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Stock Tow hooks

stock tow hooks suck.

normally the "U" of the hook is pointing straight down.
towhook.jpg


:doah:
 
I bent mine all to crap. They are pretty weak. They make a good back-up, but someting with a closed circle is better if your gonna be doing a lot of pulling or being pulled.
 
hack500 said:
normally the "U" of the hook is pointing straight down.
towhook.jpg


:doah:

Thanks for the pic. I've tried to tell people in the past that the mounting system of factory hooks suck... and that my friend broke one of the bolts from his and it trashed his bumper... but they all didn't believe me.



.
 
If you are going to use the stock ones the '73-80 are a much better choice.
 
bigjbear said:
If you are going to use the stock ones the '73-80 are a much better choice.

Amen! The 73-80's are twice as thick and mount straight, unlike those weird 81-91 things. Yes, a CUCV-style shackle is better, but the early hooks are pretty good.

-- A
 
dremu said:
Amen! The 73-80's are twice as thick and mount straight, unlike those weird 81-91 things. Yes, a CUCV-style shackle is better, but the early hooks are pretty good.

-- A
Don't they mount straight up and down, meaning the bolts will still shear off?
 
No, they are mounted at an angle so the crappy stock frame doesn't rip out.

dremu is right the CUCV one are probably the best choice.
 
I used the factory tow hooks on the front of my '90 K5 for years in the original position and never bent them, even after having my truck buried up the bumpers and two other trucks hooked to it. I now have the same hooks mounted differently on my winch bumper with no issues, including pulling out a non-running 7,000 lb. truck on 42's out of a deep rut (two 12,000 winches hooked to the front could not pull it).

On my factory setup there were 2 bolt holes in the frame with a backing plate on the backside. I have personally seen aftermarket style hooks bent straight, but never an OEM Chevy. In fact, several guys in our club have gotten Chevy towhooks and mounted them on other rigs. The nice thing about them is that the hook is fairly large so it's much easier to hook up straps to it.
 
The stock tow hooks are fine for normal use. If you're gonna pull hard or snatch, hook one end of your strap to each hook and the middle to whatever you're pulling/getting pulled by. In my experience, the bolts holding them to the frame are the weak link. Make sure you're using quality bolts and that they're tight.
 
79Beast said:
The stock tow hooks are fine for normal use. If you're gonna pull hard or snatch, hook one end of your strap to each hook and the middle to whatever you're pulling/getting pulled by.

Im a bit confuse do you mean hook each end up of the strap to each hook and pull from the middle? of hook up on one side and i guess run it through the other hook?
 
my stock tow hocks r pretty good hit a stump with one of them and it lifted my k5 up in the air didnt bend the hook but bent the tip of my frame up ward by about half an inch
 
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