Front Shackles?

[4Factor]

Is there such a beast as a front shackle that bolts in the spots that the front tow hooks go. I've got the Mopar hooks, but I think it'd be WAY better if I had a set of D-shackles there instead (and WAY cooler too). Anyone know of anyone who makes such a thing?

I don't want a front hitch with 1 shackle unless I have to, I'm thinking otherwise first.

 

[J-Thompson]

all bling
they serve no purpse other wise
also if you go this route then the bolts become the "fuse"
blow that fuse and some one may die
granted a hook can break but it dont weigh 10# on the end of a strap
shackles rust and get caked with mud making them a real PITA to use
keep the hooks unless you have the eye welded to a bumper like the ARB
just my .02

 

[phxtoad]

Front D-rings

You can get the new Detours Backbone for KJ's... Mount a winch and get front D-rings!

http://www.detoursusa.com./

I just put mine on last weekend...

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http://www.cardomain.com/ride/683398/21

SCHWEET!

Todd

 

[MoladoGuy]

Installing Front D-Rings

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[Corwyyn]

You can get the new Detours Backbone for KJ's... Mount a winch and get front D-rings!

Ahhh, so that's why your selling your front tow hooks Well, I could always get a winch mount for my receiver hitch...

4Factor, you could always do what Gris did and fab some up. Might take a bit of work with some machine tools but I think it would do what you want.

 

[4Factor]

4Factor, you could always do what Gris did and fab some up. Might take a bit of work with some machine tools but I think it would do what you want.

Thanks guys for posting the links and pics of Gris' install, that's exactly what I was looking for. I'll keep my eye open for some proper pieces now that I've read what needs to be done. I'll have to talk to a machine shop to get the hitches drilled, I haven't the tools for that.

The detourusa.com front piece is nice, but there's no way I'm cutting my front bumper as seen in the last picture in the instructions (last pic)

 

[phxtoad]

Detours

The detourusa.com front piece is nice, but there's no way I'm cutting my front bumper as seen in the last picture in the instructions (last pic)

Aw c'mon, it wasn't that bad. They give you a full decal for a template now (vs. the cardboard one in the pic) - and you just cut along it's edge with a Dremel. Super simple.

Anyway good luck with the project!

TL

 

[o8k]

all bling
they serve no purpse other wise
also if you go this route then the bolts become the "fuse"
blow that fuse and some one may die
granted a hook can break but it dont weigh 10# on the end of a strap
shackles rust and get caked with mud making them a real PITA to use
keep the hooks unless you have the eye welded to a bumper like the ARB
just my .02

why does everyone always get so fussy about Recovery points? Who ever Yanks on a rope tied to their jeep liberty? Ive never even heard of anyone doing that w/ a libby. If your that stuck, get a bigger puller and "tow" it out safely, rather than yanking on a rope w/ a bunch of slack in it all cowboy slim pikins style.... I would think recovery of a Unibody frame is just silly all together (IMHO). if your airbags dont go off, your frame will prolly warp from the stress...

D-Rings or hooks will both serve as a very effective tow point. Recovery point however, like you said... Bad idea! SO.... Just dont do it!!!!

Im sure there is some way some how to make a very effective recovery point if you really wanted to, but my 2 cents is.. Dont Bother, you will prolly be towable from wherever your stuck. if you need to be yanked, your prolly up to your doors in goo and mud and you have bigger problems, so go call a wrecker / tow truck and have them "tow" you out of the mess your in.

 

[Atrus]

well said o8k, I fully agree.

 

[MoladoGuy]

why does everyone always get so fussy about Recovery points? Who ever Yanks on a rope tied to their jeep liberty? Ive never even heard of anyone doing that w/ a libby. If your that stuck, get a bigger puller and "tow" it out safely, rather than yanking on a rope w/ a bunch of slack in it all cowboy slim pikins style.... I would think recovery of a Unibody frame is just silly all together (IMHO). if your airbags dont go off, your frame will prolly warp from the stress...

D-Rings or hooks will both serve as a very effective tow point. Recovery point however, like you said... Bad idea! SO.... Just dont do it!!!!

Im sure there is some way some how to make a very effective recovery point if you really wanted to, but my 2 cents is.. Dont Bother, you will prolly be towable from wherever your stuck. if you need to be yanked, your prolly up to your doors in goo and mud and you have bigger problems, so go call a wrecker / tow truck and have them "tow" you out of the mess your in.

well said o8k, I fully agree.

LOL!! I gotta call a wrecker because of this?

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The Tow hooks/D-Rings should only be used for these purposes?

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[4Factor]

all bling
they serve no purpse other wise
also if you go this route then the bolts become the "fuse"
blow that fuse and some one may die
granted a hook can break but it dont weigh 10# on the end of a strap
shackles rust and get caked with mud making them a real PITA to use
keep the hooks unless you have the eye welded to a bumper like the ARB
just my .02

I clean my vehicle occasionally and it's not mud that I drive in, it's worse... it's snow and road salt!

D-Rings or hooks will both serve as a very effective tow point. Recovery point however, like you said... Bad idea! SO.... Just dont do it!!!!
Im sure there is some way some how to make a very effective recovery point if you really wanted to, but my 2 cents is.. Dont Bother, you will prolly be towable from wherever your stuck. if you need to be yanked, your prolly up to your doors in goo and mud and you have bigger problems, so go call a wrecker / tow truck and have them "tow" you out of the mess your in.

I'll re-but both of these in one story.

In the winter (Canada... SNOW!!!) I'm the nicest guy you'll EVER meet. I'm the guy that will stop to help stranded motorists whether it be a boost or to pull them out of a snowbank when they slide off the road. I've noticed that when using the front hooks the strap barely stays on, it's constantly wanting to pop right back off the top before I get tension behind it. D-Rings would be a much easier solution. Take this situation as an example and you'll understand why calling a tow-truck is not always the answer for everyone.

Full sized van stuck off the side of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I pull up and offer to help. I get out and find out that he's been digging for about 2 hours by hand (no shovel) and his thin fabric work gloves are soaked, his hands are nearly raw, he's freezing and he still can't rock it out. I asked why he kept at it so long without calling for help and he said his wife was on the way, but just after he called her, his cell phone died (no 12V charger) so he had to wait until she got there anyways. I get out my shovel and my strap and offer him a fresh (warm) pair of gloves. We take turns digging for about 20 minutes and then hook him up to the strap on my front hooks. At that moment his wife walks up with a 3 week old baby in hand. She had to park further away for risk of getting stuck in the deeper snow where we were. So we hook it up and I try to pull him out, but the strap is being tempermental and we're having a tough time keeping it on. I drive back down the (skinny) road and find a turn around point so we can use the rear hitch. A couple minutes later and he's free and ready to go home. I told him to keep the gloves (they were free from when I worked at a warehouse) and off I went with a big thank you from the both of them.

So here's a guy with a newborn and all the money strains that go with that, and he gets stuck and his wife is probably worried sick as to why she can't call him back. He was in no financial situation to call for a tow truck recovery and this would have likely been something that waited until morning anyways, making him late for work (docking of his pay?).

So you see my desire for D-Rings? I'm not using them for some tractor pull competition, just something a bit more usable than the hooks. I would've hated to not be able to help that guy just because we couldn't keep the strap on the hooks. After all the effort of digging it would've seemed like wasted effort if the tow truck needed calling anyways (from my cell!).

 

[o8k]

LOL!! I gotta call a wrecker because of this?
The Tow hooks/D-Rings should only be used for these purposes?

First off... omg ROFL who's tow hitch was that? Thats down right funny. Not sure how that all went down there but looks like somthing went wrong!
Well theres a right and a wrong way to do everything i would suppose... Tow and Recover!

 

[o8k]

I clean my vehicle occasionally and it's not mud that I drive in, it's worse... it's snow and road salt!



I'll re-but both of these in one story.

In the winter (Canada... SNOW!!!) I'm the nicest guy you'll EVER meet. I'm the guy that will stop to help stranded motorists whether it be a boost or to pull them out of a snowbank when they slide off the road. I've noticed that when using the front hooks the strap barely stays on, it's constantly wanting to pop right back off the top before I get tension behind it. D-Rings would be a much easier solution. Take this situation as an example and you'll understand why calling a tow-truck is not always the answer for everyone.

Full sized van stuck off the side of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I pull up and offer to help. I get out and find out that he's been digging for about 2 hours by hand (no shovel) and his thin fabric work gloves are soaked, his hands are nearly raw, he's freezing and he still can't rock it out. I asked why he kept at it so long without calling for help and he said his wife was on the way, but just after he called her, his cell phone died (no 12V charger) so he had to wait until she got there anyways. I get out my shovel and my strap and offer him a fresh (warm) pair of gloves. We take turns digging for about 20 minutes and then hook him up to the strap on my front hooks. At that moment his wife walks up with a 3 week old baby in hand. She had to park further away for risk of getting stuck in the deeper snow where we were. So we hook it up and I try to pull him out, but the strap is being tempermental and we're having a tough time keeping it on. I drive back down the (skinny) road and find a turn around point so we can use the rear hitch. A couple minutes later and he's free and ready to go home. I told him to keep the gloves (they were free from when I worked at a warehouse) and off I went with a big thank you from the both of them.

So here's a guy with a newborn and all the money strains that go with that, and he gets stuck and his wife is probably worried sick as to why she can't call him back. He was in no financial situation to call for a tow truck recovery and this would have likely been something that waited until morning anyways, making him late for work (docking of his pay?).

So you see my desire for D-Rings? I'm not using them for some tractor pull competition, just something a bit more usable than the hooks. I would've hated to not be able to help that guy just because we couldn't keep the strap on the hooks. After all the effort of digging it would've seemed like wasted effort if the tow truck needed calling anyways (from my cell!).

I dont see how this is a rebute exactly (im confused)...To clear things up let me define a few things, best i understand, I was only tryin to help:

1) Tow -- To ancor a rope or strap of some sort from stuck vehicle to somthing that can pull. ALL slack OUT of line, a slow steady pull force is applied till the said stuck vehicle is free

2) Recover -- To ancor a rope or strap of some sort from stuck vehicle to somthing that can not only pull but "jerk". A bit of slack left in the line, a quick jerking or YANK force (as its called) is applied and you can increase the pull force by more than the Tow capacity of system defined in bullet "1)" This is obviously more stress on the system and is exponentialy more dangerous. But quite effective if the system is deisnged to handle it, and deadly if it isnt. I personaly would reserve said method "2)" for dire emergencies, which it sounds like you may have been in.

All that being said, I dont believe A wrecker would ever perform a Recovery manuver (they would tow), due to liability and such, it may happen but in my VERY VERY limited experience ive not heard of such a thing. Did you actualy Tow him out from his hitch or Recover him out? Either way im glad to hear you helped him on his way. I like helping people like that too... Ive always wanted to do stuff like that and jump at the chance.

But ill stand by my statement that creating a true and properly designed "recovery" point on a Unibody is difficult and IMHO not worth the effort. Creating Tow points is however is a critical thing esp if you take the Unibody vehicle places where it can get stuck and will need to be "un-stucke'ed" AND Hooks, D-Rings, Hitches ect ect ect all CAN and are just find as TOW points (if properly installed, MoladoGuy Obviously showing how things can go wrong, im still giggling about it too). I was defending your desire to put them on in my first statement.

However MoladoGuy you must tell the story on those pics, I think theres some lessons in there somwhere that would help me learn more about all this stuff.....

 

[o8k]

ok one more cuz im board....

about the wrecker thing.... its an example of the "get a bigger hammer concept" this could also mean, call a friend w/ a bigger tow capacity, or have 2 libbys help pull or somthing... But a bigger Tow'er vs a Yanker is my prefered way to go given said and demonstrated riskes already mentioned.

 

[4Factor]

1) Tow -- To anchor a rope or strap of some sort from stuck vehicle to something that can pull. ALL slack OUT of line, a slow steady pull force is applied till the said stuck vehicle is free

2) Recover -- To anchor a rope or strap of some sort from stuck vehicle to something that can not only pull but "jerk". A bit of slack left in the line, a quick jerking or YANK force (as its called) is applied and you can increase the pull force by more than the Tow capacity of system defined in bullet "1)" This is obviously more stress on the system and is exponentially more dangerous. But quite effective if the system is designed to handle it, and deadly if it isn't. I personally would reserve said method "2)" for dire emergencies, which it sounds like you may have been in.

With those two definitions of "TOW" and "RECOVER" laid out, I can see you're EXACTLY right. I very much doubt I'd use the front shackles as "RECOVERY" points much the same as I don't currently use my front hooks for "RECOVERY". I find those points "soft" and as you mentioned in your reference to unibody points I think they're a great way to ruin the vehicle. I'd "TOW" from them but not "RECOVER". However I don't feel the same about the rear hitch (yeah, yeah, it's still a unibody through and through). I've used the hitch for towing AND recovery and will continue to do so as long as I feel I'm not stressing things too much which is basically just a judgment one has to make based on each situation.
Anyways today I looked for the hitch receivers as Gris has them done, and I think it might not be what I'm looking for so I might re-think it all together. I think I might do a "rear shelf/organizer" first. So many projects/ideas so little time

 

[Epic-yoda]

Sometimes all you need is a little snap on the tow strap shouldn't hurt a thing unless your stupid about it. I got stuck over the winter in the snow trying to pull my brothers s-10 out of about a foot and a half of snow almost made it but I slid into a steep ditch. My buddy had to come with his big jacked up truck, he had to snap that tow strap a bunch of times to get me out.

 

[J-Thompson]

well first I would guess that you guys that are just "pulling" folks out have never had to deal with the suction that is created when the stuck rig is in mud
happens often in south Louisiana F250 ,mine, slid off the side of the road in to about 18" of soft mud ,I could stand on and not sink
F350 4X4 dually could not "pull" it out but he hung out to see how the tow truck was going to get me out
he failed as well ,pulled him to me but not in to the mud
F350 "snached" using large strap and nothing broke

On to the KJ hooks
They are doing a bunch of road/drainage work in the business park by my house I use it as a short cut to get places some of the businesses are on both sides of the road so they often cross with fork lifts
as we ,my wife the baby and me, were on our way to get dinner we came across a funny site a nice new Nissan Titan pulling and yanking a fork lift to the point he was smoking his 1 rear wheel
I told my wife ,who was driving, to go pull that thing out
the driver of the Titan said that we would "break our little toy" trying to pull
out 8K# of stuck fork lift but if we did he would give us $20
I placed the strap ends on both hooks instructed my wife to go just faster then idel speed ,about 5-10 mph and do not stop when in kicks
and the 8K# fork lift was DRAGED 3 feet
we did not bend the unibody
we did not break the hooks
or any junk like that
10+ years of off roading togeather and of the 3 jeeps and 2 pick ups we have had we have never broken a hook or had a strap comee off
if we think the pull or what ever will be a lot we use the rear
simple
Get out there and wheel for real

 

[Epic-yoda]

Hell yah glad you proved him wrong, I would have slaped him for calling my jeep a top!!!! Right after pulling that fork out of course.

 

[o8k]

i had looked up this book on amazon about recovery how to... was thinking bout pickin that up and learning a thing er two about it. good info guys. ya i agree i bet if u could still get that front tow hitch it may work too as a recivery point. the whole recovery thing spooks me tho. but then again, ill pick up that book one day and things may b different when i know what im doing. may just confirm.... donno

 

[Corwyyn]

Hell yah glad you proved him wrong, I would have slaped him for calling my jeep a top!!!! Right after pulling that fork out of course.

Not to mention that he let the wife do it - a little lady driving a little 'toy' Jeep doing what his big honkin' truck couldn't do... Priceless!

Did you give your wife the $20?