GM Tow Hooks

[rock883]

Hey, I am looking to putting gm tow hooks front and rear (4 total) does anyone have some good sloeup shots of them on their explorer? How much are they from the dealer? Anyone live by or own a junkyard that might have 4 of them you could get for me? Thanks

 

[SteveVB]

If you go to the chevy dealer get the kit of two (pn 999866), it comes with some bolts. I paid $18.27 plus tax.

Sorry I dont have pictures, but on my Navajo I made a spacer out of some 3/4" thick bar stock, (I removed the bumper to get into the end of the frame), and drilled a new hole and bolted the hook with the spacer under the end of the frame rail so it sticks out between my air dam and bumper.

Works really well, and it sticks out far enough that I can use the hooks as steps while I am working in the engine compartment!

Have fun

 

[rock883]

Only $18.27? I bet if I went to a ford ealer and tried ordering a pair off of one of their trucks (which would have to be a newer truck seeing as they didn't think to put them on any of them for a while) it would be like $40 for one. Thanks for the help, I e-mailed a junkyard and if they don't respond I might call a few around here, and if that doesn;'t go through, i will go to the dealer, thats a pretty good deal. Seeing as regular hooks cost like $8 for one. Thanks again, too bad you don't have any pics. I don't think I will have to make a spacer since I am getting a body lift and the bumpers will go up with it.

 

[FlyAU]

I know I'm going to take some heat here, but what about the ones Wal-Mart sells for like $8 apiece? Are they any good? They claim to be rated for "10,000 lbs."

 

[rock883]

They are just different looking. I just like the way the GM hooks look. And they are bigger. But the ones youa re talking about will work just as good.

 

[briantf]

$9 hooks will wreck your sheetmetal

Ford just generally have low hanging sheetmetal (compared to Chebbies, anyway). I bought two sets of those 10K lb. hooks, glad I didn't spend too much $$ on them. They're going on receiver inserts at this point.

Look around under your front and rear bumpers; there's no where to mount them and NOT have the tow line impinge on bumper (very weak and flimsy) or sheetmetal (expensive to fix).

Shoot, a friend of mine has a Cherokee Limited, his front tow hook mouting point took out the plastic bumper cover when he yanked a car out of a ditch - that was FACTORY!!

The Ford factory ones on the new F150's and the SportTracs stick out past the front bumper; the rear one on newer Explorers does as well. The fronts I've seen looked OK, that rear factory Explorer hook looked WEAK.

One of the advantages of home brewing a Chevy solution is they're cheap and they stick far out away from sheetmetal/bumpers.

Best solution is a receiver hitch on the front and rear; put the hook/loop on a reciever insert, then it's centered and across both frame rails for maximum strength. I'm getting Duff receiver bumpers front and rear for my Ranger, the Reese front receiver is on it's way for the Explorer.

Best,
Brian in CA

PS No matter how careful offroad you are, you WILL get stuck at some point, and the investment now WILL pay off in the future.

 

[Ray Lobato]

Rock,
I have a few pics of my GM tow hooks, but I had to make a block to extend them done 3.5" to get them below the bumper on my 97. There all close ups, so I don't know if this will help. I have them curving inwards. Hope this helps. I can use my Hi-Lift jack on them.

 

[rock883]

Hey Brian, I don't need to worry about the bumper getting in the way, I am getting a body lift and the front bumper will go up with it, and I am possibly gonna be making a custom bumper for the rear, which I may be able to tow from it, but it will be like this although without the tire carrier and gas can carrier.

or I guess this would be the right pic to show you, but I just love that thing. Dead Link Removed

I could put the hook in between the two bars.

Thanks for the pics Ray, that is quite a block you got there!!

 

[CBoug76]

WalMart tow Hooks

Above is my 1997 Ford Explorer Sport with front tow hooks.
I had to drill 2 holes in the frame, and insert 2 steel threaded plates into the front opening of the frame so that I have something to thread into since there is not enough room to get a socket or a wrench into the frame to hold the Nut. Yes, I had to remove the bumper so I could be able to insert the steel threaded plates into the frame. The Tow hooks do not stick out at all, and they are accessible from the front air dam.