SAFETY REQUIREMENTS (Must Read)

[sidriptide]

i already have the1.25 installed... i only haul an 8' yard trailer... and u-haul didint carry a 2" for the XJ.... rated at 200# tongue and 3500# IIRC... if it wont cut it i will pirate the 2" off the trail rig...
i'd like mark to make a call on this since he's got the final word..
mike

 

[Jump This]

You all are depressing me......I will never be able to travel much during Sept. or Oct. (I coach high school volleyball)
But I find myself uncontrolably going over your check lists and double checking my XJ just to make sure it would pass inspection!! I recently tore off my front bumper when I was towing my XJ (always remember that you can not remove the key from the igniton after you hook it up to the tow bar) Since I was in a hurry to repair it I built new brackets out of 3/16" flat and ran a support from from each bracket on the back of the stock bumper. To these I remounted my Reese tow bar brackets. Very strong but missleading in apperance....looks like I just mounted my tow mounts to the stock sheet metal of the bumper.
I don't know why I even mention this...probably just assuring myself that if I found a way to go my rig would at least pass inspection (have new full size spare even!)
Just ignore me..
Maybe I should order a t-shirt....:banghead:

 

[Kejtar]

rated at 200# tongue and 3500# IIRC...

You're right it's Mike's call.... but even if he lets it pass, if I was you I'd look into changing it out as the XJ is 3,355lb curb weight and if it's stuck, the drag and so on will make it heavier (plus I would guess you'd have it all loaded up) so at a hard pull or a yank, something might let loose and metal might fly thus making it dangerous..... this is also a reason that they don't make the receptacle D rigns or towhooks for the 1.25"

Kejtar

 

[Mike in NJ]

Okay, I guess some more opinion is required here.

About the 1.25" hitch: I'm not personally familiar with the U-Haul version. If it is mounted with a cross brace structure that is bolted onto the "frame" rail on either side, regardless of the Class rating weight, that would seem to be an acceptable anchor point. Simply bolted to the bumper itself, or the vertical face of the XJ's rear cross member would be suspect.

About the front bumper mount: any tow hook that is NOT supported by a brace which is, in turn, bolted onto the "frame" rail would also be suspect. Jump, I can't tell from your description how your fabbed brackets are tied into the system. What we are trying to avoid are tow hooks that are simply bolted onto bumpers that are attached to the truck by the OEM bolt holes in the vertical surface of the front cross member. Those are the kind which can simply rip out of the bumper (or the bumper off of the truck), under load. I know this may not answer your question, but it's the best I can do from 3000 miles away. Maybe you could get another local opinion if you still don't feel comfortable (MJR appears to be only an hour or so away. I'd tell you to buy a T-shirt and visit Goat, but Bakersfield looks to be a bit further drive! )

For both front and back tow points, OEM or homebuilt, we will be looking for strength that is tied directly onto the unirails - either by individual support brackets or onto honkin' beefy bumpers that are, in turn, have a strap or bracket which extends and bolts alongside the unirail.

Mike in NJ atriot:

 

[Beezil]

one word on hitches....

these rating are for towing things on the open road....

like anything, there is a safty factor....

take a hoist ring rated for 5,000 lbs....

I have a pair that have a safety factor of 6.

that doesn't mean it'll break if you strap on a 6,000 load.

the rings are made to specs that have the ability to lift 30,000 pounds, but are "certified" or "rated" to lift 1/6th of their designed capacity.

I don't know what the safty factor is on class II or III hitches, but suffice it to say, the little one is capable of a lot more than 3500lbs....

Hey safety persons!!!!

lotsa question being asked on this thread........

how are you guys gonna call it? (edit) damn, mike! slid your responce in as I was typing! these safety people are quick!

 

[4ward]

I had one of those little hitches on my first XJ. It served as a tow point many more times than I'll ever admit to.

 

[Mike in NJ]

Well of course, you know that anyone in this neck of the woods has to be Quick or Dead! (tough traffic around here )

And, last time I checked, I was still breathing.

Thanks for the elaboration on the strength ratings, I also think a Class II receiver is fine, AS LONG AS it's mounted firmly.

(wanna be a guest inspector, Beez? You can do the weld certifications, especially on One Ton's)

Mike in NJ atriot:

 

[Danno]

Nah....

let's get Beezil's mother to do it. She is a fine welder...when she remembers!

 

[Beezil]

I thought welds weren't going to be inspected this year?


dammit!

 

[Kejtar]

Beezil, I think in your case there will be an exception made

 

[Jump This]

Okay..I am going to be a pain here.....
How many bumpers are bolted onto anything OTHER than the vertical sides of the frame rails?
I know that most of them exstend farther (or is that further?) back and add a single additional bolt...
Do any others have additional mounts under the frame rails?
I have seen where someone has encased the rail with 2X6 and bolted right thru it and welded the bumper to that (no question the strongest approach!)
It sounds as though you are asking for more than the factory three bolt set-up...regardless of the material the bumper itself is made of.....
Am I missing something here?
Okay..so I don't realy mean to be a pain...I was just wondering...

 

[Mike in NJ]

No, you're not being a pain - I answered you too quick, and got muddled between front and rear set-ups. (Hey, what do you expect, I'm old! )

Yes, a stock front bumper bracket attaches to the sides of the unirail by three bolts - adequate to hold the bumper on, and not a lot of margin for anything else.

BUT, even the OEM tow hooks add some more bracketry (is that a word?) and a strap extends further back along the outside of the rail which is bolted again. Any aftermarket (or home built) bumper which is expected to support tow points (e.g. receiver, hooks, D-shackles, etc.) and is worth its salt also include a fitting which extends further back along the rail with additional bolts.

So yes, we are expecting better than the stock OEM 3 bolt per side setup -which is for a bumper that is not intended to be pulled forward.

We're just trying to avoid scenarios in which someone has just drilled a few holes and attached a tow hook to the bottom of the stock bumper, or mounted an armor plated, monster pushbar w/D-shackles still only being supported by the six little OEM bolts through the side of the very end of the unirails. All of those quick fixes are just missiles waiting to be launched.

A long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away) I mentioned something in this thread about Common sense. That advice still holds - if anybody is expecting to be yanked off the side of CliffHanger 800 feet above the Colorado, do you want your life hanging in the balance of six little bolts in sheet metal retainers either on your rig, or the guy that's pulling you out?

Anyway Jump, thanks for keeping this subject honest, I appreciate the chance to explain further for the lurkers out there!

19 days before I head West . . . .

Mike in NJ atriot:

 

[Jump This]

Nuff' said! (But it has always amazed me how 'uncommon' common sense is!)

 

[Goatman]

Like Mike has said, commom sense has to rule here, with adequate safety being the issue. Some very well built aftermarket bumpers only use the six stock bumper bolts for mounts. While this looks to me like a questionable practice, and is not ideal, a good strong bumper would have to rip all three bolts off of one side at the same time to fail, which isn't likely if the bumper itself it very stout. This wouldn't apply to the stock bumper, which would deform itself and stress the bolts differently, with the bumper itself possibly failing. A tow hook bolted through the thin steel of the stock bumper could just pull through or deform the bumper.

The factory tow hook brackets are a very good model to work from when designing a strong bumper mount. Besides the piece that runs down the frame and is bolted through it, there is also an angled brace that goes inside of the two front stock bolt holes and is bolted to the front crossmember, adding a good amount of strength to the stock mounting position. These two L brackets alone would make any bumper attached to the stock mounts much stronger.

 

[Mike in NJ]

btt

(is this the cool, hip Internetgeekspeak way to do this?) :wierd:

MG

 

[Kejtar]

nah, the cool way is to find something to say that fits in that brings it back to top.... the btt is for those who can't get any reactions out of anyone.... and they can't htink of a better way to do it