Trailer hitch?

They are not semantics, I'm not arguing and I'm not attempting anything, only pointing out the proper names for a receiver hitch and ball mount.....

No worries..... ;^)

jabroni619 said:

NO! A tow ball is not designed for the type of sheering forces that would be applied to it when pulling someone out. Use the hooks with some shackles. Soft shackles are safer. As stated, YouTube will be you’re friend and potential life saver. Ronny Dahl channel has some very good recovery videos and covers the proper equipment and methods.

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Sheer forces? You mean shear force. And it is doubtful that the shear force placed on a ball shank is going to be more with a strap thrown over it than the shock load of slamming on the brakes with a 10k lb trailer. The pin in the hitch would break sooner.
I'm not saying it's the best way to do things, but we've done it forever. Been doing it even before youtube was a thing. Just use common sense. Some people even put a d-ring in the hitch shank hole instead of the ball, it all works.
Get a good quality tow strap, not the kind you find at autzone w/ metal hooks and chains are out of the question, and get a good a D-ring.
Remember your front tow hooks are for pulling YOU out of whatever stuck you are in. Don't try pulling someone else out using the front hooks and putting your truck in reverse. I have seen many people destroy their front ring and pinion pulling someone out in reverse. Front axle gear sets are generally smaller than the rear and would be working on the opposite sides of the teeth they are meant to do they're normal work. That and every other part of the front drive assembly is generally not as robust as the rear.

Go have fun and post a pic of you pulling someone out.

GCATX said:

Sheer forces? You mean shear force. And it is doubtful that the shear force placed on a ball shank is going to be more with a strap thrown over it than the shock load of slamming on the brakes with a 10k lb trailer. The pin in the hitch would break sooner.
I'm not saying it's the best way to do things, but we've done it forever. Been doing it even before youtube was a thing. Just use common sense. Some people even put a d-ring in the hitch shank hole instead of the ball, it all works.
Get a good quality tow strap, not the kind you find at autzone w/ metal hooks and chains are out of the question, and get a good a D-ring.
Remember your front tow hooks are for pulling YOU out of whatever stuck you are in. Don't try pulling someone else out using the front hooks and putting your truck in reverse. I have seen many people destroy their front ring and pinion pulling someone out in reverse. Front axle gear sets are generally smaller than the rear and would be working on the opposite sides of the teeth they are meant to do they're normal work. That and every other part of the front drive assembly is generally not as robust as the rear.

Go have fun and post a pic of you pulling someone out.

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i said shearing forces I got it right. And no, the pin wouldn’t break first. Watch some YouTube videos. The ball snaps right off.

This method is also good, tougher sometimes if the tube gets caked up with mud. You get the idea.

jabroni619 said:

i said shearing forces I got it right. And no, the pin wouldn’t break first. Watch some YouTube videos. The ball snaps right off.

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You said "sheer", not "shear". No biggie.
I have always been in construction and use heavy duty stuff, as in 1" ball shank stuff. No way that's going to shear off, unless it's compromised. Not gonna happen.
Someone on youtube broke a ball dragging someone out of a hole?

GCATX said:

You said "sheer", not "shear". No biggie.
I have always been in construction and use heavy duty stuff, as in 1" ball shank stuff. No way that's going to shear off, unless it's compromised. Not gonna happen.
Someone on youtube broke a ball dragging someone out of a hole?

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More of a yank than a drag. You can't always pull people out nice and slow. Why are we debating this when there's two anchor points on the back of the truck actually designed for recovery?

I love my beavertail. Like the other guy, it hits first. I haven't had the situation yet, I need to take it off to clear something. But might.

Also protects the bumper when backing

And can loop a recovery strap through the center and loop the eye over one of the ears of the tail for a quick pull, no shackle or pin required.

Yes, that was a lot of body parts.

Also acts as a step.

Very heavy and strong.



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GCATX said:

This method is also good, tougher sometimes if the tube gets caked up with mud. You get the idea.

View attachment 136846

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This is the method I was describing above. Works fine too.

jabroni619 said:

More of a yank than a drag. You can't always pull people out nice and slow. Why are we debating this when there's two anchor points on the back of the truck actually designed for recovery?

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Those tow hooks are only rated to about 7050lbs. Here's a cutout from the owners manual "Your vehicle comes equipped with frame-mounted front recovery hooks. These hooks should never have a load applied to them greater than the gross vehicle weight rating of your vehicle."

Be very careful if you're using a snatch strap as it's easy to exceed the recovery hook capability and break them. The recovery hooks are just fine for most "towing out" recoveries but if someone is "snatching you out" make sure to at least use both hooks together or use the rear receiver hitch type. The receiver hitch is much more capable.

pbtjrlmrt said:

Those tow hooks are only rated to about 7050lbs. Here's a cutout from the owners manual "Your vehicle comes equipped with frame-mounted front recovery hooks. These hooks should never have a load applied to them greater than the gross vehicle weight rating of your vehicle."

Be very careful if you're using a snatch strap as it's easy to exceed the recovery hook capability and break them. The recovery hooks are just fine for most "towing out" recoveries but if someone is "snatching you out" make sure to at least use both hooks together or use the rear receiver hitch type. The receiver hitch is much more capable.

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This is excellent info and should be shared far and wide.

There is so much mis and missing information about ratings, recovery points, snatch vs. tow straps, shackles, pulleys and so on. And the stakes are high.