This might seem like a silly question but anyway. I have tow loops(not hooks) on the front of my truck. I wish I had the crome FX4 hooks but anyway. I see a lot of people use the 2 inch wide tow strap with the loop at the end and put it in the hitch receiver. How would you connect a strap with a loop to my tow loops on my truck ? I am thinking a shackle ? Where is a good place to get a tow strap anyway ?

 

Just pass one entire end of the strap through the tow "loop", and then pass then other end through the loop to secure it. Place a stick or something between the end of the loop and the strap to keep if from tightening up SO much, you can't get it loose!

Then you don't need a shackle.

 

Thats works I guess, the pulling so tight I can't get it loose make me nervous, which was why I asked the question in the first place. Do people use shackles ? and again where is a good place to get a tow strap ?

 

First, don't get the kind of strap with hooks on it already. You can get good ones at Tractor Supply Company (pretty inexpensive) and just about any 4 wheel store like http://www.4wheelparts.com an http://www.desertrat.com etc.

If you put a stick (decent sized one) in the loop it keeps it from getting too tight. It's an old trick, but an effective one. I've used it myself.

 

i know that my boss uses a shackle when we go offroading in his F250

 

Look what I found at www.4wheelparts.com $50
D ring Shackle
2" x 20' 20,000 lb strap with loops NO hooks
Reciever hook (which I guess I could find usefull)
Tire pressure gauge
hitch pin
and a carry bag

 

I have that receiver tow hook and it's great. I like that it's all packaged in that carry bag.

 

You can also get shackles really cheap at Home Depot or Lowes.

 

Tractor Supply Company is really cheap if you go back in the farming implement section. Same basic shackles, 1/2 the price of the ones elsewhere in the same store, lol!

Most of mine came from work. I have them from 3/8" up to 1" in size.

 

I just found a Christmas present... the old lady has been asking.

 

without a doubt a clevis (D hook) is the best way to go. if not, ne3lz suggested is ok but its still a last resort.

 

There is nothing wrong with looping your tow strap through itself, provided you have a decent strap.

 

I agree. It eliminates one more source of breakage. Each item in the "chain" is one more possibility of breakage and damage.

 

if u have a good strap is key. just like ur vehicle, ur recovery equipment should be inspected before and after a wheeling trip.

 

I got a strap from Tractor Supply

It 3'in 30 foot and 27,000 pound test

for 52.00

 

i didnt know tractor supply sells straps...im gunna have to check it out.

 

Be certain you have a GOOD strap and be prepared to replace it more frequently when you use it this way. Looping the strap thru itself puts force on the webbing in a direction it wasn't made for. Ask an OSHA rep at a tower site and they'll tell you that it's a no-no.

For safety sake, use a shackle or double the strap thru the tow loop (again be prepared to replace the strap more frequently) if you're worried about scratching your hooks.

 

i agree with tbar...thats why i said its a last resort.

 

i prefer the least amount of metal possible when it comes to tow straps... i have seen too many snap, and i worry about rings and hooks coming through my window or windshield...

if i get pulled out from in front, i normally just tighten it as good as i can... on the rear, it goes around the hitch's ball... i don't use straps with hooks anymore... just loops... loops can't kill people...

 

straps with hooks are evil. straps with clevis's are great. there breaking rate are far less then any other method.

 

So many very experienced guys use shackles only when necessary, in my observation. I'd rather have the strap go over time than risk the metal-to-metal tangent point of shackle to tow hook breakage point. It concentrates the force a great deal. I'm afraid I don't agree that the shackle is a better idea except perhaps -- and I'm not sure I buy that either -- that it prevents the strap from wearing out.

I shall continue to loop the strap.

 

my better strap has a nylon jacket over the loops, and a 1 foot nylon slider that you can position over any point rubbing during the pull
a stick or leaver is needed for strap to strap connection but when I have to thread a loop through a closed tow point I just use it bare
I have have never had a problem working the loop free since the tow point does not collapse and pinch the loop like another loop would

 

I agree that flying metal is a BAD thing, however if you use a proper sized shackle it would only go flying if your attachment point fails. In this case, even without the shackle, the tow hook becomes a projectile. The only time you really have to worry about the shackle becoming the projectile is when using a shackle to connect straps or cables together.

My point is that the strap is designed to have the load placed along it's length however when you loop the strap over itself, you're applying the load to the side of the strap where it doesn't belong.

To whomever said they loop the strap over a tow ball, do yourself a favor and DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN. In this case, the tow ball is the weak point in the recovery and is very likely to fail because it is not designed to be used in this manner. The loads involved in a vehicle recovery are much different than when towing a trailer. If you've got the ball on a receiver, remove the ball and put a shackle (of the largest size that will fit) thru the hole. If you've got the ball on the bumper then get yourself a receiver hitch because the bumper is only rated to 2000lbs and unless you're recovering an ATV or a Samurai you're exceeding the rating of the bumper.

Everybody is going to do what they feel comfortable with. I myself would rather replace a $17 shackle than a $65 strap but that's just me. Try to be safe out there and no matter what else is going on, always think twice and act once.

 

If the shackle fails, it will fail at the point of contact with the tow hook and NOT with the strap. This will hurl it along the line of the strap.

Keep in mind when you put a shackle on a tow hook they touch at one tiny point where their circular cross sections meet -- a tiny tangent point. This concentrates the force and induces fractures. The distribution of force into the wide web of a strap is one of the reasons lifting slings have migrated away from chains and toward straps. Even for the same breaking strength, a metal to metal tangent point has tremendous stresses on it which can cause fracture, or exacerbate existing, but unsuspected weaknesses.

As far as the strap on the tow hook goes, most of the force is in the "cinch" around the hook -- NOT on the loop to the side of the strap. If it were not so, you wouldn't be able to keep a stick in there -- it would just get crushed. Although there is enough force to tighten the strap considerably, it's not enough to damage it. The vast majority of the force is around the hook itself and very little side force is on the loop where it comes back around the strap.

Of course, I'm using a lifting sling as a tow strap and the loops are MUCH heavier than a typical tow strap. I don't anticipate any problem with premature failure. Still, I think much is made of this looping around the tow hook as a problem when it really is not, and may actually be advantageous. Certainly, it is less dangerous.

Usually, though, you end up with a shackle at one end or another or, as in the case when I was pulled up the hill recently, joining the strap to the winch end. But I still don't like tangent-to-tangent contact in solid metal pieces.

 

I agree with you except that you're assuming that the shackle will fail. A properly sized and maintained shackle will always be stronger than the point used to attach it to the vehicle. In every instance I've seen of an equipment failure during a recovery, it's been the strap that fails first. The most damage I've seen done to a shackle is that it deformed and needed to be cut from the vehicle after the strap failed.

I agree with this as well which is why shackles need to be inspected after each use. As far as lifting slings, I know for a fact that any lifting operation utilizing a strap looped over itself will draw hefty fines if OSHA is present. The proper way of connecting slings or cables for lifting is to use a shackle.

Again, the strap is designed to have 100% of the load along it's length and any portion of the load placed perpendicular to the length of the strap is more than it was designed for and is thus improper use of the strap. In a situation where there's TONS of force applied to the strap, the potential danger is (to me) not worth the benefit of saving my tow hook.

To me, it's all about using things the way they were designed. The tow loops on the Ranger are designed to have a shackle or hook applied to them. They have to be because there is no way to properly use a webbing device on them. The strap is designed to have the load along it's length. If you try to pull the fibers of the strap apart perpendicular to it's length, you will notice that you can actually separate the fibers. Doing the same along the length of the strap will not yield these results. Shackles have a breaking strength over 1.5x the working load limit printed on the shackle. In the case of the Ranger tow loops, they are large enough to have a greater than 1" diameter shackle placed thru them which would give over 6TONS WLL. Knowing all of this information, I feel safe in recommending to people that using a properly sized and maintained shackle is much safer than looping the strap over itself. Can it be done?? Yes. Can it be done safely?? Yes. Does it reduce the capacity of the strap?? Yes. Is there a better way?? Yes.

I think we need to agree to disagree on this one. Safe use of the strap is proper use of the strap and safety should never be sacrificed.

In fact, I actually looped the strap over itself on your tow hook but only because you requested it. In that case, the capacity of my winch was less than the capacity of the strap and the shackles leaving only your tow hook to break before the winch stopped pulling. I felt comfortable using the strap in this way only because when winching there is a constant tension on the strap which applies much less force to the strap than a truck-to-truck recovery. I also had the comfort of knowing that the winch cable would dig itself into the mound of dirt and would lose much of it's energy to the dirt should a failure occur.