Hitch Reciever Recovery Point

[Outbound]

I'm in need of a recovery point for my truck and for my situation, on of the hitches with a shackle on it look to be ideal. Main use would be to pull other vehicles out of snow banks and use as a hook up point if I ever get stuck. No seriously hard offroad recoveries.

Right now, I'm debating between these two and leaning towards the Smittybilt. Any thoughts?

 

[Dilldog]

Honestly all that I ever do is shove the loop of a strap into the hole in my receivers and then run the pin that retains the ball through the holes in the receiver and the loop of the strap.

 

[Trail_pilot]

Rugged Ridge has these. compact and light weight. just drop in in the receiver and put the pin in, and its a little easier on it than if it was directly on the pin.

 

[Outbound]

Those would honestly be awesome. They're $80 + shipping a piece here in Canada though. I could snag 2 of the Smittybilt hitch versions for that and either have a spare or have one to use on someone's truck that doesn't have tow points.

The cheapest option would really be what Dilldog mentioned, and just keep a spare pin or two in the truck. My concern would be if I don't get a straight line pull, would the strap be at risk of fraying?

 

[Trail_pilot]

Those would honestly be awesome. They're $80 + shipping a piece here in Canada though. I could snag 2 of the Smittybilt hitch versions for that and either have a spare or have one to use on someone's truck that doesn't have tow points.

The cheapest option would really be what Dilldog mentioned, and just keep a spare pin or two in the truck. My concern would be if I don't get a straight line pull, would the strap be at risk of fraying?

$51.95 on the JustJeeps website and would probly cost $15 to ship. would take 2-3 weeks to bring in because Rugged Ridge did a week long shut down over xmas to recount inventory and are slow getting shipments out at the moment. ( this is where I come clean and tell you I work for Just Jeeps as the shipping manager. I don't want to make a sales pitch but $80 + tax seems a little steep for that part. feel free to tell me to screw off if it seems like a pitch lol)

 

[Seanm26]

Those would honestly be awesome. They're $80 + shipping a piece here in Canada though. I could snag 2 of the Smittybilt hitch versions for that and either have a spare or have one to use on someone's truck that doesn't have tow points.

The cheapest option would really be what Dilldog mentioned, and just keep a spare pin or two in the truck. My concern would be if I don't get a straight line pull, would the strap be at risk of fraying?

The fraying can be averted with 5 minutes of time with a file. You are't towing with it.

 

[Outbound]

$51.95 on the JustJeeps website and would probly cost $15 to ship. would take 2-3 weeks to bring in because Rugged Ridge did a week long shut down over xmas to recount inventory and are slow getting shipments out at the moment. ( this is where I come clean and tell you I work for Just Jeeps as the shipping manager. I don't want to make a sales pitch but $80 + tax seems a little steep for that part. feel free to tell me to screw off if it seems like a pitch lol)

Oh nice, I've never heard of Just Jeeps. The one I found was on Truck Accessories. Dunno why Just Jeeps didn't come up in my search.

The fraying can be averted with 5 minutes of time with a file. You are't towing with it.

Good point.

 

[Dilldog]

Those would honestly be awesome. They're $80 + shipping a piece here in Canada though. I could snag 2 of the Smittybilt hitch versions for that and either have a spare or have one to use on someone's truck that doesn't have tow points.

The cheapest option would really be what Dilldog mentioned, and just keep a spare pin or two in the truck. My concern would be if I don't get a straight line pull, would the strap be at risk of fraying?

The straps I have always used have loops sheathed in a heavy canvas so it's not as big of a deal. But yes you do need to careful of chafing. To mitigate this I usually take a file to the inside of the receiver to make sure there's no sharp edges.

 

[MidOH]

Strap in the hitch, on the pin, equals bent pin.

I just loop the strap onto my pintle hitch, and close the hitch.

But my new truck has an adapter. The solid shank pintle is 2". But my trucks hitch is 2.5". So I have an adapter sleeve. So once again, any force more than what it takes to tow a wee little jet ski, bends the pin and makes it impossible to remove. For towing heavy, I'll have to eventually get a real 2.5" pintle mount. Never pull hard with an adapter sleeve, the excess play, once again bends the pin. Keep in mind, you have to pull perfectly straight with your hitch, or you bend stuff. There's a ton of sideways leverage when my pintles shank is 14" long.

I've used these gently, with success:

Best way to do recovery is with a winch, not your transmission. Especially not reverse gear.

 

[Downs]

I typically just put the pin though the loop. I've done some pretty rough recoveries and haven't bent one yet but I don't go yanking on people's vehicles like they owe me money either. If you want to get the shackle hitch thing just go down to your local Tractor Supply or whatnot. They typically have these things on the shelf along with many other options and you can get your hands on them and decide from there.

 

[Dilldog]

Like stated above, I have used this method during many recoveries. Im not saying its not possible, but I have really tugged on a strap mounted this way recovering some seriously bogged down full sized rigs (old school Suburbans and K30 Crew Cabs) with my 93 Cummins powered Dodge and havent bent a pin, but the bumper pull hitch on that rig is rated for 16K. Just keep your stuff in good condition and try your best to make sure things are rated for what you are doing and you wont have a problem.

 

[Outbound]

Great info, thanks everyone! My recoveries are mainly going to be pulling people out of snowbanks, just a gentle tug to get them back onto the road. I don't play in deep heavy mud, or boulder fields. I'll give the cheapest, easiest method a try first and if I have to upgrade I'll start off with ordering the Rugged Ridge eyelet from Just Jeeps and work my way up.

I do intend to get a winch for more serious off road recovery, but that will require either a front receiver hitch or a replacement bumper. I have yet to find a replacement bumper for a 05 Tundra that I like the look of. Either way, not in the budget for now.

 

[MidOH]

You'll want a whole bumper. I'm considering a Warn Assent with a Smittybuilt 12k.

 

[slomatt]

Right now, I'm debating between these two and leaning towards the Smittybilt. Any thoughts?

Personally I'd go with the steel option. I have a WARN receiver adapter in my 4Runner that has been used for many recoveries with no issues. More recently I purchased a "RHINO USA" receiver on Amazon for my Tacoma, and while I've only used it a few times it seems to be good quality.

 

[JCWages]

The fraying can be averted with 5 minutes of time with a file. You are't towing with it.

I have towed with my hitch receiver a few times whether it be a completely broken rig or just one that needs some help to get to the top. A hitch receiver makes this easier and safer. It can also be used as a winch point for another rig. Last weekend we used my receiver a handful of times as a winch point.

If you don't have recovery points welded into your rear bumper then having a receiver hitch is extremely helpful should you end up in a situation that requires a double winch approach to keep the rear end stable while pulling the front end forward. I did that this weekend as well. I not sure how we would have kept the other rig from sliding the rear end off the slope without a recovery point back there.

 

[Cal-Dogg]

I’ve read good things about the Skid Pro. I recently purchased but have not yet used.

 

[Loanrangie]

I’ve read good things about the Skid Pro. I recently purchased but have not yet used. View attachment 138687

What is the SWL on that hitch and shackle ?, shackle looks undersized for recovering off.

 

[Cal-Dogg]

What is the SWL on that hitch and shackle ?, shackle looks undersized for recovering off.

The Skid Pro has a 3/4” clevis mount which you would use your own D-ring. I’m not sure of its rating. It’s main purpose is to protect your rear end but can also be used with your recovery.