tow hooks/ brushguard

[JJW]

I have a manik brushguard that has served me well. I wanted to add tow hooks but the only place to put them was on the main part of the guard. I replaced the 3/8 grade 2 bolts with 1/2 inch grade 8 bolts where the guard mounts to the frame. Then mounted the hooks on the 1/4 inch plate center part that mounts to the frame. Dead Link RemovedHere is a link to a pic Dead Link Removed
My question is if this will work for a tow piont ? Any input will be helpful.

Thanks,



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JJW, 92 xlt,4x4

[This message has been edited by JJW (edited 02-27-2000).]

 

[Seth]

Your set up looks great. I have a manik brush guard as well and they are very sturdy. The mounting bracket that connects to the frame seems like it would be sturdy enough to withstand a lot of pressure. However, you might want to call the company and see what they think. Manik more than likely has information on failure rates. Ask them what it rated on the tensile test and a fatigue test. They should have all of this on record. What brand of tow hooks did you use to mount to the brush guard? Did you have to drill any new holes in the mounting bracket to make the tow hooks fit?

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Seth M.
97 XLT 4X4 4.0L SOHC

 

[SCOTTC]

i would like to add a couple hooks to the front of mine, where can i buy a couple?

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SCOTTC
93XLT 4X4 4DR.
bosch plat.4s
jacob wires
k&n kit
mod. airbox.
skid plate
maxflow exhaust
more to come!

 

[JJW]

SCOTTC, The hooks I used are from Summit.Here's a link. Dead Link Removed
Seth, When I first received the guard, I spoke with Manik and they said they do NOT recommend any modifications to any part of the guard other than mounting lights. I figure its a liability issue ,which is a normal thing any more. I will probably put a 1/4 inch steel plate along side their plate behind the nuts on the hooks to aid in torsional and tensile strength of the mount. That means drilling a couple more 1/2 inch holes on each bracket. The hooks come with 1/2 inch fine thread bolts to mount them. Thats why I upgraded the guard mount bolts to 1/2 inch. Do not do this because I did,I am still not sure it will work. A test is needed Dead Link RemovedMaybe I'll drag my wifes car in park across the driveway Dead Link Removed
Thanks for the input and any other ideas are still welcome

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JJW, 92 xlt,4x4

 

[Seth]

I was thinking the same thing with the tow hooks but the holes did not line up correctly with the tow hooks. The only solution I could come up with was using only one hole on the tow hook to connect it to the guard or drilling holes. However i've learned that the more holes the weaker it will be. What would probably work for sure is welding the two together and adding an aditional maybe 1/4 inch plate to the mounting bracket. With all these welded together ya should be just fine. Also ya might want to change all of the bolts to the bracket to higher grade ones. The bolts that are supplied for the grille guard might not be good enough to hold everything to the frame. I know you said you switched two that hold the actual tow hook but switching all of them would be the safest idea. Please keep me informed, whatever you do i'll more than likely do the same with mine.

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Seth M.
97 XLT 4X4 4.0L SOHC

 

[JJW]

Seth,
I replaced the brushguard mounting bolts with grade 8, 1/2 inch diameter bolts before I mounted the tow hooks. In the pic, the two large nuts you see are the guard mounts that I redrilled to except the 1/2 inch bolts. Hope this helps.

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JJW, 92 xlt,4x4

 

[Carolina Express]

I'd like to add tow hooks, but it's impossible to find anywhere to bolt them! Would welding them to the frame rail be strong enough? Opinions?

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92 XLT

 

[JJW]

I think welding is a no-no. There are some earlier threads that address this. A search might turn it up. I beleive that some 4x clubs will not allow welded tow hooks. I hit a large object(deer)with my xlt a time back. I noticed while looking for a way to mount my hooks that the bolts that mount the guard were bent. Thats what moved me to change the bolt size. If that was a weld, I don't think I would have been able to detect its weak condition so easy. Thats my reason anyway Dead Link Removed I hope this helps out.

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JJW, 92 xlt,4x4

 

[Tom Wilk]

I've been sort of following this discussion, and I have a question. Where the brush guard mounts to the frame, is there a plate or something that goes on the other side of the frame rail that will sandwich the frame between the brushguard plate and the backing plate? Also, did you use some type of backing plate to attach the hooks to the brush guard frame?

The reason I ask is that when I mounted my hitch, there were large square 1/4" pieces that went on the opposite side of the frame from where the hitch frame attached. This in effect sandwiched the frame between two 1/4" pieces of steel. This helps spread the load over a larger area on the frame. I think that this would be essential for the strength needed to use the tow hooks.

Without a backing plate, there is only the area of the bolt head holding things together. The back plate will spread the load across a much wider area and make the connection much stronger.

As far as welding, the weld will be strong, but the heat may weaken the metal that it's attached to. If you weld directly to the frame, you are welding to a piece of steel that is only 1/8" or less thick. I don't know how thick the brush guard brackets are, but I'd probably bolt it together if I were going that route.

As usual, a grain of salt is recommended with my observations. Dead Link Removed

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Tom
99 Sport 4x4
SOHC
Auburn Rear & Gerald's old Shackles

 

[JJW]

Tom,
Thanks for the input,its always welcome. There is a small backing plate that came with the brushguard.I want to replace that with a stronger peice when I get to it. Here is a different pic of what was done so far. You can see the back of the other frame rail in the distance. Dead Link Removed

I went with larger bolts though the frame to help with the twisting action that will come when force is applied to the hooks. My main concern is the strength of the actual plate. I have some SLL steel scrap from a foundry that I worked at,but my band saw,hack saw ,sawsall will not cut it Dead Link Removed I have to get use of the plasma cutter where I work at now. I hope this will do the trick. If I could cradle the frame,I think it might work. Any more input is still welcome.


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JJW, 92 xlt,4x4

 

[Tom Wilk]

JJW,

That looks pretty solid where it is mounted to the frame. It looks like the frame is boxed at that point, that is, two "C" channels facing each other to form a box. Is there anything in between? You're sandwiching the two halves of the frame. The only thing I'd be worried about is that towing stresses would bend the two halves of the frame towards each other, loosening the mount a bit.

The thickness of the brush guard structure should prevent the tow hook bolts from pulling through. From the picture, it looks like it is 1/4" thick. You may bend it a bit if you put heavy stress on it, but I don't think they'll ever pull through.

Are all the bolts high grade? I think that you already mentioned that they are.

That's a great picture; really shows what you've done.

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Tom
99 Sport 4x4
SOHC
Auburn Rear & Gerald's old Shackles

 

[JJW]

Tom,
Thanks for posting,I think you saved my rear. The frame pulling together never crossed my mind! The nearest crossbrace is a good 18 inches up the brushguard and only a 2.5 inch tube at that. I use it to stand on when under the hood. The frame would flex for sure,but at a different rate. A brace between the frme rails where the hooks mount would be just what the doctor ordered Dead Link Removed Yes, I did use all grade 8 hardware. The only drawback to that is now the frame will take more of the force on impact. I sure do like this board and the openness of its members Dead Link Removed If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to post. Thanks again!

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JJW, 92 xlt,4x4

 

[Tom Wilk]

Actually, you brought up something different from what I was thinking, but it is an important issue as well.

What I was thinking of is the way each frame rail is constructed. On my 99, the rails in front are not just C channel, but boxed such that there are two C channels welded together facing each other for each frame rail (I'm not sure that "boxed" is the right term to use here) like this: []. My concern was that stresses would actually crush the two sides of each frame rail together slightly, loosening the clamping grip of the mount between the brush guard and each rail. I hope I explained this better.

My solution would be to put something sturdy between the two halves of each frame rail so that it cannot be crushed. That is, something to fill in the center of each individual rail.

I may be advocating overbuilding here, but I wouldn't want to break anything.

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Tom
99 Sport 4x4
SOHC
Auburn Rear & Gerald's old Shackles