Factory tow hooks?

Search of all tech forums yielded mention of "factory tow hook brackets".

Looking for a way to mount a front hook while retaining oem bumper. front fascia, etc.

First use of this hook would be towing the XJ from my shop to another that is equipped with a lift so we can more easily install the rebuilt original 4.0.

2000 XJ 4.0 AW-4 all stock. New head, pistons, o/pump, bearings.

tia,

summit94

Tow hooks were optional equipment for all years of XJ Cherokees. Front brackets and tow hooks mount below the stock bumper in the openings provided. 1984-1996 brackets are different than the 1997-2001 brackets. Most people install a class III hitch for a rear tow point.

Send me a Private Message, I have a 2-3 sets of factory front tow hooks in the garage.

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Tow hooks are intended for extraction, not flat towing.

I would consider renting a tow dolly for a few hours.

The 97' and up factory tow hook brackets are welded to the bumper mounts.

There are a number of places that sell brackets that sub a D-ring for the Hook.

Thanks for the offers and comments. Here's a pair on eBay that seem to employ spring steel keepers for flat towing [about a mile].

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Omix-Ada-11...pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr

Do these part numbers match with what works for 97-01 XJ's?

tia,

summit94

The hooks...even WITH keepers are not meant for flat towing. It can be done, just not recommended.

I'd rent a dolly for the flat tow and then look for proper tow hooks at leisure. They sometimes show up at a junkyard or elsewhere.

The XJ factory hooks for both bumper styles were originally made with the bumper brackets welded on. Those brackets can be ground off, and the hook brackets beneath are the same for all years. Most aftermarket sets I've seen don't come with the braces shown above. Those braces will keep the bracket from bending or twisting under uneven loads, but unbraced brackets will function without damaging the vehicle. The main thing any bracket setup must have is a bolt through the reinforced frame hole in the vehicle. You'll notice that there is one hole in the "frame," which has an internal reinforcement. That's the key to not tearing your Jeep apart when you yank on it.

If you do bodge up something of your own, or find something that is incomplete, you should notice too that the long bolt that goes through the reinforced hole has a torx head on it. That is because a normal bolt head will bump into the stabilizer bar. So if you don't get the special bolt, you will have to grind the bolt head down to about half depth to clear the stabilizer bar.

The bumper design of the 97-up requires a deep based tow hook (as shown in the above picture) to clear the plastic skirt, but it is not absolutely necessary if you're willing to bend or cut the plastic.

Rather than rent a tow dolly, I figure to use those $$ to get a hook setup. We have a 1-ton farm truck to use as tow vehicle. The tow route is almost all downhill and on back roads. Here in the boonies of VA we don't get too formal about towing unless it's on a major highway.

Had actually thought about wrapping a strap around the front axle, but there's an awful lot of steering gear just ahead...

summit94

If you can stand the delay, then, might as well get some hooks, but remember that the towed vehicle's brakes will be nasty without power. It takes a little practice to rope tow a vehicle elegantly, but it can be done well enough. Make sure you use a long enough rope, and that it's something that will not be harmed by touching the pavement when it goes slack, and that it's tied in a way that will not fall off the inverted hooks on an XJ.

I'm sure you can get them in many other places, but go to www.etrailer.com and get something safer. They sell front mounted hitches, tow bars, etc. http://www.etrailer.com/towbar-2000_Jeep_Cherokee.htm or http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merc...e=IROR&Product_Code=IR-XTHM&Category_Code=PFX as a recovery point.

Matthew Currie said:

... and that it's tied in a way that will not fall off the inverted hooks on an XJ...

Click to expand...

But these hooks have springy keepers on them.

ParadiseXJ said:

But these hooks have springy keepers on them.

Click to expand...

I've never seen springy keepers on the standard factory tow hooks. Maybe I had the wrong hooks (mine always came from the junkyard), but they looked like the ones in the picture above. My 99 has springy keepers because I used the old style tow hooks and you have to push past the plastic skirt, but that's not quite the OEM design.

Tow straps fall off upside-down tow hooks. The logical solution is to buy or make some D-ring clevis brackets that bolt into the tow hook spot, and sell the stupid hooks.

http://www.rustysoffroad.com/rustys-bolt-on-shackle.html


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^ Neat!