For the longest time there was one type of shackle to use, made from steel. Advancements in synthetic ropes have brought about soft shackle designs. Soft shackles effectively remove a very heavy and potentially lethal standard metal shackle from the load path. But the strength of most existing soft shackles relies heavily on a knot, and knots can fail. They also become hard to undo once used. Additionally, most conventional soft shackles are not designed to interface with ropes that have similar breaking strengths.
Meet the contender to knotted soft shackles. No longer do you need to worry about a knot which creates unpredictable results and wastes material. Introducing the AeroLock™ Synthetic Connector from Cortland. With working load limits from 22,050–176,400 lbs. and a minimum breaking strength of 110,250–882,000 lbs., these products are ideal for a wide range of commercial marine, mining, and industrial towing applications.
Patent-pending, lightweight and flexible, these AeroLock™ Connectors can be opened and closed quickly without the need for any additional equipment and are self-locking under load. To address friction and abrasion, they feature a braided SX jacket for enhanced abrasion resistance, ensuring long-lasting durability in the toughest environments.
As with any new technology, rigorous testing for both safety and efficacy is essential.
Testing included more than 15,000 cycles at WLL and 2.5x WLL at 1:1 D:d ratios. It also included tension fatigue testing and break testing to ensure reliability in all conditions. All testing was conducted with rope-on-rope connections to simulate field usage. During testing, Cortland’s engineering team ensured that the ropes being connected did not lose strength due to being connected to the AeroLock™ Connector as opposed to conventional soft shackles.
The results? The AeroLock™ increased in strength with minimal wear to its durable jacket.
| Part Number | Working Load (lbs) | Minimum Breaking Load (lbs) | Weight (lbs) | Standard Length (in) | Leg Dia. (in) | Minimum Connection Diameter (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SYNTH CONN 10TE | 22,050 | 110,250 | 2.7 | 12 | 1.15 | 1.15 |
| SYNTH CONN 15TE | 33,075 | 165,375 | 5.9 | 16 | 1.38 | 1.38 |
| SYNTH CONN 25TE | 55,125 | 275,625 | 10.5 | 20 | 1.88 | 1.88 |
| SYNTH CONN 33TE | 72,765 | 363,825 | 12.0 | 26 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| SYNTH CONN 45TE | 99,225 | 496,125 | 21.2 | 26 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| SYNTH CONN 55TE | 121,275 | 606,375 | 29.8 | 32 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| SYNTH CONN 80TE | 176,400 | 882,000 | 46.6 | 38 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
* Based on 5:1 Factor of Safety
* Based on D:d of 1:1 – compare to competitive solutions at higher D:d
Additional sizes available upon request
| Part Number | Working Load* (Te) | Minimum Breaking Load (Te) | Weight (kg) | Standard Length (mm) | Leg Dia. (mm) | Minimum Connection Diameter (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SYNTH CONN 10TE | 10 | 50 | 1.2 | 305 | 29 | 29 |
| SYNTH CONN 15TE | 15 | 75 | 2.7 | 405 | 35 | 35 |
| SYNTH CONN 25TE | 25 | 125 | 4.8 | 510 | 48 | 48 |
| SYNTH CONN 33TE | 33 | 165 | 5.4 | 660 | 53 | 53 |
| SYNTH CONN 45TE | 45 | 225 | 9.6 | 660 | 58 | 58 |
| SYNTH CONN 55TE | 55 | 275 | 13.5 | 810 | 66 | 66 |
| SYNTH CONN 80TE | 80 | 400 | 21.1 | 960 | 80 | 80 |
* Based on 5:1 Factor of Safety
* Based on D:d of 1:1 – compare to competitive solutions at higher D:d
Additional sizes available upon request
** US and international patents pending, international rights reserved, © Copyright 2024
Get extra defense against heat, abrasion, cutting, dirt and other harsh elements. Wear protection extends the useful life of rope significantly and minimizes maintenance. Choose from multiple options that enhance durability and visibility, yet allow for inspection. Each wear protection solution can be customized to meet the needs of any application.
SX wear protection is a braided tubular structure offering 100% protection to the rope.
Cortland Cage combines the lightweight, abrasion resistant, and non-water-absorbing properties of HMPE fiber in a braided cover sleeve.
Asgard wear protection is made from HMPE and PNW fibers in a woven, laminated and PU‑coated construction and built in a layered design.
DXC wear protection is a tightly braided tubular polyester chafe sleeve with proprietary marine polyurethane coating for use in extreme applications.
XT wear protection is a tightly braided tubular polyester chafe sleeve with proprietary heavy marine polyurethane coating for use in extreme chafe applications. Less flexible than other chafe options.
PNW tubular wear protection is a woven fiber material and the most commonly used protection for abrasion. This wear protection is a permanent installation. Standard colors are black or orange.
PNW with hook-and-clasp securement is a woven fiber material and the most commonly used protection for abrasion. It can be removable or replaceable and is available in black or orange.
Our engineers can design custom hardware for synthetic rope solutions based on your dimensions and capacity requirements. Hardware solutions include, but aren’t limited to:
Cortland’s proprietary HiCo coating has a much higher coefficient of friction than a standard coating, enabling better gripping in applications. For example, a HiCo coating minimizes rope slippage on winch drums or capstans, saving the rope from excess heat damage.
LoCo is our reduced coefficient of friction coating, used to reduce internal heat build-up and abrasion caused by constant tension-tension fatigue and relative movement between the rope and fixed surfaces. This coating also provides improved UV resistance.
Our rope constructions are provided in a standard color, as shown for each. But most of our rope constructions are available in other colors upon request. If you’re looking or a specific color for easy identification or for keying colors to specific operations, please contact us.
