Recovery shackle tabs made of tool steel?

[Domaso]

I'm planning to fabricate and add some recovery shackle tabs/brackets to the front of my Jeep WJ. I found a guy who sells just the right size flat bar I need, but it's tool steel (he said it's hardness T10 or something..). He said it's hard but drillable.

I wonder if this steel is suitable for recovery tabs, not too brittle? The shackles are going to be WLL 3.25T (18mm pin) and the tabs I'm going to make is shown in the picture. As you can see there is 13mm of "meat" around the pin.

Any thoughts if this tool steel would be good, or should I just buy the regular "mild"/"carbon" steel?

[Jimm]

T10 is going to require special machining processes meaning higher cost. Will be a lot harder to weld than mild steel. And will be more brittle than mild steel. If it were me I would use mild steel

[chris0375]

One steel has steel available in 40, 45, and 50mm squares. Shouldn't be too hard to find some. I wouldn't bother with tool steel. Too much extra work for no real benefit.

[Domaso]

You're right guys, tool steel probably isn't a very good choice.. (that was just an idea as I could've gotten a perfectly shaped blank probably for even cheaper than mild steel).

That tool steel would probably be ok in normal conditions, but now I'm thinking, we sometimes get down to -20°C or colder here in winter, so I wonder if the tab wouldn't crack off on a good tug... Plus it would be a pain to drill/machine/weld..

I guess I'll just go with the regular mild steel.

[LeighP]

Very cold weather like that, I wouldn't like the idea of shock loading tool steel.....

[warnabrother]

Uneek4x4 sell weld on 20mm g250 eyes.. http://www.uneek4x4.com.au/weld-on-tow-points/

[yetiboy01]

Tool steel will shatter, way to hard & brittle, do not use for recovery points under any circumstances,