Offroad-Express

Trying to work out where i can mount some front tow hooks on our 89 2 door escudo.

We once had a bracket made up consisting of hook bolted to angle iron, bolted through front tube with large threaded rod, and a stabiliser clamped to the the factory tie down point.

On a few trips there were some not happy with the set up. It has never given us any trouble and taken the load on many occasions, but now want something more beefy/to silence the critics without the expense of getting a winch bar or anything like that.

Browsing the web i came across this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-VITARA-NON-WINCH-BUMPER-BULL-BAR-OFF-ROAD-4X4_W0QQitemZ180464211945QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item2a048157e9

Looks like the bar is bolted through the chassis body mount box section taking the original bumper and body mounts. Would want something beefier than 10mm bolts tho i think. Think 3 m12 engineering bolts will do, as i have plenty of them around, and place a bracket/plate at the back to bolt them through as well.

Is the chassis mount box strong enough to take a hook bolted to some angle iron? Its quite thin with not a lot of welding to the chassis.

How have others mounted front hooks without getting front bumpers to bolt them to? any pics would be very helpful.

Hi Daymo,

Good question, I've been thinking along the same lines. I've just finished putting my hook on the front on Sunday, and this is what I came up with:



It's a piece of 25x10 flat bar 150mm long up inside the chassis rail that I drilled and tapped to take the M12 bolts that came with the hook. The flat bar extends quite a way back inside the chassis rail for a cantilever type effect when the load comes on. After I take it back off to paint the steel, I'll put a piece of 5mm plate between the outside of the rail and the hook, just for extra load spread. My whole idea was to spread the load along the surface and it should all stay connected under load. Oh yeah, and do it cheaply...

IMHO, i would be careful about hooks mounted to replacement steel bumpers for a few reasons:

Firstly, winching a vehicle as opposed to snatch recoveries brings on the load slowly and evenly and does not exert a "shock loading" on the components between the winch and the chassis, causing less stress on whatever it's connected to.

The bolts to hold the bumper to the chassis in the stock location are smaller than the ones required to mount the hook itself, meaning that they will probably be the weakest link under a big load, not to mention that the box piece that the bumper bolts to is pretty thin and dubious at best when you consider what a snatch load could be, maybe 2 or 3 times the weight of the vehicle should it become proper stuck...

You are inherently introduce welds into the equation as soon as the hook isn't being mounted directly to the chassis. While the welds may hold up fine, it is pretty hard to know for sure.

All in all, as long as you are confident that the hook will stay connected past the point where the hook actually fails and straightens out, there's no real problem.

GREAT! I was about to do mine this week end too lol. Thats given me a head start as to how/ where to mount it.

Gofer wrote:GREAT! I was about to do mine this week end too lol. Thats given me a head start as to how/ where to mount it.

A word of caution, be careful to make sure you can still get a strap between the hook and the chassis rail... Mine is a little on the close side, but a snatch strap loop just fits through. I originally planned to have the hook pointed down, but realised that it would be the first thing to hit the ground as i've already cut the bottom half of the stock bumper off.

This is the bracket i mocked up this arvo, the idea to keep the hook high and flat at bumper top height to prevent hook twisting if it was pointing down. Would bolt through chassis box front to back, with another plate on the back side. But as i first mentioned not to clear on the integrity of the chassis box i would like to mount to, but others have mounted through them. There won't be any welding.

Not sure how to add photos here, but this is the link.

CCVC-SAFETY-0002
Approved by the Club Committee 29 June 2005

CCVC-SAFETY-0002
Minimum Standards for Tow Hook Mounting
Introduction:
• The Cross Country Vehicle Club requires members' vehicles to have a certain type of tow hook securely mounted to the front and rear in order to participate in club trips and events.
• Specifications of the hook are detailed in this document. This specification is provided to lessen the risk of hooks becoming lethal airborne missiles if they break or part from the vehicle.
• These are the minimum standards for fitting of all tow hooks.
• Other engineering options equal to or greater than this minimum standard are acceptable.

• These standards came into effect in 2004 for all new and existing installations.

Caution:

• Some later model 4 x 4s will have a crumple zone in the front chassis rails.
• The hooks or plates should not be installed over the crumple zone.
• If there is not a factory mounted hook or mounting point, you should seek professional assistance on mounting tow hooks in accordance with these Standards.
• Note that factory mounted hooks will be inspected to ensure they meet the following Standards.

Hooks:

• Hooks are to be bolted not welded and must comply with Specification CCVCSAFETY-0003 Recovery Hook Requirements.

Chassis:

• If the chassis rail is equal to or less than 3mm thick, then three bolts are to be used when bolting hooks to the chassis. This includes box section and U section chassis rails with captive nuts.
• If the chassis rail is more than 3 mm thick, two bolts through the hook are sufficient.

Bolts:

• The diagrams below show the bolt head markings which designate the correct tensile bolts for tow hook use.

HIGH TENSILE
ISO METRIC
M
8.8
HIGH TENSILE
IMPERIAL

o 12mm diameter Grade 8.8 or 10.9
o 1/2 inch Grade 5 or 8
o Must have nylock nuts or spring washers under the nuts
o NO cap screws
• Bolts must not be close to edges. The measurement from the end of the chassis to the bolt must not be less than:
o 40 mm for 3 mm plate
o 30 mm for 4 mm plate
o 25 mm for 5 mm plate

Torque Figures :

• When installing hooks it is recommended that new nuts and bolts be used.
Nuts and bolts must be torqued to the following specifications:

Size Coarse Fine
12mm 8.8 57ft lbs 64ft lbs
12mm 10.9 77ft lbs 86ft lbs
1/2inch G5 66ft lbs 75ft lbs
1/2inch G8 92ft lbs 104ft lbs

CCVC-SAFETY-0002

Mounting – Option 1:

• The hook may be mounted straight to the chassis, if the chassis thickness is greater than 3 mm.
• 12 mm captive nuts or 12 mm nuts and bolts of a minimum M8.8 standard must be used and can only be used where the bolt passes through one side of the chassis only.
• If the captive nuts are less than 12 mm, an engineer’s advice must be sought on providing a mounting of equivalent strength.

Mounting – Option 2:

• If there are no captive nuts inside the chassis rail, and the chassis is a U section, then the back of the bolts are to be mounted through an additional plate if the chassis rail is equal to or less than 3 mm thick.
• This plate is to be the width of the chassis, 5 mm thick and 120 mm long. If the chassis is equal to or less than 3 mm thick the plate must have 3 mounting holes of 12 mm diameter. One hole is to mount the plate to the chassis independent of the other 2 hook-mounting bolts.
• If the chassis is more than 3 mm thick, only two mounting holes are needed.
• C section chassis rails are required to be boxed as per the diagram on page four of these specifications to prevent them from opening or twisting. The hooks are to be mounted as per Mounting Option 3.

Mounting - Option 3:

• If there are no captive nuts inside the chassis rail, and the chassis is a box section, it will need to be tubed and plated.
• Tubes through the chassis should be 16 mm outer diameter, with a 12 mm bore, with plates on both sides of the chassis. If the chassis rail is equal to or less than 3 mm thick, the three bolt arrangement should be used.
• The plates must be at least the width of the chassis, 5 mm thick and 120 mm long, with 3 mounting holes of 12 mm diameter. One hole is to mount the plates to the chassis independent of the other 2 hook-mounting bolts.

Mounting – Note 1:

• Bumper / Bull Bar mounted hooks only acceptable on a case by case basis.
• ARB (and TJM) state “No snatching from bumpers”.
• Bumper mounted hooks will only be considered for acceptance
when the mounting bolts attach directly to the chassis or to a
suitable structure directly linked to the chassis.


The pics mentioned can be found at this link

http://www.ccvc.org.nz/CCVC-SAFETY-0002 ... 050803.pdf

wow more words than intended

found that when i was looking to fit mine to the sj 410.
not sure what the front beam is like on the tara's but i filled the beam of the sj with a length of 3mm rollcage tube and mounted from there to my bullbar.

Thanks sj408. Yea that all makes sense but if you look at the pic zooky posted there aint a whole lot one can do with a chassis end like these do. a whopping tube from side to side through the middle, the chassis angles down and has the mounting box above, hence where I am stuck.

You will have to excuse the bungy cords holding a few things out of the way but this is what we have to work with.

http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=14042&start=0&hilit=escudo+build

have a look at this thread.

Am I dreaming or does the front end of weemsy's look different to yours, daymo? Mine is the same as yours with the tube from one side to the other... unless i am going blind

I was planning on doing the same as zooky but was more inclined to have it facing downwards, I still have my factory tie down loop on and although it hits EVERYTHING, because of the size of it, it just digs through without a problem

Zooky did you have any issues with the way the chassis tube is 2 piece and overlaps on the bottom meaning the contact area between your hook and the chassis is only about 5mm wide?

mine has a tube section put through the existing chassis tube, then, two 10mm steel angles or 'L' shaped steel pieces welded into each end the inserted tube that is about 10mm longer each side than the chassis tube, then two hooks attached on both L brackets. then you just need to weld the two tubes together at the ends, and or put a couple of bolts through the tubes to stop the inner tube rotating inside the outer chassis one

ike - yes weemsys is different to ours.

Whib - I quite like your idea, yea thats kinda what I had to start with, threaded rod with the L plate bolted to the end.never thought to put a bolt right through to stop it rotating in the tube tho. Would be great to get a hook either side.

yea, just mine has the tube which is prob round 4mm wall thickness running through the whole length of the chassis tube extending about 5-10mm either side.
then the steel angles 'L' piece's of steel have the diameter of the tube cut out of one of its sides and the holes for the hooks on the other bit, that will be parallel to the ground.the angle is then slotted over the tube and welded on, on both sides.
sorry to re explain, just my internet is to slow to pop a picture up which would be much easyer and clearer.

This is what we had originally, but stuck out to far forward and was always digging in. Made up sleeves that went over the rod so it fit snug in the tube, with a large washer welded to it.



Will stick with this i think, no where enough beef in the chassis box, but will alter the bracket so the hook sits further back and slightly higher, and find a way to stop it rotating on the rod so as to attach another on the other side. Welding sounds feasible.

ike wrote:Zooky did you have any issues with the way the chassis tube is 2 piece and overlaps on the bottom meaning the contact area between your hook and the chassis is only about 5mm wide?

Nah, no issue, the 10mm plate I put inside is only 25mm wide so it sits flat inside the rail to the side of the weld. for load spread reasons this seemed important when setting it up. Have a close look at the photo and you can see the two halves of the chassis rail overlapping to the left of the plate.