towhooks can be done instead of hitches!

Ive been going down all the avenues for towing points; hitches & tow hooks. I know the hitches have more pulling power and can be stronger but im not looking to tow anything here. Im looking to have enough tow points to get yanked outta the mud safely. SO i first searched the board, and tho everyone preffers having hitches, i did find a few XJ's that had tow hooks bolted roght to yhe frame rail, next to the leaf packs in the rear and same for the front. Those people said they'd never had one ounce of trouble.

Now the reason for my thread is that im in need for all 4 tow points but the budget is low and going with the hooks saves me well over $200 bucks!! Just the hitches alone cost from $119 to $160-ish!! The tow hooks are $20-$30 bucks for a pair and come with the hardware!!

Now what id like to see is if i missed anyone who could back this up and reply with some pics of front and back tow hooks and tell a little on how they have worked for them. One more thing, for the front, im not talking about the tow hook & brackets they sell for $75 bucks because i have the brush guard in the front and the mounting plates take up that spot so i need an alternate for the front.

Anyone who replies with decent info would greatly help here!! THANKS!!

Yes you can buy tow hooks for around $10 each. The problem is that you need bracketry to tie them to. You can't just bolt them to the frame and expect them to hold. It
s a good way to kill somebody.

Anybody know of where to get some brackets for rear tow hooks? I've searched and checked the dealerships with no luck. Thanks

ckh550 said:

Anybody know of where to get some brackets for rear tow hooks? I've searched and checked the dealerships with no luck. Thanks

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junk yard, or make your own

Make sure your liability insurance is paid up. Flying tow hooks mess things up hella good. Ongoing thread here with pictures: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202080

I especially like the pic where someone used a recovery hook on the uniframe and ripped it open like a beer can, speaks volumes. If you want to use $20 bolt it to your chassis stuff you need a YJ/TJ Wrangler with an actual frame to do so. An XJ is a different vehicle and requires thick steel hardware to distribute those forces rather than concentrate them into a piece of formed sheet metal slightly thicker than your fender. That's why we advocate the use of hitches or factory tow hook "kits" that have all the required hardware to properly mount them. Junk yards are great places to find the tow hook bracketry kits. I got mine at a u-pull for $20.

HTH,

Mark

I have a brushguard in the front and I ended up using a drawtite front hitch from etrailor.com. The brackets for the brushguard are low quality, flimsy steel that work at strange angles to get the thing attatched to the subframe of the XJ. Attatching a tow hook to the brushguard brackets is the absolute worst way to go and extremely dangerous in my opinion.

Buy a front hitch, it works great and is only a few more dollars than all the bracketry needed for tow hooks.

Brackets for front tow hooks are around $75. From the dealer, they are $25 for each from rail. I just bought some, so that price is pretty current.

Rear hook available here, among other places. http://www.jparts.com/catalog/produ...d=848&osCsid=f90e8e372d1e4ddeb5eca84bbfc0eb2a

It's possible to run two tow hooks in the rear, right?

xjj33p3r said:

It's possible to run two tow hooks in the rear, right?

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Get a rear hitch.

Here's the link to Rusty's Offroad and their hitches and tow hook packages. I don't think rear tow hooks are advisable on a XJ, I've seen them stock on a TJ, but that has a solid frame. Hope this helps.

http://rustysoffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=rustys&Category_Code=rec_hit

Troy

LittleAnthony88 said:

Ive been going down all the avenues for towing points; hitches & tow hooks. I know the hitches have more pulling power and can be stronger but im not looking to tow anything here. Im looking to have enough tow points to get yanked outta the mud safely. SO i first searched the board, and tho everyone preffers having hitches, i did find a few XJ's that had tow hooks bolted roght to yhe frame rail, next to the leaf packs in the rear and same for the front. Those people said they'd never had one ounce of trouble.

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The factory used a two-piece bracket plus the nut strip to attach the rear hook to the frame. If you show up at a NAC event with a hook bolted directly to the frame, you will not be allowed to run the event.

Do it right or don't do it at all. People get seriously injured and even killed by flying tow hooks.

saki669 said:

Get a rear hitch.

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What the hell did you do.........Just stick a hook in that hole and go for it?

ive seen a an xj with the off road package with a rear tow hood. it was on the drivers side. exactly were the tail pipe is on the other side.

you can make your own brackets too, i just used some 3/16 plate, and it bolts in in 7 places, the three bumper mounts, the hole beside those, two in the front crossmember, and one way back on the framerail. if you make it yourself you can make it work with a brushgaurd or whatever you want

let me put $.02 in the pot. I have factory front tow hook brackets and hooks. I got stuck in the mud, pretty bad. A few hard pulls at a slight angle bent my brackets, but got me out. I use them to pull a stump a few weekends before, used both hooks with a strap to a chain.... I almost had the rear end off the driveway.... did not have one issue with the hooks.

1. you cant pull on these hooks very hard at an angle
2. they are not made for hard yanks, more like steady pressure.


Truthfully, I dont know if I would use anyones front brackets again. The mounting to the frame is really strong, but the bracket design allows it to bent too easy.
If I were to do it again.... a hitch, bumper, or modify the stock with a tie in between the brackets.

Go to a junk yard and get a rear hitch for $20. and a reciever shackle for $30-40... call the rear done.

For the front either get a reciever (and you can use the shackle up front), or get a real offroad bumper with tow hook mounts this is a little more expensive but the right way to go.

saki669 said:

Get a rear hitch.

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No. I already have the nut strips since I'm using a tank skid. I'm not a dumbass, and I'm not going to bolt hooks strait through the frame. Does anyone else have an answer to my original question?

d-rings > tow hooks.

xjj33p3r said:

No. I already have the nut strips since I'm using a tank skid. I'm not a dumbass, and I'm not going to bolt hooks strait through the frame. Does anyone else have an answer to my original question?

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yes it is possible...
get a second full bracket and bolt it in to the second side...


anything is possible....













just not for idiots...