Yankum Ropes
5/16" Soft Shackle
Choose options
A steel bow shackle is heavy, it is three pieces, and the pin ends up in the mud about as often as it ends up in your hand. It also becomes a projectile if something lets go under load.
This is the 5/16" soft shackle — one piece of HMPE fiber, 37,000 lbs breaking strength, sized for lighter vehicles. Side-by-sides, UTVs, crossovers, two-door Jeeps and small SUVs. If you run a 5/8" Viper or a 3/4" Rubber Boa, this is your shackle.
Is this your size
| Diameter | 5/16" |
|---|---|
| Minimum breaking strength | 37,000 lbs |
| Recovery vehicle weight | 1,400 – 4,999 lbs |
| Pairs with | 5/8" Viper and 3/4" Rubber Boa kinetic ropes |
| Typical rigs | SXS, UTV, crossovers, 2-door Jeeps, small and mid-size SUVs |
| Material | HMPE fiber, tubular polyester chafe sleeve |
| Warranty | 1 year limited, through Yankum |
Size to the vehicle doing the recovery, not the one that is stuck. Running something heavier? See all six sizes here.
One thing to check on lighter vehicles
The shackle is rarely the weak link — the recovery point usually is. Factory tie-down loops and bumper brackets on crossovers and side-by-sides are frequently not rated for recovery loads, and a 37,000 lb shackle attached to a bracket that tears out at 3,000 lbs has not helped anyone. Confirm you have a rated recovery point before you rely on any of this.
Buy two
One at each end of the rope. And the first time you need to rig around a tree or join two ropes you will wish you had a third. They weigh almost nothing and they live in the bag indefinitely.
Why soft over steel
Lighter, faster to rig one-handed, will not chip paint or powder coat, floats if you drop it in water, and drops rather than flies if something fails. That last point is the one that matters when there are people standing around.
Steel still has a place — Green Pin bow shackles are cheaper and shrug off abrasion that would chew fiber. Most people end up carrying both.
FAQ
How do I use one?
Pass the loop through the recovery point and over the knot. To release, push the knot back through the loop — it comes apart by hand even after a hard pull, which is not true of a seized steel pin.
My recovery point is rough or sharp.
Get the Heavy Duty version in 5/16". Same core, urethane dipped sleeve instead of polyester. You are buying abrasion resistance, not strength.
I need to reach further.
The Double Loop is roughly twice the length, and can be doubled back for roughly twice the working load when winching or joining ropes.
When do I retire it?
Inspect before use. Cut or fuzzed fiber, a sleeve worn through, or glazing that suggests heat — any of those and it is done. A shackle is cheap relative to what it is holding.
Not sure? Ask us — tell us your vehicle and your rope and we will tell you the shackle.
Also worth a look
Presented by Overland Kitted
The Dispatch
Gear We Like: DVA Mechanics for the Grenadier
MAXTRAX Introduces Universal Mounting Pins for MKII, XTREME, and LITE Boards
