Tow Hooks and Brush guard

Zack A · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:01 pm

Can you mount a brush/bull bar if you have tow hooks? If so how?

Thanks to all

tonycrd · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:19 pm

No you can't. The mounts of the brush guard use the same holes to mount. After the brush guard is in place there is no room left for the hooks.

Zack A · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:22 pm

ok thanks. Didnt know if there was a way to just use longer bolts or not. I guess I can fab something if I want it bad enough

SweepnChoke · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:29 pm

Before I had the ARB bumper I had a Mopar Bull Bar. The reason I chose the Mopar bull bar instead of another brush guard is because it was the only one that didn't list removing the tow hooks as a prerequisite for installation. However when I recieved the bull bar sure enough it had removing the tow hooks as part of the instruction.

HOWEVER!!!!

It is not alway necessary to leave the tow hooks off when installing a brush guard or bull bar, as I found when I installed the Mopar one. You had to remove the tow hooks, install the brackets, then re-install the tow hooks under the brackets, plenty of bolt length left to do so, and I used the front tow hooks on a number of occasions after installing the bull bar.

So the short of it is, yes most bull bars/brush guards say to remove the tow hooks, however in most cases it is possible to remount them on the original bolts. If the brush guard/bull bar you chose makes it impossible to re-install the original tow hooks there are alway alternate methods of installing tow hooks afterwards.

Zack A · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:33 pm

Great thanks for the info. guess ill try to find me a good deal on a mopar bull bar then

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:42 pm

saw a kj at the beach that had a Go Rhino and still had tow hooks

tonycrd · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:42 pm

Did MOPAR make any brushguard for the '05+????

Never seen one.

SweepnChoke · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:29 pm

I wouldn't specifically go with a mopar one, I was just pointing out why I chose that one instead of others, and then it didn't matter anyway as the instructions were the same as most other bars/guards specifying that the tow hooks must be removed.

However like most others even though they say the tow hooks must be removed, you may very well be able to put them back on anyway.

Cobalt-60 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:32 pm

And has anybody figured how to mount one on a '02-'04 with a 1-piece front receiver hitch???? :wink:

I'd love to be able to mount one if for no other reason than to be able to mount my Hella 500s on rather than having to drill the bumper...

SweepnChoke · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:24 pm

Cobolt-60 wrote:

And has anybody figured how to mount one on a '02-'04 with a 1-piece front receiver hitch???? :wink:

I'd love to be able to mount one if for no other reason than to be able to mount my Hella 500s on rather than having to drill the bumper...

got any pics of the hitch/mounting?

Cobalt-60 · **Posted:** Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:30 pm

SweepnChoke wrote:

Cobolt-60 wrote:

And has anybody figured how to mount one on a '02-'04 with a 1-piece front receiver hitch???? :wink:

I'd love to be able to mount one if for no other reason than to be able to mount my Hella 500s on rather than having to drill the bumper...

got any pics of the hitch/mounting?

It is the standard OOP Reese/Draw-Tite/Landy design with a 2" receiver hitch with the two side loops made to fit the '02-'04 bumper seen here:

Sorry, don't have a better pic right now. A bunch of folks here that aren't running an ARB Bumper or Tow Hooks have these, so I am sure there are other pics...

SweepnChoke · **Posted:** Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:46 am

I think you should be fine with the hitch, I know for sure with the bull bar I had you wouldn't have any issues. And with every brush guard I have seen they have two brackets that connect to the tow hook bolts, and then two brackets that feed through the grill, the area around your hitch should be unobstructed and not an issue, at least that I can see.

The bull bar/brush guards are just for esthetics though and serve really no functional purpose (except providing an alternate mounting spot for lights instead of drilling into the bumper. You certainly can't push or pull with them, and if you hit something the guard will do more damage to your front end then the object you hit likely would have if the guard hadn't been there.

Here's a pic of my old one, but most are pretty simuliar in that area, and how they mount (there are some with a "skid plate" for lack of a better term that would get in your way, but as long as your stay away from those ones you should be fine.

Tow Hooks and Brush guard

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