A while ago I got this rubber thing that pulled up against my fairlead that the hook folded into and it worked good in the case of a broken cable and the whiplash following it. You just slid it out halfway and went to work. And it was nice not having to hook to a shackle or worry about pulling the cable in too tight.

I have learned over time to expect the worst and have at least 50 ft. of cable out and at the ready along with a tree strap when "going in where no man has gone before" LMAO