F-150 Tow Hooks For Explorer.?

[Aluminum]

I Have A 3rd Generation Explorer And I Wanted To Put F-150 Tow Hooks On It I Have Looked On Ebay And They Run Around $50. Where Is The Best Place To Look For A Lower Price.? And What Years of F-150 Will Fix On My Explorer.?

 

[HiImBrian]

I Have A 3rd Generation Explorer And I Wanted To Put F-150 Tow Hooks On It I Have Looked On Ebay And They Run Around $50. Where Is The Best Place To Look For A Lower Price.? And What Years of F-150 Will Fix On My Explorer.?

Just stay on eBay. I waited and found a pair for $30. Then spent $10 on grade 10 bolts. You can also try junkyards and Craigslist part-outs. There is a steel cast type and a bent welded type. This is mine and I really like them.

 

[Aluminum]

Just stay on eBay. I waited and found a pair for $30. Then spent $10 on grade 10 bolts. You can also try junkyards and Craigslist part-outs. There is a steel cast type and a bent welded type. This is mine and I really like them.

I Just Orderred A Set Off Ebay, They Were $27 For The Pair. But The Downside Is No Hardware. Know Where I Can Find Some Hardware For These.? I Do Plan To Use Them So I Know I Need Good Hardware.

 

[HiImBrian]

I Just Orderred A Set Off Ebay, They Were $27 For The Pair. But The Downside Is No Hardware. Know Where I Can Find Some Hardware For These.? I Do Plan To Use Them So I Know I Need Good Hardware.

I bought a few grade 10 bolts from my local Fastenal. I think you can get up to grade 8 at Home Depot though.

 

[Aluminum]

I bought a few grade 10 bolts from my local Fastenal. I think you can get up to grade 8 at Home Depot though.

Do You Remember What Size Bolts You Got.?

 

[Mr Dubya]

If you're going to need some bolts, I highly recommend BoltDepot.com. Great small business that ships nationally, cheaper than Fastenal, and has a website and service you can't beat.

Of course if Home Depot's got something grade 8 then jump on that.

 

[LONO100]

i use f-150 hooks on my explorer, they work great. so great in fact that one time i was getting pulled out of a precarious jam and the stamp that the hook was on bent before the hook itself or the bolts did. i went to autozone and got some grade 8 bolts with nuts and washers for under 13 bucks.

 

[Thub]

You should have gone to your local junk yard, $27 is way to high. I think I paid maybe $10 for mine. Off of a 2000 Expedition. You should be able to find the bolts you need at any local hardware store for cheap. You end up with this. The ones pictured above are not factory ford tow hooks, ford never equipped any vehicle with welded tow hooks, they were all cast type like the ones seen here on my truck. By the way the factory ford hooks should weigh about 5 lbs each, they are solid as hell.

Half inch bolts, 2 inches long, with lock washers so you can snug them up without removing the front bumper.

Grade 5 is good enough grade 8 would be tops, using grade 10 is so excessive its not even funny, its a ford explorer that weighs maybe 2 tons soaking wet, not an M1 tank.

 

[HiImBrian]

You should have gone to your local junk yard, $27 is way to high. I think I paid maybe $10 for mine. Off of a 2000 Expedition. You should be able to find the bolts you need at any local hardware store for cheap. You end up with this. The ones pictured above are not factory ford tow hooks, ford never equipped any vehicle with welded tow hooks, they were all cast type like the ones seen here on my truck. By the way the factory ford hooks should weigh about 5 lbs each, they are solid as hell.

Half inch bolts, 2 inches long, with lock washers so you can snug them up without removing the front bumper.

Grade 5 is good enough grade 8 would be tops, using grade 10 is so excessive its not even funny, its a ford explorer that weighs maybe 2 tons soaking wet, not an M1 tank.

When Ronin8002 totaled his 3rd gen the impact bent his tow hook 90° and sheared the grade 10 bolts on his clear off. Grade 10 isn't excessive. It's literally a matter of a few dollars difference for the stronger bolts. Why be cheap?

 

[College Student]

A case of cost of destruction. I would rather have a set of bolts break and the hook come loose that someone to yank on the front end enough that the bolts hold but the frame bends.

 

[Thub]

1st. of course the bolts are going to shear off in a collision, the forces are way different and much greater. We aren't talking about running our trucks into a brick wall, we are pulling it out of a ditch or mud, the forces acting on them aren't near as great.

2nd. The front frame horns that those mount on is a crumple zone, another reason the bolts would shear, the whole area is designed to collapse to absorb the impact.

Grade 5 is rated for a minimum yield strength of close to 90,000psi and a tensile load of over 100,000 psi. Grade 5 is sufficient. If you are worried about things breaking then you better take your bumper off and use the factory plate that mounts on top, that spreads the load out because the only thing that is going to break is the frame. (Like I said above, it is designed to collapse.)

 

[Aluminum]

You should have gone to your local junk yard, $27 is way to high. I think I paid maybe $10 for mine. Off of a 2000 Expedition. You should be able to find the bolts you need at any local hardware store for cheap. You end up with this. The ones pictured above are not factory ford tow hooks, ford never equipped any vehicle with welded tow hooks, they were all cast type like the ones seen here on my truck. By the way the factory ford hooks should weigh about 5 lbs each, they are solid as hell.

Half inch bolts, 2 inches long, with lock washers so you can snug them up without removing the front bumper.

Grade 5 is good enough grade 8 would be tops, using grade 10 is so excessive its not even funny, its a ford explorer that weighs maybe 2 tons soaking wet, not an M1 tank.

I Went To All My Local Junk Yards And They Wanted A Whole Lot More or Didnt Have Them And These Were off A Brand New F-150 Not A Scratch On Them. So I Think I Did Pretty Good.

 

[Aluminum]

Just Finished Installing Them, Had To Remove The Bumper

 

[Kazer]

How come you had to remove the bumper? Should've just left it off and started on a 1.5" body lift

 

[Aluminum]

How come you had to remove the bumper? Should've just left it off and started on a 1.5" body lift

I Couldnt Find Any Other Way To Get The Tow Hooks Tightened On. And I Want To Do A Spacer Lift, Because I Dont Want To Trim And Remount My Bumpers.

 

[Kazer]

Ahh okay. I bought serrated back nuts and slid them through the opening on the bottom side of the frame rail, held them with one finger and once they were snug, the serrations did their job and allowed me to torque the snot out of them with out them spinning.


and its only a slight trim on the bottom side of the rear bumper(not noticeable), front bumper fits on with no trimming

 

[Thub]

Something about those newer f150 hooks that i don't like, they are just too thin looking, I like the older design much better.

 

[OursBlanc]

Hi guys, I know it's an old thread, but I didn't feel like creating a new one for my question..
I found a pair of tow hooks (the bent/welded style) on Fleabay for around $40 ..
I was wondering if they would fit my '03 explorer v8 Limited ?

the actual description is :
2009-2012 OEM FRONT TOW HOOKS PAIR F-150 NAVIGATOR FORD EXPEDITION F150 Hook

Thanks guys

 

[2Trux]

Hi guys, I know it's an old thread, but I didn't feel like creating a new one for my question..
I found a pair of tow hooks (the bent/welded style) on Fleabay for around $40 ..
I was wondering if they would fit my '03 explorer v8 Limited ?

the actual description is :
2009-2012 OEM FRONT TOW HOOKS PAIR F-150 NAVIGATOR FORD EXPEDITION F150 Hook

Thanks guys

I have an extra pair of cast iron hooks off a 97 expedition I could let you have for $20 + shipping. They have the bolts and nutplate included. I was able to install hooks on mine by just loosening the bumper bolts and pushing it forward enough to slide the nutplate into the frame.
I have an 05 V8 Limited so they should mount with no issues.

 

[ExploreDeep]

Put my f150 tow hooks on for 10 bucks from crazy rays and 10 mins... Off a 2002 f150 xlt