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tow hooks

Or just get a front receiver hitch from Drawtite for about $110.00. It has built in tow hooks and is totally strong, and you get a front receiver as a bonus! Installation is relatively easy too.
 
The OEM jeep towhook setup resembles Yucca-man's, but has a couple of added braces to help prevent the brackets themselves from bending. In addition, the OEM ones have the bumper brackets welded on, so they are specific to pre-97 and 97-up bumpers.

Installation is not hard if your Jeep is not too rusty. If your bumper is rather rusty, be prepared to have to replace the clip-on nuts that hold the bumper to the brackets, and possibly to have to destroiy the torx-head bolts as well.

I have seen some writeups that suggest you must remove the steering gear to get the brackets on, but this is not the case for the OEM ones. I have put them on a 95 and a 99.
 
So what kinda work do I gotta do to pull the factory tow-hok bracetry off an 87? Just he big torx heads & the little bolts or are the bumper mounts on there too?
 
Make sure and get the big Torx head bolts (and sleeve nuts) that go through the frame and the small brackets, that go between the hooks and main bracket, and tie into the bottom of the uniframe as well. There are also a couple of angle brackets that tie the main brackets to the front core support. In other words, make sure you grab everything that's bolted to them from the junkyard. Read about my ordeal here: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=93953 --------Hans
 
Not meaning to hi-jack but on my MJ, I have the front skid. I am currently replacing the front bumper and bumper brackets, if I want to add tow hooks do I have to take off or modify the front skid?
 
MoochsXJ said:
Not meaning to hi-jack but on my MJ, I have the front skid. I am currently replacing the front bumper and bumper brackets, if I want to add tow hooks do I have to take off or modify the front skid?
Click to expand...
Depends on the bumper, alot of the aftermarket ones mount in place of the OEM tow-hook brackets.
 
jstggs said:
So what kinda work do I gotta do to pull the factory tow-hok bracetry off an 87? Just he big torx heads & the little bolts or are the bumper mounts on there too?
Click to expand...

If it's factory, follow Oatmeal's advice, and expect the bumper brackets to be welded on to the tow hook brackets as a unit. You will toss your old bumper brackets when you put the tow hooks on. If you're at the junkyard, make sure you salvage a few extra of those big clip-on nuts that are used for bumpers and the like, because you'll probably break a couple doing the job. Check out neighboring XJ's at the yard if need be. There are usually a bunch of those nuts remaining.
 
jstggs said:
Depends on the bumper, alot of the aftermarket ones mount in place of the OEM tow-hook brackets.
Click to expand...

Well I've been debating an aftermarket steel bumper with some d-rings or OEM replacement, with factory tow hook brackets. I'd just like to keep the skid with minimal modification.
 
Chances of finding towhooks in a junkyard are rare, if you have to purchase towhook brackets, ebay has a few dealer bracket kits still (dealers dont carry them anymore, at least in canada) or buy aftermarket, I just installed my custom 4x4 fabrications brackets last week and love them, I would steer away from tomken brackets, I have seen them bend quite easily.
 
twisted_ed said:
Chances of finding towhooks in a junkyard are rare, if you have to purchase towhook brackets, ebay has a few dealer bracket kits still (dealers dont carry them anymore, at least in canada) or buy aftermarket, I just installed my custom 4x4 fabrications brackets last week and love them, I would steer away from tomken brackets, I have seen them bend quite easily.
Click to expand...

One of the problems is that if you do find junkyard tow hooks, they're likely either on a beater that died a natural death (i.e. rusted to the point of needing a torch to get off), or on a vehicle that got hit, and of course the likeliest hit is on the front. You must look carefully and gauge how much time you might have to spend unbending, or how much time finding or fabricating new fasteners. The big bolts that hold the bracket to the frame must have very shallow heads to prevent interference with the sway bar. Even the factory Torx can hit sometimes.

I got lucky with my last set. They came off fairly easily and I was able to save all the bolts, and only one of the bumper bracket edges was a little bent, easily hammered out.
 
Matthew Currie said:
If it's factory, follow Oatmeal's advice, and expect the bumper brackets to be welded on to the tow hook brackets as a unit. You will toss your old bumper brackets when you put the tow hooks on. If you're at the junkyard, make sure you salvage a few extra of those big clip-on nuts that are used for bumpers and the like, because you'll probably break a couple doing the job. Check out neighboring XJ's at the yard if need be. There are usually a bunch of those nuts remaining.
Click to expand...

Those "clip-on nuts" are also sometimes called "speed nuts". Don't bother trying to pull them off wrecks in a salvage yard - just go to your local parts store with one off your rig (or the remains of one if it didn't come off intact) and get new ones. They should run $0.25 each.

I bought the Rusty's kit a few years back, and have gotten good service from them, but they don't have all the cross bracing that the OEM has. Had I known how much I was going to bend them, I would have added a plate between the two hook mounting areas to tie the two together (with a receiver on it, I've heard of such an animal referred to as a "tow plate").

Rob
 
Rob Mayercik said:
, I would have added a plate between the two hook mounting areas to tie the two together (with a receiver on it, I've heard of such an animal referred to as a "tow plate").

Rob
Click to expand...


I got mine out of the yard (and a couple other sets as well). The set I got has all of the brackets, and it also had a piece that runs under the radiator support that ties the two hooks together. It doesn't have a receiver on it though. I didn't think it was OEM, but it might have been part of an aftermarket hitch setup, but there was nothing else on the Jeep that it all came off of. It's definatley not homebrewed, it looks like a factory piece. Whatever it is, it does tie both hooks together (the ends are bracketed and are held between the top of the hook and the bracket, with the 2 hook bolts. I'll snap a couple pics of it tonight and post them up.
Jeff
 
I just installed my new (used) hooks a few days ago. pretty easy just locating them at a pick & pull is the hard part. Most XJ's I found were well lubricated from oil leaks.

to answer another question yes, remove your skid plate only 4 bolts 3 nutz, easy
 
Follow up question, If I go OEM front bumper, and I purchase OEM tow hook brackets(87 MJ) they have bumper brackets on them or do I have to purchase and add later?
 
Excellent, thank you very much. One more, the only difference between 96- and 97+ is how the bumper attaches to the bumper bracket? From the pictures I've seen everything is the same except for how the bumper mounts to the bumper bracket. Every other hole looks the same.
 
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