Soft Shackle Receiver Adapter, SSRA or 'SaRAh' Device

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
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 …

That question comes up a lot, no worries. Here is a list of ways this system is a better way to do it....

-Proper support for the 5/8 pin on the hitch side. If you pull hard enough on an unsupported 5/8" pin with a soft shackle ( or strap ), it will bend in the middle. The 5/8" pin is designed to be loaded near the walls of the hitch, not in the middle. Once the pin bends, it will get stuck in the hitch and need to be cut out. A shorter pin can also be pulled 'in' the hitch causing an ultimate system failure releasing the shackle. The increased 1" working diameter for the soft shackle in the hitch also improves the MBS of the soft shackle vs going around the smaller 5/8" pin diameter.

-No risk of stabbing one leg of the soft shackle with the hitch pin. The SSRA can be operated in the dark by feel alone. If the pin drops though, you are good.

-Safe input radius. The large 3/8" input radius ( in all directions ) provides a MUCH safer edge for the soft shackle when working offline. Vehicle recovery is rarely in a straight line in my experience. It is nice to be able to pull at full load up to 90 degrees in any direction without worrying about the sharp edge of the hitch cutting into the soft shackle during a critical moment. This drastically increases the life of soft rigging items.

I hope that helps.
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader


A few interesting pics from my recent Rubicon trip.

One is just a good reminder of how the SSRA device works. This was a simple winch connection when pulling a vehicle backwards after it had bellied out on a large boulder. I find myself using the winch more for recoveries like this lately since the recovering vehicle can just stay in the same position. No need to worry about if you are going to be trying to climb your own rocks while trying to use a strap/rope. It is also easier to provide some off center pulling if needed to shift the vehicle over. Doing the same thing with a longer strap is always a pain on tight trails.

The group also ended up using an SSRA as an 'off book' edge guard while straightening a sway bar arm after an upper link failed causing everything to shift hard to one side. It is nice to see people taking active steps to protect soft rigging in weird applications (without me having to remind them!). I think a lot of people tend to view soft rigging as fairly disposable, and while it is more durable than most people think, it is amazing how long it will last when properly protected from hard edges.
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
A cross section view of the SSRA

internalcrop_1024x1024@2x.jpg
-Soft entry radius in all directions.
-Gentle reverse bell mouth to provide the best possible transition to the pin
-Well supported pin to keep the hitch junction in double shear
-Largest possible pin diameter possible for the soft shackle
-Generous radii on all inside corners to prevent long term stress cracking.
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
The SSRA got a mild update recently.

signal-2022-10-03-101058.jpeg

I am now providing a new soft shackle manufactured by Yankum Ropes, per my specs, from 7/16" Sampson Amsteel Blue SK78 rope that has been tested, serialized, and tagged. The new soft shackle has an MBS of 45,500lbs! ( this would be a 4.5T 5:1 FOS or 7.5T 3:1 FOS ) This new shackle also includes an updated rash guard system that is using a small section of heavy duty reclaimed wildland fire hose in the highest wear area ( from the rope/strap/line interface) along with a the standard tubular nylon through the device itself.

Sadly, this did come with a price increase, but this is still one of the best values on the market for a hitch based recovery point.
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
The 2.5 version is now live on the store!
signal-2022-11-12-092924.jpeg

 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Rory Irish over at the Trail Mater Youtube channel was kind enough to give the SSRA a shout out.

 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
is 2" size out of stock? not seeing it on your sale page.

Hello,

2.0 SSRA are in stock. You can find them on the store here.


The website is getting bit harder to navigate with so many new products. Make sure to click 'catalog' at the top/right to get to a listing of all my products.

Regards
 

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