Where to mount tow hooks with grill guard

[Hitchhikingmike]

My Explorer did not come with any tow hooks on it. When I drove up to colorado a couple months ago for a ski trip I got stuck on a snowy road and needed a tow forward a few feet to get unstuck. A lady with a 4x4 F-150 was nice enough to help me out. I was able to attach the rope by hooking the hook behind the grill guard bracket . It was my only choice for a tow point since the bracket covers up the tow point in the frame! I had to be careful it did not wiggle itself off of the bracket or the consequences would have been dire. It worked and we got unstuck, but for the entire time it made me nervous. To say the least I do not want settle for the grill guard brackets as tow points again!

I am determined to come up with a better front end tow hook and I need your help.

I think mounting a tow hook directly to my frame is out of the question since the grill guard bracket takes up all the space:

So I believe my only bolt points for a tow hook are these three bolts on the end of my grill guard bracket. I wrote down the space between them:

I envision putting a hook about right here:

Do you think this location is strong enough as it is not directly on the frame of the truck?

And my last question: what are my possibilities? What tow hooks will work with my set up? Do you think I will be able to mount a factory Ford hook such as this one here?

The hook also has to be able to accommodate a 1/2" diameter bolt.

Please advise,
Thanks

 

[edgar_88]

Jcuz has a bull bar along with the tow hooks underneath it (i believe), he'd be a good person to ask

 

[Curtis]

Try PM'ing JCUZ
He has both installed.
Maybe he'll see this and respond

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Yes, but JCUZ most likely does not have this vertical plate on his bracket that intersects with the bracket mounting base like I do.

This "L" style bracket is preventing me from simply installing a tow hook under neath the grill guard bracket.

But I'll send him a PM any way for good measure....

 

[auburnfan138]

Yes, but JCUZ most likely does not have this vertical plate on his bracket that intersects with the bracket mounting base like I do.

This "L" style bracket is preventing me from simply installing a tow hook under neath the grill guard bracket.

But I'll send him a PM any way for good measure....

hitchhikingmike...do you see the square tubing right above where your guard is mounted...thats where my brush guard is mounted to....but thats bc i have a 3 inch body lift....so thats where i would install the tow hooks...ill try and throw up a picture of it after class

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

hitchhikingmike...do you see the square tubing right above where your guard is mounted...thats where my brush guard is mounted to....but thats bc i have a 3 inch body lift....so thats where i would install the tow hooks...ill try and throw up a picture of it after class

But.... My bumper cover covers up the side the the frame (square tubing). I do not have a body lift so I would have to cut a hole in my bumper cover to access the tow hook on the side of the frame. Plus I would also have to take off the bumper to gain access directly to the side of the frame. I assume since you have a body lift the side of your frame is exposed and you didn't fabricate new brackets to raise you bumper so you left your bumper off. I don't think this is going to work for me.

The blue arrow points to the side of the frame. The red arrow points to the bumper which limits access to the side of the frame from the front of the vehicle

But never the less, please post pictures.

 

[auburnfan138]

But.... My bumper cover covers up the side the the frame (square tubing). I do not have a body lift so I would have to cut a hole in my bumper cover to access the tow hook on the side of the frame. Plus I would also have to take off the bumper to gain access directly to the side of the frame. I assume since you have a body lift the side of your frame is exposed and you didn't fabricate new brackets to raise you bumper so you left your bumper off. I don't think this is going to work for me.

The blue arrow points to the side of the frame. The red arrow points to the bumper which limits access to the side of the frame from the front of the vehicle

But never the less, please post pictures.

yep...but its possible with the body lift...im in the market for tow hooks now

 

[Curtis]

Yes, but JCUZ most likely does not have this vertical plate on his bracket that intersects with the bracket mounting base like I do.

This "L" style bracket is preventing me from simply installing a tow hook under neath the grill guard bracket.

But I'll send him a PM any way for good measure....

Ah I see.
If you got yourself a scrap piece of C channel or square tubing would be better, you could bold that on first. Then bold the L bracket to the side of it and the tow hook to the bottom of it. Might be an option but would take a little bit of fabrication on your part. Wouldn't be too hard though, just but a piece for each side and drill the holes where you need them.

Kinda like this maybe?

 

[auburnfan138]

will 04-09 tow hooks off an f150 work?

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

will 04-09 tow hooks off an f150 work?

don't know about 04-09 but 97-03 will work according to Curtis:

See first post: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2128216#post2128216

 

[Hitchhikingmike]

Ah I see.
If you got yourself a scrap piece of C channel or square tubing would be better, you could bold that on first. Then bold the L bracket to the side of it and the tow hook to the bottom of it. Might be an option but would take a little bit of fabrication on your part. Wouldn't be too hard though, just but a piece for each side and drill the holes where you need them.

Kinda like this maybe?

That sound like a great idea! I might just do that. I would love to do some metal work like that myself, but I do not have any resources available to me. We have a few hard core blacksmith/metal working shops here in Denton, Tx. I might go get a quote from them to do something like this for me. It would have to be quite hefty.

Otherwise I don't know where I could find some C channel frame/truck frame where I could cut off a few inches. The bone yards would probably want me to buy an entire truck frame just to cut off a piece

-considering

 

[auburnfan138]

the 04-09 look like they will fit...they just look like they have a longer hook....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD...ryZ33653QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[JCUZ]

Hitchhikingmike - the mount for my nudge bar is flat, not L shaped like yours, so i guess you can't do what I've done. Curtis suggestion would work - just make sure you use something like 3" x 2" RHS steel tubing, and use at least grade 5 bolts (grade 8 would be better).

 

[Curtis]

Hitchhikingmike - the mount for my nudge bar is flat, not L shaped like yours, so i guess you can't do what I've done. Curtis suggestion would work - just make sure you use something like 3" x 2" RHS steel tubing, and use at least grade 5 bolts (grade 8 would be better).

I believe home depot has metal you can buy in short lengths.
I'm sure I saw some 2x4 or 2x3 1/4" wall tubing. You'd only need about 1 ft (looks like 6" / side maybe) but at Home Depot you'd have to buy the whole piece of probably 4 ft.

You could cut it with a hack saw. A metal shop would probably give you the 1ft scrap. and if you told them the length Im sure would cut it for next to nothing. Then you can drill your own holes.

Would take some time but it could be done.
You could bolt it to the top bottom of the frame with the bull guard L bracket, and bolt it to the side of the L bracket too. Double strength.

And Home Depot will have grade 8 bolts. I used grade 5 on mine because at the time there was some discussion on weather the grade 8's would snap easier than the grade 5's because the grade 5's would be a little softer and allow some flex. What ever, the more I read on it - you should get grade 8.

 

[jrford]

I dont' know if its even possible from the pic's . .
is it possible to mount the hooks first then put the guard bracket on???
I got the same hooks from the looks it might fit inside, maybe.
Longer bolt however, might look funny too.

 

[jad2411]

I dont' know if its even possible from the pic's . .
is it possible to mount the hooks first then put the guard bracket on???
I got the same hooks from the looks it might fit inside, maybe.
Longer bolt however, might look funny too.

Don't think so, the guard will be in front of the hooks, covering them, I had also played with the idea of putting tow hooks in mine, but with out buying some I couldn't see how to mount them, and I didn't want to buy some and then see that I couldn't mount them, so I didn't hehe

 

[Nicks2319]

To anyone mounting anything off the frame rails... how do you get access to the inside of the frame rail without pulling the entire front end off? There isn't really anything to thread the bolts into unless you put a plate in there.