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Front Tow Hooks

B

bshaw1025

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Could anyone recommend a good set of tow hooks to put on the front of an '87 K5?
Would they be bolt-on, or would any welding be involved? If anyone has done this before and has some helpful hints, please let me know.
What brand, where to buy would be great.



Thanks all
 
If you are going to do tow hooks , try to adapt some closed eye ones off a Furd or something , and use a shackle for attacing the strap .

I did for a time have Autozone tow hooks on my truck , mounted to the area of the frame in front of the spring hanger , with the old chrome grilleguard .

Since I have front and rear bumpers with shackle points , I ain't never going back :D
 
please make sure u bolt them on.welds are NOT safe for tow hooks. No body likes holes in their windshied.
 
slowk5 said:
please make sure u bolt them on.welds are NOT safe for tow hooks. No body likes holes in their windshied.
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WHAT????? I would much rather trust 2 pieces of steel welded into one, than a couple of hardware store bolts. Of any grade. My clevis mounts are actually the point where my front and rear bumpers are mounted. I ran my truck off of a seven foot cliff and they didn't budge.
 
Leper said:
WHAT????? I would much rather trust 2 pieces of steel welded into one, than a couple of hardware store bolts. Of any grade. My clevis mounts are actually the point where my front and rear bumpers are mounted. I ran my truck off of a seven foot cliff and they didn't budge.
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I wont let anybody i dont personally know with welded on tow points wheel with my club for a reason. Bolted on hooks use friction to their advantage. When you tighten those bolts down, you are clamping together two flat surfaces as tight as you can. When under load, like a hard pull, it is this friction that really keeps that hook in place, the bolts just maintain this friction. If the friction is broke for some unknown reason and the hook starts to slide, then you still have to shear the bolts. When you weld on something, this friction doesnt exist, you are relying solely on the strength of that weld. With bolted on hooks you can visually inspect to see that they are tight, and can verify the strength of the bolts just by looking at them, unlike the welds.

Now, do welded on recovery points work, hell yeah, but the person doing the welding has to know what they are doing for them to be safe. I know how strong a 9/16 grade 8 bolt is, i dont know how strong some newbies boogerwelds are.

To the orriginal poster, a pair of $10 autozone hooks work great. They are cheap, easy to install, and are safe to use.
 
slowk5 said:
please make sure u bolt them on.welds are NOT safe for tow hooks.

I told you Leper!!! My backwards mounted bolt-on tow hook schools your "booger welded" pos shackle points everywhere! HAHAHAHA :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:
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Check out Ebay or your local junkyard for factory tow hooks. Almost all of the K series trucks and blazers came with them from the factory.

Rick
 
koldsimer said:
slowk5 said:
please make sure u bolt them on.welds are NOT safe for tow hooks.

I told you Leper!!! My backwards mounted bolt-on tow hook schools your "booger welded" pos shackle points everywhere! HAHAHAHA :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:
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Dude....I'm leavin you on your side next time. :eek1: :eek1: :eek1: :haha: :haha: :haha:
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What ever you bolt 2 has a weld somewhere so is the weld stronger or the bolts?
 
joez said:
i dont know how strong some newbies boogerwelds are.
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Ahh. I didn't think of poorly welded ones. I guess if you wheel with someone you didn't know, I would prefer bolts in that respect. My post did not consider improper welding, just the statements that bolts are better. My attachment points are one with my frame/exo/bumper.
 
stayaway said:
What ever you bolt 2 has a weld somewhere so is the weld stronger or the bolts?
Click to expand...

Like I was informed. It depends on the weld and the bolts as to which is better. I guess if you can't get it properly welded, you should bolt them in and then have a decent weld put on them also.?.?
 
If you need a set of stock factory hooks, check the junkyard. If you can't come up with any let me know I have a pair laying around. Shipping will probobly cost the same as a junkyard though.
 
you could also look at the tow hooks mounted on CUCVs : they are a piece of square pipe crossing the bumper and bolted onto the frame ;
Sorry , I do not knw how to post a pic , or TM page ;


Manu
 
If you ever run in deep mud, do not use the factory tow hooks or the junk from 4wpw. They have a tendency to straighten out under hard pulls.The best tow hooks come off of big equipment, military trucks, and medium and heavy duty trucks. Usually these have 3 bolt holes for mounting, and hold up to very hard pulls.
 
Can you verify that bolts have not been over torqued, significantly decreasing the frictional force holding the tow hooks on, just by looking at them?

If it is a good design and it is executed well tow hooks will last forever. Bolts and welds or a combination are acceptable.
 
I'm definitely in the market for some hooks myself.. all I do is mud.. So are factory tow hooks not sufficent???? what should I look for to adapt if not?
If factory hooks are any good, where can I get some?
thanks
 
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