Homemade front tow hook mount?

[barillms]

Homemade front tow hook mount

I'm running a 3/16" steel plate - 3"x14" along the outside front of the drivers side frame rail. I'm anchoring this plate to the outer frame with (5) - 1/2" dia. grade 8 bolts including the 2 tow hook bolts. The very back bolt is longer and goes all the way through the frame rail into the inner frame wall where it is anchored. Does this sound like enough reinforcement for my tow point? Should I weld the plate in place once it's bolted?

 

[chubbyhick]

A little weld won't hurt, but i don't think i would weld it solid. As for the grade 8 bolts you might want to reconsider. GR 8 bolts have a stronger pull factor as in pulling them from end to endthan do grade 5. but gr 5 bolts have a better shear factor than gr 8, even on a bumper. I found this out from a guy that drives from shop to shop, and all he has done for 15yrs is sell all sorts of fasteners so i believe he might know what he is talking about. hope this helps.

 

[AJsArmor]

I wouldn't even worry for a second about eight 1/2" bolts shearing off, won't happen. But I would add a plate to the underside of the framerail if you aren't already. There's even a spot up towards the front that you can drop a nutplate in and use an additional fastener there. That will give you a lot better lateral support.

 

[Gerr]

id like to see what it looks like ive been thinking of doing a simular mount

 

[barillms]

id like to see what it looks like ive been thinking of doing a simular mount

LINK TO PIC:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-3/980799/towhookmount.jpg

 

[Ghost]

Where is the hook going to mount?

 

[FitchVA]

Where is the hook going to mount?

judging from his picture, it looks like it's going to mount to the left of the picture sideways (not the conventional xj tow hook setup)

 

[Ghost]

judging from his picture, it looks like it's going to mount to the left of the picture sideways (not the conventional xj tow hook setup)

I personally would not do that but to each his own. (Visions of bent bumpers go though my head!)

That is a tow hook mount! $7 in scrap 2X6 .25 tube! It's also a stearing box brace!

 

[barillms]

Where is the hook going to mount?

Through the two front holes labeled "tow hook mounts". It's mounting on the side of the frame rail.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-3/980799/towhookmount.jpg

 

[Dirk Pitt]

gr 5 bolts have a better shear factor than gr 8

SPOBI

Ask your salesperson next time for engineering data.

 

[Ghost]

Through the two front holes labeled "tow hook mounts". It's mounting on the side of the frame rail.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-3/980799/towhookmount.jpg

oops did not see that! :dunce:

 

[AJsArmor]

I personally would not do that but to each his own. (Visions of bent bumpers go though my head!)

That is a tow hook mount! $7 in scrap 2X6 .25 tube! It's also a stearing box brace!

Now dats the way to do it!

 

[barillms]

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-3/980799/towhookmount.jpg
I mounted up that plate today, solid as a rock.
If you look at the pic, the plate is run along the outside of the frame rail. The very front 2 holes are for the hook which is nutted on the inside-front of the rail. The first hole is drilled, the second hole was the exising bumper mount hole drilled out to fit a 1/2" bolt. The 3rd and 4th holes back are drilled holes for shorty bolts. Tricky part: There is a factory hole in the frame rail above the 3rd and 4th bolts. This hole allows you to poke these 2 shorty bolts out through the rail with the nut on the outside. The fifth and very back bolt is a long one that goes all the way through the rail and is nutted on the inside on the inner rail. This one uses an exising factory hole, no drilling required for that one. All bolts are 1/2" diam. washered, lockwashered and threadlocked. I used 2 Grade 8s, 3 grade 5s. Only problem is now I can't use my factory bumper mount brackets, hook is in the way. I spent $22 including hook, steel and hardware.

 

[jeepinandy]

what if you took your stock bumper mounts fab them up to go onto your new mount and use this as a tow point bolting to where the hook would go.... just an idea or something of the sorts use a D ring instead of a hook.... the new D ring mount would go through the stock bumper

 

[barillms]

I'm ditching the stock bumper all together. I kinda like it with NO bumper.
I'll be fabbing something up this weekend.