Soft shackle

[arnoldbuchsassinger]

I discovered these little beauties the other day, i am getting the company to make me a soft shackle 14mm english braid dyneema, one metre in length. wll 6000Kgs. SWL 950Kgs. They are a lot simpler than what we all currently use, and the weight saving is impressive. The big issue is they are not CE certified yet, i am going to test one in the industry and see how i get on.

Just have a look at the website and let your mind go mental, i am not looking for someone to give me war and piece about ce marking & loler etc, i am fully aware of all the legislation, health and safety, and my own life. Just have a look at the concept

http://www.softshackle,com

[Dan Curtis]

Your link isn't quite right

 

SOFTSHACKLE.COM - Home

 

 

They look good, only downside I can see is abrasive edges, such as connections to vehicles etc, but for soft connections they look smart. I'd be interested to see how quickly they are attach/detachable compared to a normal shackle.

[treequip]

Any reason you went with the dyneema?

 

It isn't that good if you shock load it.

[arnoldbuchsassinger]

i can go braid on braid, dyneema you name it, time wise, they take a second to open the eye, close the eye, off ya go, they really look impressive,

[Rigger Mortis]

Been used in the yachting game for years. Buy a length of dyneema and make your own. Double figure 8 or stevedores knot in the end.

[Goaty]

I wouldn't be convinced of its integrity with my life on it. But for a repetitive use situation it could be a time saver.

[High Scale]

Why would they need to be CE certified if you are going to use the for rigging?

[arnoldbuchsassinger]

It does not actually have to have a CE, but it does need a certificate of compliance and testing, like any piece of kit, SWL, WLL and identification. what do we do with rigging gear every year, we have to have it inspected by loler. If the data sheet coming from English braid is saying 6000kg, then if we look at worst case scenario of a factor of 7, that still gives me a lump of wood 850Kg in weight. Now in this situation, i am purely prototyping in our industry. So i am not going to shock load, drop, bounce test a massive lump, i am looking at the practicals. Its weight saving and speed of use. I am going to get a 14mm 1m in length made up and see how we get on with it. Does it save time, does it reduce setup. If it does i will let the sceptics know. If it is not satisfactory i will let the sceptics know. As for double figure eights and knots, what the ? Use a dead eye sling, and a pulley and hitches. Enjoy the knot tying. I am off to make my life easier.

They are used in yachting, they have also been in use by the 4 x 4 world.

[Tom D]

Love it, should be easy to make by the looks of them

[launchster]

What sort of uses are you thinking?