How to Choose a Soft Shackle & Winch Ring Combo
How to Choose a Soft Shackle & Ring Combo
When setting up a winch recovery, the soft shackle and ring work as a pair. Choosing the right combo comes down to matching capacity and fit.
Wing Ring: should exceed your winch rating by at least 1.5×, with smooth and deep rope grooves, and enough material between the centre hole and the groove to keep it strong.
Soft shackle: choose a size with at least 4× your winch rating. Why 4 times? It comes from the 2:1 safety factor, and when you run a double-line pull the load is doubled. 2 × 2 = 4
Plus, our soft shackles are made in Australia — no extra cost for Aussie-made quality.
Combo thinking: it’s about saving money while matching capacity. One more thing to keep in mind — the maximum pulling force of a winch is only available on the first wrap of the drum. With each additional layer of rope, the pulling power drops by roughly 10%
How to Size a Soft Shackle for Your Winch
A good rule of thumb is to choose a soft shackle with a Minimum Break Strength (MBS) around 4× your winch rating.
Why 4×?
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Start with a 2:1 safety factor — you don’t want to be running any gear right on the edge of its breaking point.
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Add in a double-line pull, which doubles the load on the shackle.
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2 × 2 = 4, which is where the “4× rule” comes from.
Example:
A 12,000 lb winch (≈5.4 t) × 2 safety factor = 10.8 t.
Double-line pull → 21.6 t.
That’s why we recommend an 18–22 t soft shackle for this class of winch.
In practice:
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Your winch almost never works all the way down on the first wrap (where the maximum pulling force is rated).
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Our soft shackles are spliced with extra margin above their rated strength.
So the “4×” isn’t a strict minimum every time, but if you’re often running at the limit, then a 22 t soft shackle is the safe match for a 12,000 lb winch.
Online Combo: Winch Ring & Soft Shackle set
When it comes to choosing a winch ring or soft shackle, our recommendations are based on George4x4’s own product design and testing. We can’t speak for other brands, as their materials and tolerances may differ.
For example, our 18 t soft shackles consistently test above 20 t MBS, giving you built-in margin beyond the label. Likewise, our 11 t winch ring has been tested up to 22 t without deformation — thanks to the thicker material between the groove and the centre hole, and the strength of the alloy we use.
This is the kind of reserve capacity we design into our gear, and why our specs are based on real testing, not just theory.