New Winch Shackle the Strongest in its Class
Melbourne, Australia: A new 4×4 winch shackle, made from 7075 aviation-grade aluminium, is the strongest in its class, and will make winch recoveries safer, according to Ben Bartlett and Steve Handbury of Melbourne-based Saber Offroad.
The owners of the leading four-wheel-drive recovery company, Saber Offroad, are significantly changing the 4×4 recovery game in Australia with the release of the new design-registered and patent-pending Saber Alloy Winch Shackle Pro (AWS Pro).
“A winch recovery is one of the more dangerous recovery situations you will encounter. At Saber Offroad, we are always looking to innovate by making recovery gear that’s safer, smarter and stronger – and the newly released AWS Pro is a testament to that,” said Saber Offroad Director of Product Development, Steve Handbury.
“The Saber Offroad AWS Pro replaces the need for a standard winch hook and being that it’s made from aircraft-grade alloy and for soft shackle use only, means the overall winch system is lighter, fully contained and therefore safer.”
“Typically, a winch hook can weigh up to 1.62kg, but the new AWS Pro weighs in at only 900g, giving a 45 per cent reduction in weight.”
Steve said the company was working through the patent process for AWS Pro as it represented a unique way of connecting the winch shackle to a soft shackle that focused on a much larger bend radius.
“The patented channel through the AWS Pro offers optimal support for soft shackles, another safer 4×4 recovery option than the metal bow shackle, and it also eliminates the risk of damage to the soft shackle, compared to other products with a smaller bend radius,” said Steve.
“Any sharp bend in a rope under load decreases its strength substantially and may cause premature damage and failure. Where a rope bends more than 10 degrees across any surface, the diameter of the contact surface should not be less than 3 times the rope diameter. A ratio of 4 to 1 (or larger) would be better because the rope durability increases as the diameter of the surface over which it is worked increases.
“The AWS Pro has a diameter of 60mm, making it almost double the radius required on our larger soft shackles. Its design makes it exclusively for use with soft shackles.
“The AWS Pro is the only design of its kind on the market, and conveniently holds the winch rope tightly against the fairlead to protect it, while also allowing for quick and easy use when needed.”
Meanwhile, Saber Offroad Founder and Director Ben Bartlett said the world-class design made the AWS Pro the strongest aluminium winch shackle on market.
“The AWS Pro is rated to 18,000kg and far lighter than many lower-rated standard winch hooks on the market,” said Ben.
“And each batch of our aluminium products are individually tested at a NATA facility in Australia. We believe this is the ultimate winch hook replacement.”
The AWS Pro is cleaned, coated, finished and packaged right here in Australia using a number of local Victorian suppliers passionate about their craft. While the CNC work is done offshore, Saber is driven to involve Australian manufacturing as much as possible while still allowing the AWS Pro to remain at an obtainable price point.
Product information: Saber Alloy Winch Shackle Pro (AWS Pro)
- Manufactured from aircraft grade 7075 aluminium, which outperforms all other aluminium in this application
- 40mm thick aluminium, weighing 900g
- The winch rope eye is held in place by a 16mm 304 stainless steel pin and internal circlip
- Three Rubber Fairlead Engagement Pads (RFEP) softly engage with, and protect the surface of, an aluminium fairlead
- Black powder coated finish (from Prismatic Powders USA) gives strong UV stability, and a durable hard-wearing surface
- Saber Offroad specific product, designed in-house in Melbourne, Victoria.
- Designed and finished in Australia
- Batch tested in Australia at a NATA testing facility
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