my line,wrap it around anything and clip it to itself. A winch is somtimes needed "NOW". Think of sombodys body part traped under his roll cage and you want him out. Throw your line around his rig and pull so he can breath or not burn to death. The one time you may need the ease of speed before rolling over or worse makes the hook the king. I can clip both ends of a tow strap into the one I use so I never need a shackle on the line end. Thats just more projectile mass when things break.

 

[chuck45]

For the last 8 years or so I've been using one of these from MasterPull

For the 25-30 years before that I just used the hook that came on the winch.

Having used hooks in the past I now use the Viking thimble and a shackle. I like it because it forces me to use a shackle. I recently spent a week wheeling in the snow, with a bunch of other rigs, which involved a lot of winching. The Crosby hook and the hooks with a safety catch were a bear to operate when they froze closed. If I *had* to have a hook the pictured Crosby is the way I would go but since that is not the case I think the thimble is the way to go because it is the safest.

 

[Corey]

My yellow hook too froze up on me a few years back, hence why I went over to the thimble.

I could have prevented it probably by keeping it well lubed, as here in Wa. state we get lots of rain

I do like the thimble and a shackle setup better though, and stated above it forces you to use a shackle too.

 

[spressomon]

My yellow hook too froze up on me a few years back, hence why I went over to the thimble.

I could have prevented it probably by keeping it well lubed, as here in Wa. state we get lots of rain

I do like the thimble and a shackle setup better though, and stated above it forces you to use a shackle too.

The other instance where I had trouble with that hook was when it was covered in snow/ice. Its just not a good design, especially given what they cost, for most of us given the amount of all forms of crud the hook gets subjected to on the front of a 4x4 bumper.