Replace the hooks with loops?

[JoseQ_80]

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[ShadowsPapa]

Something I've given some thought to:
Pulling things out of the mud on the farm wasn't uncommon, and I've broke a couple of very heavy chains with a 4x4 tractor trying to pull my other tractor out of mud on a side hill. So I know the dangers and risks, etc.
The front tow hooks if used properly, I see the biggest issue in some cases being the fact they are open on the rear. Something can slip off if there's any slack or if there's a rebound, something is bound to slip off that hook.
What about drilling a hole vertically through the back of the hook so you could insert a pin in effect closing that gap so straps or other "items" couldn't simply slip off the hook backwards?
It would have no impact on the strength of the hook because you pull at the front and not the back end of the top of the hook. Unless you try to lift the truck up by the hooks and catch that back end of the hook's finger, you've done nothing to compromise the strength of the working part of the hook.
Wouldn't take much to hold things in place from slipping off......
Comments??

 

[bleda2002]

Any rms issues?

 

[JoseQ_80]

Rms?

 

[bleda2002]

Rms?

Rear main seal. It seems somewhat common down here in Florida that a long (stuck) dip in stagnant sandy/muddy water is followed by a slow oil leak from the rms.

 

[Gvsukids]

I'll bet that took a while to dry out ?
Why were you stuck?

 

[JoseQ_80]

Rear main seal. It seems somewhat common down here in Florida that a long (stuck) dip in stagnant sandy/muddy water is followed by a slow oil leak from the rms.

Not yet.

 

[JoseQ_80]

I'll bet that took a while to dry out ?
Why were you stuck?

I got stuck in the mud. Could not back up or go forward. I tried for a while. I had A/T tires at the time. M/T tires might have helped.

I pulled all the carpet and put a fan on it for a week.

 

[shrinkhead]

just generally be carefully when replacing tow points. the rear ones are attached to the frame I think and I would only mess with these or the front ones as part of complete and fully tested bumper solution. FWIW I have used mine a lot this year with no issues both sides for pulling others and getting winched or better held by a winch ?

 

[dcmdon]

Something I've given some thought to:
Pulling things out of the mud on the farm wasn't uncommon, and I've broke a couple of very heavy chains with a 4x4 tractor trying to pull my other tractor out of mud on a side hill. So I know the dangers and risks, etc.
The front tow hooks if used properly, I see the biggest issue in some cases being the fact they are open on the rear. Something can slip off if there's any slack or if there's a rebound, something is bound to slip off that hook.
What about drilling a hole vertically through the back of the hook so you could insert a pin in effect closing that gap so straps or other "items" couldn't simply slip off the hook backwards?
It would have no impact on the strength of the hook because you pull at the front and not the back end of the top of the hook. Unless you try to lift the truck up by the hooks and catch that back end of the hook's finger, you've done nothing to compromise the strength of the working part of the hook.
Wouldn't take much to hold things in place from slipping off......
Comments??

Its funny that you mentioned using chain. Friends of mine had a vegetable farm and every tractor had a length of chain under the seat, along with some starting fluid and PB Blaster. Galvanized chain can sit in a puddle for a year and still be 100% if needed. But it doesn't have much spring to it. ha.

Do you know how a wire gate carabiner works? Its a loop of spring steel wire. but each end is in a different hole so it resists being pushed open. You've got my brain going now about using a gate off a carabiner.

I know its unnecessary and I'm way overthinking this. but it just might work. Though I do think that simply wrapping a velcro strap around a pull strap tightly on the hook would hold it in place.

 

[dcmdon]

I think you're overlooking one of the biggest differences: stock hooks come up from the bumper, eyelets/shackles come out from the bumper. For that reason alone I'm not surprised that there is no "factory replacement" to swap the hooks out for eyelets. The leverage point is all wrong for that type of use.

Look at the factory rear bumper hook. That is how you want eyelets to be mounted. In line, facing outward (not upward).

Hooks in that location on the front are fine for lighter duty. If you want eyelets and shackles for heavier use, you need to mount them somewhere else anyway, so factory location replacement makes no sense. You don't want the force that shackles are made to work with to be translating through a 90 degree mount point. You want it linear to the direction of force being applied.

This is the same reason recovery is recommended through the rear hook, not the fronts. The fronts are not going to be able to hold up to as much force as the rear one.

As long as you don't make the leverage point any higher up off the bumper than the belly of the hook the leverage is exactly the same. Though I agree with you that directly in-line would be ideal.

 

[dcmdon]

just generally be carefully when replacing tow points. the rear ones are attached to the frame I think and I would only mess with these or the front ones as part of complete and fully tested bumper solution. FWIW I have used mine a lot this year with no issues both sides for pulling others and getting winched or better held by a winch ?

Don't the front ones bolt to the frame also?

My thought is a direct replacement. So it bolts up exactly the way the factory ones do. No higher, no lower, so the leverage and angles are exactly the same. Imagine a simple 1" hole where the belly of the hook is. Nothing more.

 

[NachoRuby]

Rausch Creek 10/10/21 The spotter who told me to go left is about to winch me out.

@Benbean66 , look familiar?

I'll bet that took a while to dry out ?
Why were you stuck?

At that spot is some super deep, super sticky mud. It looks a lot easier than it is. It's rated black, and the bypass to the right is blue or green.

 

[mx5red]

Rausch Creek 10/10/21 The spotter who told me to go left is about to winch me out.

Seems like the least he could do

 

[mx5red]

I can see situations to both lower and higher mounted options, as @JoseQ_80 showed. Seems like if you can get to it, lower is better because it would pull a bit straighter as opposed to a higher mount that might pull down and plow a little as it pulled..
Personally I wouldn’t be that afraid of using the hooks on a straight on recovery especially if using something to take up the slack as people have mentioned.

may wife slid her Jeep down a very steep ditch, ended up parallel to the road. Had to call a tow, and he looked at the hooks, and didn’t want to pull 90 degrees to those to get her uphill.
So he wrapped a huge tree saver type strap around the front axle, along with a strap around the closest bumper hook, and pulled with both straps. That worked pretty well to swing the front around and pull it uphill.
I wasn’t thrilled about pulling from the axle but didn’t have much option. Seems to drive fine since then!

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