Replace conventional winch hooks with the new safer, stronger, and smarter Factor 55 ProLink shackle mount. Factor 55 introduces the new ProLink shackle mount for winch cables and synthetic ropes. Engineered and machined in the USA from lightweight billet 6061 aluminium, the ProLink provides a safe means to easily attach a standard 3/4″ screw pin shackle to existing winch cable and rope eyes The cable or rope eye is captured into the body of the ProLink by a removable oversized 5/8″ double shear pin. The front of the ProLink provides the precision shackle mounting hole and massive 1.2″ thick mounting tab. The ProLink is compatible with both Hawse and Roller fairleads and snugs neatly against both versions.
The advantages of winching with a screw pin shackle over a conventional winch hook have many advantages,
- D-ring shackles are up to 5X stronger than conventional winch hooks
- Conventional hooks are too small to safely fit both ends of a recovery strap
- Recovery straps cannot slip out of a shackle like they can with hooks
- Hook safety latches are not rated for loads and can tear recovery straps
- Conventional hook surfaces add higher stresses to recovery strap fibres, resulting in decreased strap ratings
- Shackles can be quickly removed and stowed away until needed for winching.
- Hooks do not cinch neatly against fairleads and are prone to rattling and loosening
- Conventional winch hooks are designed for chains not commonly used recovery straps
- Engineered, Tested, and Made in USA
- Stress analysed using COSMOS FEA and destructively tested for confirmation
- Billet construction precision machined from 6061-T6 Kaiser Aluminium round bar
- 16,000-pound max load rating
- Fits all steel cables and synthetic ropes up to 3/8" in diameter
- Fits eyes equipped with standard or tube thimbles to 3/8-inch diameters
- 1.2-inch shackle tab thickness virtually eliminates "shackle rattle"
- Massive 5/8-inch diameter carbon steel double shear pin
- Optional EPDM "Rubber Guard" protects alloy Hawse fairleads rubber barb attachment
- Can be installed and removed in minutes simple snap ring removal
- Cinches neatly against all types of fairleads Hawse or Roller
- Red and Black colours are powder coated to resist fading while all other colours are beautifully anodized, and zinc plated in the USA
In every ProLink box a sheet is included on how to install the ProLink as well as some notes on anodized aluminium surfaces. Specifically, that anodized surfaces can and will fade and scratch (like bicycle parts) - which is normal wear and tear. This is just the nature of coloured anodized aluminium parts. The parts are still protected from corrosion even when the colour fades - they just do not look as new.
It turns out that the colours silver, black and grey are more resistant to sun fading than the red, blue, and orange, especially in the sun belt states.
It seems that notifying the customer as they choose the ProLink colour may be prudent to avoid any disappointments down the road. In other words, customers who plan to park their rig in the sun all day every day should probably choose silver, black or grey and not one of the colourful choices.