What do you think about using those gmc j hooks on a cherokee?

[1988 Cherokee]

What do you think about using those gmc j hooks on a cherokee?

Initial looky under the bumpers on frame came up with no holes, but the j hooks came with backing metal. I will sand them down and paint them.

I bought some D shackles from princess auto as well. I need recovery points on my rig, already got it stuck in nothing snow and broke ratchet straps on the leaf hanger and buddy almost went to far, came within a foot of hitting a beamer.

[w squared]

If you have an XJ, use XJ recovery points. Period.

XJ's (cherokees) are unibody construction. It's not as simple as picking a spot and bolting something on.

Please - for the sake of your own safety and the safety of people around you when doing a recovery, get some real XJ recovery points. Cheaping out on recovery points or the associated hardware is a good way to have chunks of metal ripped off your rig.

[jpthing]

I would actually have to see the hooks and your intended mounting position to venture an opinion. That said my buddy has a decent rear tow hook setup on the rear of his XJ that is a Princesss Auto 10K hook with a 3/16 plate to help spread the load and sleeves to prevent the "frame rail" from crushing.

wsquared is right that the tow point must not be a weak point or your's and other safety is at risk...but I disagree that the only way to be safe is to buy some product...I have pulled too many broken or defective, "quality, brand name" parts off my rig to still think this way. If you can cut and weld 3/16+ steel and your welds and concept are fine, you should be able to make your own mount. That said the easiest thing to do would be to keep an eye out at PNP for the factory front towhook mounting bracket. The rears are easier to rig up yourself since it can attach where the trailer hitch is supposed to.

Check out Nates4X4 website. he has some really affordable bumpers for jeeps which have tow points and have held up really well for me despite their simple designs and extremely low prices (my TJ bumper was $90 US!!!).

[JackstandJohnny]

todd is right. the unibody is not the strongest design to bolt stuff too.
front tow hooks on an XJ have big brackets that attach to the frame/unibody to distribute the force over a larger area (so you don't rip the jeep apart)  
http://rustysoffroad.com/mm5/media/recovery/xj-th_01.jpg

you can find them at the wreckers or i bet soemone on the site has a set.


please don't skimp on recovery gear; safety is everyone's concern.
also for your rear, get a rear hitch or something as a tow point; pulling around shackles is dangerous as well.

[cLAY]

You could bolt the gmc hooks to the factory tow hook brackets or equilant but you need some sort of bracket system to bolt to the unibody, you can'nt bolt the hooks directly to the body.

[Mikes off road]

I once hooked up to a guys receiver hitch. He had the proper attachment with a clevis on it. When I went to yank him out it after two or three pulls the hitch broke right in the middle beside the square tubing. After doing a little research the hitches are only rated for 5000lbs of pulling force. They are not designed as a recovery point and are not made to with stand repeated yanks of another truck. Since that day I refuse to hook to the hitch as a recovery point. Just my opinion.

[jpthing]

I agree with Mike, in fact I was suprised that the CJA allows hitches to be used as a recovery point. I have seen 3 hitches broken as a result of recovery. They do work fine in most situations though where just a gentle tug or two does the trick, and I would feel a lot safer winching to one than tugging with a truck. For me it's more a clearance and comfort issue though, ever since that one time coming down from top o' the world when my hitch hit a rock coming off a ledge. It was jarring and painful, especially to my back seat passenger.

If you gotta tug on a trailer hitch it's much safer to use a tow strap in a v shape that is attached to both outside edges than to tug on the unsupported middle where the safety chains are supposed to be attached.

[frenchy]

I once hooked up to a guys receiver hitch. He had the proper attachment with a clevis on it. When I went to yank him out it after two or three pulls the hitch broke right in the middle beside the square tubing. After doing a little research the hitches are only rated for 5000lbs of pulling force. They are not designed as a recovery point and are not made to with stand repeated yanks of another truck. Since that day I refuse to hook to the hitch as a recovery point. Just my opinion.

X2    Towing a trailer on paved road is what they're designed for.

I've also heard of hitch pins breaking,  making a receiver into a projectile  landing in the back of the other vehicle.





Also wouldn't trust my life on any princess auto, recycled Chinese pot metal shackles

[Waytec]

I also agree with get the proper tow points, or a bumper on the front. I used a trailer hitch for over a year before I picked up a rear bumper. The issue I have with a lot of XJ bumpers is they only attach to the 3 3/8s bolts on the front. Not strong enough for my liking. Same as for the rear most bold to the sheet metal and don't go back into the sub frame like a trailer hitch dose. I modified both my front and rear bumpers so they go further back on the sub frames.
Also make sure your recovery strap is a recovery strap and not a tow strap, we had another thread o this so I am not going into it hear. Recovering with a tow strap will cause damage to everything.

[Waytec]

Having a trailer hitch is a cheap and easy we for many to get a rear tow point. If you abuse it, it will fail.  If the club made it mandatory for people to have $1000 - $4000 worth of bumpers on their rig we would never have new people coming out and trying the sport. To what I have seen and experienced people that are into the sport are changing up to better equipment within a year or two.   

[JackstandJohnny]

I once hooked up to a guys receiver hitch. He had the proper attachment with a clevis on it. When I went to yank him out it after two or three pulls the hitch broke right in the middle beside the square tubing. After doing a little research the hitches are only rated for 5000lbs of pulling force. They are not designed as a recovery point and are not made to with stand repeated yanks of another truck. Since that day I refuse to hook to the hitch as a recovery point. Just my opinion.

what were you pulling out?

[WagoneerXJ]

Ratchet straps for recovery? seriously?

[w squared]

Ratchet straps for recovery? seriously?

I've seen nylon rope tied to the front axle of an XJ for a "recovery". I stood far, FAR away from that little fiasco.

Not much surprises me any more.

[Zombie]

when I pulled my front sway bar from pnp, the jeep had a one of the yellow ropes attached to the drag link, I was surprised as the rope was intact, but was cut off a little.
however the drag link was very bent.
made me laugh a little.

I do like the idea about not using the hitch, I just want to find a good solution for it without spending an arm and leg on it.

[Immortal]

I've seen nylon rope tied to the front axle of an XJ for a "recovery". I stood far, FAR away from that little fiasco.

Not much surprises me any more.

I remember that one... scary. And that was with a group who joined up with us, and they were told "proper front & rear towpoints"...