Which winch hook/shackle do you guys recommend.

[Pinion]

Really depends on how much you will realistically use the winch?
Or is a "look" you are going for?
Basci Warn hook that came with winch served me fine over the years when I did a lot of hard-core rock crawling. Lots of winching.

With my new Jeep, I knew I wouldn't use winch much, I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I ordered a factory 2024 Jeep fairlead for clean look.
Remote mounted winch control pack inside engine bay for lower profile. Warn Zeon 12S.

Do you have pics of where you mounted your control box?

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[Radioman]

The important thing is to take the proper safety precautions regardless of the line you're using, and keep in mind these things are dangerous no matter what.

Very true... Well said

 

[Tank2112]

Do you have pics of where you mounted your control box?

 

[Pinion]

Awesome. Thank you. I've been struggling on where to put mine. I was considering putting it under the master cylinder with extended lines. I have the 2.0, so it should be fine considering you have the V8.

 

[Tank2112]

Awesome. Thank you. I've been struggling on where to put mine. I was considering putting it under the master cylinder with extended lines. I have the 2.0, so it should be fine considering you have the V8.

You can pull the Warn rubber control cable cover from the metal housing and use to protect plug, where ever you end up mounting it. For me, as you can see, control plug is just in front of where control pack was mounted. I later used factory rubber plug cover to protect in newly mounted location.

 

[AC77]

Awesome. Thank you. I've been struggling on where to put mine. I was considering putting it under the master cylinder with extended lines. I have the 2.0, so it should be fine considering you have the V8.

I placed mine on top of the fuse box with heavy duty Velcro

 

[Pinion]

I placed mine on top of the fuse box with heavy duty Velcro

I don't think it will fit there for me.

 

[JimWPB]

I've gotten away from all hooks, thimbles, & metal shackles. I've also gotten away from metal cables. For me, everything is synthetic now. ...and there is a VERY good reason for this.

In the past, I have had cables snap. The result is a whipping action & if there is any weight in the part that is flying around, then the damage to the thing it hits will be substantial. My old truck has some dents to prove it. My uncle got a cigar ripped out of his mouth by a near miss that could have put him in the hospital if he was 6" further forward.

I now use soft shackles & Dyneema ropes. They have almost no stretch. They have almost no weight. They don't give you splinters, And they are very strong. On top of that, these days, the price is right too.

 

[Tank2112]

I've gotten away from all hooks, thimbles, & metal shackles. I've also gotten away from metal cables. For me, everything is synthetic now. ...and there is a VERY good reason for this.

In the past, I have had cables snap. The result is a whipping action & if there is any weight in the part that is flying around, then the damage to the thing it hits will be substantial. My old truck has some dents to prove it. My uncle got a cigar ripped out of his mouth by a near miss that could have put him in the hospital if he was 6" further forward.

I now use soft shackles & Dyneema ropes. They have almost no stretch. They have almost no weight. They don't give you splinters, And they are very strong. On top of that, these days, the price is right too.

So you are trusting a soft shackle, relying on a rope to not slip over a knot.... on a winching situation up a longer very steep obstacle that if connection fails you could fall to your death?
I have been in a couple of winch situations in Moab where if winch line were to break, my Jeep would tumble off a cliff that would be certain death.
I finally trust ski ropes for winch line, for ease of handling, however I want a hook or clevis to insure connection point.

 

[JimWPB]

So you are trusting a soft shackle, relying on a rope to not slip over a knot.... on a winching situation up a longer very steep obstacle that if connection fails you could fall to your death?
I have been in a couple of winch situations in Moab where if winch line were to break, my Jeep would tumble off a cliff that would be certain death.
I finally trust ski ropes for winch line, for ease of handling, however I want a hook or clevis to insure connection point.

Yes, I now trust Dyneema, after having put it through a series of tests. A piece of 1/8" has been on the loading winch of my boat trailer for 3 years now. I have that running over a sharp edge in a hole that was drilled in steel with no chase nipple. It typically gets used a few times per week, year round. I also have a 32' boat hanging off a mooring by a piece of 1/4" Dyneema that runs over 3 chafe points. It is backed by 2 slack pieces of non-chafed Dyneema for the day when the 1/4" eventually breaks. After a year of south Florida storms, I am seeing perhaps 5-10% wear in the 1/4". I did not expect it to last this long. I intentionally misrigged it on the chafe points to test the material. Before I installed the 1/4" test piece, the 1/2" Dyneema weathered a hurricane that broke the primary 3/4" Nylon mooring line. I expect to replace these lines due to sun damage long before they actually wear or break.

As for soft shackles, I only trust them for human support after I have personally load tested them. This also goes for lines that I have spliced. I have been amazed at how well that stuff works. I also use it for climbing masts, which is also a life threatening situation. A 50' fall to a fiberglass or wooden deck is generally not survivable.

I don't use soft shackles in situations where constant tension is not present. In those situations, I use shackles that are wire tied with multiple wraps or BNP type shackles.

If I'm in a situation where I think that a winch line snapping is a plausible possibility & that would cause grave injury or loss, I will rig safety lines or chains to catch the falling load if need be.

I've been playing with cranes & machinery rigging for a few decades. I'm familiar with lots of different options. In my shop I have certified overhead lifting slings made from wire, chain, nylon, and polyester. They all have their proper uses. Dyneema rope & soft shackles are what I carry in my Jeep. I have plenty of options available to me, but I believe these to be the proper tool for this job. My tree saver strap is nylon.

The first winch I ever used was on a 3/4 ton military vehicle. It had 1/2" steel cable & the winch was driven by a PTO shaft from the transfer case. I've been in a situation where that was not enough to self recover & other equipment needed to be brought in. One interesting note, I was surprised that when I floored the gas & let the clutch out, the load was enough to stall the engine rather than snap the 1/2" cable. That had a really big hook on it. It was easily able to fit around 3 wraps of 3/8" binder chain that was wrapped around a big tree.

...but, having said all of that, other people may use their winches in ways that I do not use mine, so what is best for me, may not necessarily be best for everyone.

 

[mgroeger]

Greetings guys,

I've received my Warn Evo 10S winch and waiting for my bulldog winch plate. I know I don't want to run the regular tow hook that comes with the winch and am wondering which type of hook/shackle to go with ...

Thanks for any input.

Go for anything flat and you can't go wrong with Factor 55. Ditch that binky you show in the pic. They look like your bumper is trying to get it up and get in the way when you are trying to get up tight rock faces.

 

[MacombRoger]

I have been partial to the Warn Sidewinder. Most vehicles seem to have mounts for a D-ring, and they just connects where those do.

https://rebeloffroad.com/warn-epic-sidewinder-gunmetal-100635/

 

[Tank2112]

Yes, I now trust Dyneema, after having put it through a series of tests. A piece of 1/8" has been on the loading winch of my boat trailer for 3 years now. I have that running over a sharp edge in a hole that was drilled in steel with no chase nipple. It typically gets used a few times per week, year round. I also have a 32' boat hanging off a mooring by a piece of 1/4" Dyneema that runs over 3 chafe points. It is backed by 2 slack pieces of non-chafed Dyneema for the day when the 1/4" eventually breaks. After a year of south Florida storms, I am seeing perhaps 5-10% wear in the 1/4". I did not expect it to last this long. I intentionally misrigged it on the chafe points to test the material. Before I installed the 1/4" test piece, the 1/2" Dyneema weathered a hurricane that broke the primary 3/4" Nylon mooring line. I expect to replace these lines due to sun damage long before they actually wear or break.

As for soft shackles, I only trust them for human support after I have personally load tested them. This also goes for lines that I have spliced. I have been amazed at how well that stuff works. I also use it for climbing masts, which is also a life threatening situation. A 50' fall to a fiberglass or wooden deck is generally not survivable.

I don't use soft shackles in situations where constant tension is not present. In those situations, I use shackles that are wire tied with multiple wraps or BNP type shackles.

If I'm in a situation where I think that a winch line snapping is a plausible possibility & that would cause grave injury or loss, I will rig safety lines or chains to catch the falling load if need be.

I've been playing with cranes & machinery rigging for a few decades. I'm familiar with lots of different options. In my shop I have certified overhead lifting slings made from wire, chain, nylon, and polyester. They all have their proper uses. Dyneema rope & soft shackles are what I carry in my Jeep. I have plenty of options available to me, but I believe these to be the proper tool for this job. My tree saver strap is nylon.

The first winch I ever used was on a 3/4 ton military vehicle. It had 1/2" steel cable & the winch was driven by a PTO shaft from the transfer case. I've been in a situation where that was not enough to self recover & other equipment needed to be brought in. One interesting note, I was surprised that when I floored the gas & let the clutch out, the load was enough to stall the engine rather than snap the 1/2" cable. That had a really big hook on it. It was easily able to fit around 3 wraps of 3/8" binder chain that was wrapped around a big tree.

...but, having said all of that, other people may use their winches in ways that I do not use mine, so what is best for me, may not necessarily be best for everyone.

My first experience with winching was when I was a kid in the Everglades, in the 70’ & 80’s. Our swamp buggy had a pto winch with heavy surplus military steel winch line and steel hook.
That was a winch. We would pull out other stuck buggies when their electric winches were not strong enough.
When you’d lift the clutch, something was going to move or break.

 

[JimWPB]

My first experience with winching was when I was a kid in the Everglades, in the 70’ & 80’s. Our swamp buggy had a pto winch with heavy surplus military steel winch line and steel hook.
That was a winch. We would pull out other stuck buggies when their electric winches were not strong enough.
When you’d lift the clutch, something was going to move or break.

Sounds like we did the same things in different places.

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