Looking for reliable rear tow pionts

I'm looking to start wheeling my stock '89 a little more and know that tow hooks on the front and rear will be worth their weight in gold if i ever get stuck. Tow hook kits for the front are pretty easy to find on ebay, quadratec and the like but I have had zero luck finding a tow hook kit for the rear of my Jeep. I do have a hitch, but it is a class II (1.25" receiver) so it is hard to find d-ring type accessories to fit it. Has anybody found a cheap way to put reliable, safe tow points on the back without buying an expensive rock bumper? I'm not opposed to drilling or other modificaitons, just looking for ideas.

Thanks,

ECGTECH

Get a Class III hitch with a D-ring adapter?

I dont even use the adapter with mine, just stick the strap into the receiver and put a hitch pin through the loop. Works perfect every time.

cheap way and jeep don't match...It is never cheap...Class 3 like he said.. Good luck

The comment above gave me an idea that would like feedback on. Would it be a bad idea to remove the ball from my tongue and attach a d-ring through the hole that the ball normally bolts through? Please feel free to be as bluntly honest as necessary if this is a bonehead idea.

Thanks,

ECGTECH

ecgtech said:

The comment above gave me an idea that would like feedback on. Would it be a bad idea to remove the ball from my tongue and attach a d-ring through the hole that the ball normally bolts through? Please feel free to be as bluntly honest as necessary if this is a bonehead idea.

Thanks,

ECGTECH

Click to expand...

Welcome neighbor, I have a son at Tech and wheel Bobcat quite a bit so I'm in your area a bunch.

Back on topic; Class 3 and you can use a "straight" ball mount with some mods, I had some spacers made at our machine shop at work and welded them in so the "D" ring wouldnt have slop in it. Really its just as cheap to pick up a "D" ring mount.

thats what i do. i bought a 2" class 5 Curt ball mount rated for 12,000lbs (1,200lb tongue!) i just stick the shackle through the hole (1-1/4") where the ball would normally mount. the thing weighs 12lbs by itself (weighed at checkout line in farm and fleet) and is solid instead of hollow like some of the cheaper ball mounts. it has no welds, it is forged.

http://www.curtmfg.com/index.cfm?event=prodetail&id=143&categoryid=47
D122 is the one i use

Class 3.

My hitch has 4 mounting points near the bumper, and another 4 bolts holding the rear of the hitch, and those hold the skid too.

I never hesitate using it for recovery.

I find it hard to believe that the only solution that anybody can come up with is to buy a bigger hitch. Hasn't anyone got ideas that involve using the abundance of holes in the frame-rails toward the rear of the vehicle or the stock bumper mounting holes? I'm gonna do some fabbing, post up some pics and see what you guys think.

Keep the ideas coming,

ECGTECH

Its really just easier to buy the class III hitch. Im sure you could fab something up.

My bumper mounts a little more then 12" into the frame rails with .120 2"x4" box tube. Then thats bolted through the frame rail and into 3/16" x 2" strap thats welded to the cargo area floor.

I havent mounted any tow points on it cause my hitch does just fine but im sure it would work great for a tow point.

ecgtech said:

I find it hard to believe that the only solution that anybody can come up with is to buy a bigger hitch. Hasn't anyone got ideas that involve using the abundance of holes in the frame-rails toward the rear of the vehicle or the stock bumper mounting holes? I'm gonna do some fabbing, post up some pics and see what you guys think.

Keep the ideas coming,

ECGTECH

Click to expand...

OK.
1. class 3 or above hitch(already mentioned) takes and uses the holes in the uni-frame and stiffens up the back end as well.

2. build (or buy) a rear bumper with d-ring tabs in it. If you go this way make sure that you us some type of frame tie in or it will get ripped off at some point. The stock bumper mounts by themselves are not meant for recovery.

These 2 options are the most used and most trusted. So either a bumper or a hitch will work either way. Just please do not add something like the little hooks and just bolt them to the uni-frame, they are not considered good recovery points, unless you tie them in really really good they will be weak and again can rip off the uni-rail.

Just my .02 on the subject....

Oh and I use a rear class 3 hitch in the rear and a class 3 hitch up front as well for my recovery efforts. I have a d-ring inse5rt that goes into the hitch. It has not failed me yet.