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 Post subject: Front tow points that are stronger than the Libby!
PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:21 pm 
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There's no pics from the install, but it was so easy, you really don't need any.

Parts...

2x 1.25" receiver arms with a 3.5-4" drop (The small ones for class 2 hitches), about $20 each full price
2x Big arse Clevis Rings. The ones shown are rated at 10k lb. each.
4x 5/8" bolts, 3.25-3.5" long
4x Locking nuts/nylex for the above mentioned bolts.
1" or 1.25" square steel stock, either will work, but 1" is more common i found. However much you need to match the shank length of the receiver arms you got. In my case about 12" total

The hitch bars I used were 2.5" drop. I would have used 4" if I could find them so they would be perfectly centered in the middle of the 2 smaller openings of the bumper.

I got the D-Rings (Clevis if you prefer) from an industrial parts store that was stuck with 50 of them. Some guy ordered them and never came back. They sold em to me for a good price. List was $60ish each.



Tools...

Recip saw or some other means of cutting the 1" square steel stock
Sockets/wrenches to match the nut and bolt you get.
5/8" Drill bit. Must go through 2" of steel, so get a good one.
1" drill bit or whatever size pin comes with your D-Rings of choice (for putting the D-Ring bolt through the hitch arm)
Drill press preffered for the bit, but a hand drill can work. I wouldn't want to though.
Welder optional but recomended for added strength.


How to...

1. Set the hitch arms on their sides so that the shaft is towards the tire and the "drop" is towards the middle. The hole where the hitch ball would normally go should be sideways instead of up/down.

2. Measure the length of the hitch arm shaft and cut 2 peices of the steel stock to the same length using the recip saw.

3. Lay the steel stock on top of the shaft (when mounted, the steel stock will be above the hitch arm) and weld it in place centered on the shaft. You can skip this step if you want, but I highly recomend welding for ease of drilling in later steps and strength. Repeat for the other hitch arm.

4. Using the 5/8" drill bit, widen the existing hole where the hitch pin would go (should be about center or a bit towards the back of the shaft)and continue the hole through the newly added steel stock. Repeat for the other hitch arm.

5. Measure 2.25" from the center of the first hole and mark it as the center of the 2nd hole you need to drill. ***NOTE*** The holes in my frame for the mopar towhooks were 2.25" apart, measure yours to make sure they are the same..

6. using the 5/8" drill bit again, drill completely through the shaft and steel stock macking your second hole. repeat for the other hitch arm.

At this point you should have 2 big peices of metal with holes in em. one with the drop going right and one going left, both with a peice a sqaure steel welded on top.

7. Now use the 1" bit (or whatever size you need for your D-ring pin) and bore out the hole where the hitch ball would go on both peices.

8. Remove your bumper, I leave that up to you to figure out, but it wasn't hard. 4 torx screws on the grill and a bunch of pushtabs is all that holds it in.

9. test a bolt in the stock towhook mounting holes. you may need to use the 5/8" bit to bore it out a bit.

10. bolt them on.

11. install the d-rings and reinstall the bumper



If/when I ever take my bumper off again, I will remove one so you can see what I mean by a lot of these steps.

Image
Image

Finally snapped some pics of the underside.
Image


***Additional stuff since this post***

I welded a piece of 1" swaure stock between the 2 arms turning them into 1 solid unit. They've worked well since I put them on. I've pulled everything from snow-stuck civics to Fully loaded Suburbans out of stuck and a few KJs too. Any of the heavier vehicles tended to bend the bolts holding these in place towards whatever direction I was pulling. I finally replaced the grade 5 bolts I had handly when I made them with grade 8 bolts. I also welded that stock in between the 2 for even more strength. The last time I used them, to tug an ambulance off a snow pile during the huge storm we had in Feb, they didn't budge.

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-oooooo- ---Craig, L.O.S.T. #CT068103
/______\ ---http://jeep.allgris.com
O||||||||O ---'02 Sport 4x4, 5-spd,
[]--------[] ---2.5" BDS lift, 245/75/16 MT/Rs, Moab Rims, Locked and Regeared!
[]_____[] ---The list got to long, go to my web site for more!


Last edited by Gris on Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:15 am, edited 9 times in total.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:42 pm 
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Looks nice I always prefer the D shackles over tow hooks on any Vehicle.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:48 pm 
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I like it!

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 1:18 am 
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I like that idea alot ! Thanks for sharing that with us :D


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:13 am 
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Nice write up! Thanks

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:26 pm 
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P.S. I have some of the shackles I used for the relatively cheap price of $20 each, and about $4 each for shipping expenses to most places in the US.

Note. this is just the shackle itself, not the whole contraption I built.

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-oooooo- ---Craig, L.O.S.T. #CT068103
/______\ ---http://jeep.allgris.com
O||||||||O ---'02 Sport 4x4, 5-spd,
[]--------[] ---2.5" BDS lift, 245/75/16 MT/Rs, Moab Rims, Locked and Regeared!
[]_____[] ---The list got to long, go to my web site for more!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:44 pm 
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is this kinda what you used?http://rustysoffroad.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=rustys&Product_Code=RBS-67&Category_Code=rec_hit


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:46 am 
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not really. That looks like it's supposed to bolt into the same place a stock tow hook would.

Mine was actually a hitch arm turned on it's side.

one of these, except the $15 walmart variety, and turned on its side.
Image

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-oooooo- ---Craig, L.O.S.T. #CT068103
/______\ ---http://jeep.allgris.com
O||||||||O ---'02 Sport 4x4, 5-spd,
[]--------[] ---2.5" BDS lift, 245/75/16 MT/Rs, Moab Rims, Locked and Regeared!
[]_____[] ---The list got to long, go to my web site for more!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 12:56 am 
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did u drill anymore holes???


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:05 am 
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yes. Read the instructions in the first post.

You need to bore out the existing pin hole, drill a snd hole in the shaft, and bore out the ball hole (if your shackle pin is wider than the ball hole is)

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-oooooo- ---Craig, L.O.S.T. #CT068103
/______\ ---http://jeep.allgris.com
O||||||||O ---'02 Sport 4x4, 5-spd,
[]--------[] ---2.5" BDS lift, 245/75/16 MT/Rs, Moab Rims, Locked and Regeared!
[]_____[] ---The list got to long, go to my web site for more!


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 Post subject: love it
PostPosted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:35 pm 
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I was about to do this Very same thing Im mounting a brush guard and like most brush gaurds you loose the tow hooks. I was about to install a unit just like this and also bolt my brushguard to it. you beat me to it although your not bolting a brush guard its the same concept.. the only thing i was worried about is the mounting part of it but it looks like you didnt have a problem so im golden...
Ill take pictures of my deal and post them on here as well..

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:58 pm 
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would a 3.5 drop put it in the center,

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:12 pm 
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4 - 4.5" would centering it perfectly I think. 3.5 would still be a bit close to the outer edge.

Only problem is that I think it you got with that much drop, you'd loose some structural stability because of the extra 1" of leverage that the larger drop creates on the shackle.

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-oooooo- ---Craig, L.O.S.T. #CT068103
/______\ ---http://jeep.allgris.com
O||||||||O ---'02 Sport 4x4, 5-spd,
[]--------[] ---2.5" BDS lift, 245/75/16 MT/Rs, Moab Rims, Locked and Regeared!
[]_____[] ---The list got to long, go to my web site for more!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:18 pm 
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would this kinda work? http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=rustys&Product_Code=RBS-67&Category_Code=rec_hit


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:11 am 
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technically yes, but really no.

The reason I chose the hitch arm is because our frame is not lines up with the bumper holes. Those things from Rusty's would work, but you'd have to cut new openings in your bumper cover to get them in.

I used 2.5" drop arms and you can see that I barely make it into the bumper openings. I reccomend 4" so they are more centered. You can imagine where the Rusty's ones will come out since they are strait.

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-oooooo- ---Craig, L.O.S.T. #CT068103
/______\ ---http://jeep.allgris.com
O||||||||O ---'02 Sport 4x4, 5-spd,
[]--------[] ---2.5" BDS lift, 245/75/16 MT/Rs, Moab Rims, Locked and Regeared!
[]_____[] ---The list got to long, go to my web site for more!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:21 am 
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Great idea and write up. I'm glad I waited to install either tow hooks or hidden hitch. Now this gives me another option.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:59 am 
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Northern Tool, www.northerntool.com has a 10,000lb. "D" clevis, forged steel & powder coated for less than $3.00.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Mar 11, 2007 11:43 am 
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i want to do this mod to my jeep, but i do not have a drill press and am afraid that i'd mess up drilling it. that is my problem.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:19 am 
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I agree taht doing it without a press is not a good idea. In my case, they are 5/8 holes. That's a HUGE hole to br drilling througn 2" of steel by hand.

Do you have any friends with a drill press? If so, go get yourself the bits you need so you don;t break their's and ask to barrow it for a few hours.

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-oooooo- ---Craig, L.O.S.T. #CT068103
/______\ ---http://jeep.allgris.com
O||||||||O ---'02 Sport 4x4, 5-spd,
[]--------[] ---2.5" BDS lift, 245/75/16 MT/Rs, Moab Rims, Locked and Regeared!
[]_____[] ---The list got to long, go to my web site for more!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:17 am 
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Maybe I missed something, but what is the purpose of the steel stock? I seem to remember someone else doing this and not having to do that step, just bolted the hitches in....

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