Tow Hooks...What are They For?

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

The bearing surface is the soft shackle. Don't think I like that. It may work alright tho.
Gonna have to find a guinea pig before I take the plunge.

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[Tuggernuts]

I’ve used the soft shackle-snatch ring combo. Works great.

 

[Gvsukids]

The bearing surface is the soft shackle. Don't think I like that. It may work alright tho.
Gonna have to find a guinea pig before I take the plunge.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I find it interesting that what was called a clevis for many many decades in other industries that used chains and connected equipment is a shackle if it's put in a Jeep or used with a Jeep. I have a wall of all sorts and sizes of clevises and clevis pins and hitch pins only to find that I can't use them because they are a clevis and not a shackle.
A shackle is what is at the back of a leaf spring on a 69 Mustang.
LOL - just so funny that I grew up using a clevis to hook something to something else, or connect a chain to a drawbaw, even hook a plow on the back of the old tractor.

It must be like if you want a soft drink (soda, pop) in Florida, you order a coke even if it's a Pepsi.

 

[Gvsukids]

I find it interesting that what was called a clevis for many many decades in other industries that used chains and connected equipment is a shackle if it's put in a Jeep or used with a Jeep. I have a wall of all sorts and sizes of clevises and clevis pins and hitch pins only to find that I can't use them because they are a clevis and not a shackle.
A shackle is what is at the back of a leaf spring on a 69 Mustang.
LOL - just so funny that I grew up using a clevis to hook something to something else, or connect a chain to a drawbaw, even hook a plow on the back of the old tractor.

It's also becoming a safety issue where people don't want flying projectiles.

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

I find it interesting that what was called a clevis for many many decades in other industries that used chains and connected equipment is a shackle if it's put in a Jeep or used with a Jeep. I have a wall of all sorts and sizes of clevises and clevis pins and hitch pins only to find that I can't use them because they are a clevis and not a shackle.
A shackle is what is at the back of a leaf spring on a 69 Mustang.
LOL - just so funny that I grew up using a clevis to hook something to something else, or connect a chain to a drawbaw, even hook a plow on the back of the old tractor.

It must be like if you want a soft drink (soda, pop) in Florida, you order a coke even if it's a Pepsi.

In my trade we use clevis hangers, and yeah your shackle reference hits home for anyone who was hotrodding in the last century, lol.

However, there is, nor has ever been any "pop" in Florida. Soda and coke are the generic terms thank you.

 

[exfil offroad]

Okay, I am just looking for clarification on the use of tow hooks. I've never needed to be recovered in any of my Jeeps and I, also, do not do any hard core off-roading. I recently purchased a couple of shackle hitch receiver sets and a few ARB snatch straps just in case. That being said, as I read the literature that ARB supplies, they indicate to NEVER use tow hooks for any kind of recovery. What are they for? Look cool? I understand the dangers of recovery, I just thought they could be used for 'something'?!?! I was thinking that you could, potentially, move objects on a trail, etc. but what am I missing? In any case, I hope to never need any of the items I've purchased for recovery. Thanks in advance for helping me out!

tow hooks are for towing? I thought they were used for tie down points while being towed on a flat bed, hence tow hook...

 

[ShadowsPapa]

tow hooks are for towing? I thought they were used for tie down points while being towed on a flat bed, hence tow hook...

Never tie a vehicle to a trailer or truck using anything above the springs.
Strap or tie to the lower parts of the suspension/drivetrain such as axles, etc.

I use straps that wrap around the axles and have protective sleeves. The ratchet straps hook into the axle straps front and rear.
Crossing the ratchet straps is best but my car doesn't lend itself to that very well so I try to at least keep them from being straight forward and straight back. Angle them outward to keep the vehicle from shifting side-to-side on the transport. Straight out and the vehicle could still move to the side a bit.

If you strap up to the vehicle above the springs or suspension unless you compress the springs it can bounce against the strap and give you tons of force beyond what the vehicle weighs and if it's just a hook, things can come unhooked. I've witnessed that very thing. Vehicle being hauled bounced on a bad section of road, car jounced down, hook came unhooked.

 

[mazeppa]

<Snip>
It must be like if you want a soft drink (soda, pop) in Florida, you order a coke even if it's a Pepsi.

In my area "coke" and "pop" is commonly used when referring to soft drinks.

What kind of coke do you want; Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, ...... ?

 

[exfil offroad]

Never tie a vehicle to a trailer or truck using anything above the springs.
Strap or tie to the lower parts of the suspension/drivetrain such as axles, etc.

I use straps that wrap around the axles and have protective sleeves. The ratchet straps hook into the axle straps front and rear.
Crossing the ratchet straps is best but my car doesn't lend itself to that very well so I try to at least keep them from being straight forward and straight back. Angle them outward to keep the vehicle from shifting side-to-side on the transport. Straight out and the vehicle could still move to the side a bit.

If you strap up to the vehicle above the springs or suspension unless you compress the springs it can bounce against the strap and give you tons of force beyond what the vehicle weighs and if it's just a hook, things can come unhooked. I've witnessed that very thing. Vehicle being hauled bounced on a bad section of road, car jounced down, hook came unhooked.

good info, i was being a smart ass..

 

[MrJeep]

Newer Jeeps have way beefier "tow hooks" than when that warning was probably written 20 years ago and never changed because, well, lawyers. They are now designed to be recovery points.
In 25 years of off roading, I'd estimate the factory two hooks are good for 95% of recoveries. The last 5% probably requires multiple winch points and/or a bridle to remove the Jeep from a precarious position or more serious stuckness.

I have used the front hooks on my TJ as tie downs but like @ShadowsPapa says make sure you pull down the suspension a good bit so it can't bounce loose. It's not ideal but it works. I add that strap because it reduces how much the Jeep bounces around vs just strapping the axles. Tall Jeeps tend to flop side to side on a big trailer with only the axles strapped down. I'm sure this isn't a problem on the AMC.

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

I find it interesting that what was called a clevis for many many decades in other industries that used chains and connected equipment is a shackle if it's put in a Jeep or used with a Jeep. I have a wall of all sorts and sizes of clevises and clevis pins and hitch pins only to find that I can't use them because they are a clevis and not a shackle.
A shackle is what is at the back of a leaf spring on a 69 Mustang.
LOL - just so funny that I grew up using a clevis to hook something to something else, or connect a chain to a drawbaw, even hook a plow on the back of the old tractor.

Remember when the "snatch block" was just a pulley?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Remember when the "snatch block" was just a pulley?

LOL - yeah. Amazing the way that stuff works. You can charge much more money for it by giving it a special name, packaging it for a specific use even of products from 10 years before had the same capability.

My wife was looking for one of those fancy cameras that mounts on the carriage of her long-arm quilting machine so she could look at a monitor on the machine head itself and see what the stitching on the back looked like instead of getting down below the machine and shining a light up and trying to see. I checked into them for her - the prices - YIKES! Are you kidding me? Then I looked into the details. What they were was slightly modified, repackaged backup cameras like you can add to cars that don't have them. I mean some of the screens looked identical and some of the camera specs. I told her if she was serious, I'd order an automotive backup camera for her and mount it on her machine for about 200 less.
We were in a quilt store where they sell the accessories and supplies for quilters like my wife. On the pegboard hooks on one wall were packages of something I recognized from years before - they were "binding clips" - used to hold the binding on a quilt while you hand stitched it down on the back. Something like 10 bucks for 10 of them. Same exact thing sold as hair clips at Walmart - 5 bucks for twice that many. Packaging, different name, double + the price.
It's crazy the stuff I see out there, brought back with a new name and different use being sold at triple the price to people who are willing to pay a lot more because it's something special for THEIR "unique" needs.
Interesting how the stuff my boss used to keep on his wrecker - Jeep people pay many times more because, well, it's used with a JEEP so it must be worth a lot more! Jacks sold to Jeep people as special jacks, heck, I had one on the farm and I bought it used for something like 5 bucks and every farmer had them, they were cheap and common, and even used in fencing to stretch fence wire but today a Jeep owner will pay 5 times as much for that "special jack" with a new name! Damn thing was a handyman jack 50+ years ago. Now it's a special Jeep thing for several times the price - and without the fence stretching attachment. (I wouldn't be surprised if my antique version would lift more than the new ones)

 

[MrJeep]

Remember when the "snatch block" was just a pulley?

It's funny you guys should bring this up. I actually looked this up over Christmas vacation. The term "snatch block" is actually pretty old and comes from sailing ship days (like a large percentage of sayings and expressions) and basically means a pulley that you don't have to take completely apart to get the line in, that's the only difference.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It's funny you guys should bring this up. I actually looked this up over Christmas vacation. The term "snatch block" is actually pretty old and comes from sailing ship days (like a large percentage of sayings and expressions) and basically means a pulley that you don't have to take completely apart to get the line in, that's the only difference.

It's amazing the number of terms come from sailing.
pipe down, toe the line, feeling blue.......

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