D Shackle rules

[Graz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Graz]

Link is for a facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/campertrail...type=1&fref=nf

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

I've seen some destructive testing on these shackles. Most see the pin bend and finally pop out of the shackle. I didn't see any break the actual "D". I think they're rated at something like 60% of their actual breaking force. So it would take a lot of force to break one snatching a car providing you use a decent sized (rated) one. Chuck two on with a bridle and you'd be doing something dangerously wrong if you broke that set-up.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

The safety factor in a rated shackle is more like 6-700% I have the figures somewhere, I might try and dig them out.. In a 4wd situation with a recovery, a shackle is probably the strongest link in the chain, far stronger than any recovery point you may attach it to.

Cheers Andrew

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Thanks AJ. I knew it was pretty extreme. Even if you're trying to snatch a 3 tonne vehicle, you're not actually pulling 3 tonnes of solid unmoveable mass in an instant because of the graduated elastic pulling force applied and the fact that you're trying to move something on wheels. ARB somewhere once showed how much force is required to bend and pull the locating pin out of a reece hitch. It was a staggering amount well beyond the combined masses of both vehicles.

[Bailey84 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bailey84]

http://mypolice.qld.gov.au/bundaberg...wing-shackles/

[juc33_prado Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close juc33_prado]

why do they still sell them in Super Cheap auto if they are not legal?

SAM

[gspy4u Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gspy4u]

Just some info if you haven't found it yet.
http://www.google.com.au/url?q=http:...B7CJs5KOySWjPw

As per the RTA site: page 8 states

The break load limit of the shackle is rated at least 1.5 times greater than the ATM of the Trailer.

Generally, the Break Load Limit BLL of a rated shackle will be six times greater than its Work Load Limit WLL.

So as most shackles are stamped with WLL on them then you can simple multiple that by 6 to give you the safe BLM that the legislation stipulates.

So if it has a WLL 1.0T on it then the safe BLL will be 6T. So as an example, our panda is 2371 ATM so it's safe rated shackle should be x 1.5 = 3.556T

It you get a 10mm D Shackle stamped with a WLL 1.0T then it's BLL will be 1 x 6 = 6T well an truly over the requirements.

People going nuts up here since this has come to light in the last week. But confusingly they and the shops have been looking at the WLL as having to be 1.5 x the ATM and not the BLL. So you'd have to get a 16-18mm shackle which barely fits in the most tow holes according to this.

Just goes to show how miss=information goes around so easily.

So just know the ATM of your trailer and as long as the WLL on the shackle is no less than 1/6 of the ATM x1.5 you are fine.

Hope this makes sense.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

why do they still sell them in Super Cheap auto if they are not legal?

SAM

Shackles don't always need to be rated, its only when you use them in certain circumstances they need to be rated.

I made a swing set for the kids when they were little and used shackles to attach the chains, 2 x 1.5T rated shackles for that would be a bit of overkill for 20-30kg of kid to swing on.

Cheers Andrew

[juc33_prado Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close juc33_prado]

Shackles don't always need to be rated, its only when you use them in certain circumstances they need to be rated.

I made a swing set for the kids when they were little and used shackles to attach the chains, 2 x 1.5T rated shackles for that would be a bit of overkill for 20-30kg of kid to swing on.

Cheers Andrew

ah huh i see! did you do the calculations as per gspy4u - i hope you didn't under-engineer the swing set lol

SAM

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

Its a hoax story.

[rags Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rags]

why do they still sell them in Super Cheap auto if they are not legal?

SAM

Because it is not illegal to sell a product unless it is a faulty item. With the exception of gas and electric items which must be an approved product a product must be fit for purpose for it to be a legal sale item, The D shacke may have an alternative use other than as used on a safety chain which then would require a load rating. What would be illegal is selling the D shackle that claims to be rated but in fact is not. Currently there is a large problem with some trailers hitches that can be fitted to usually imported camper trailers that look and claim to be an "ABC" brand hitch but are infact are an untested copy.
Like many things in life it is buyer beware and if concerned to contact the state Fair Trading regulator.