Tow Hooks

[Deleted member 995608]

I was reading a little on forum B and came across a tow hook complaint. Apparently, this guy used his tow hooks to tie down his truck on a flatbed trailer. In the process, he managed to bend his bumper outta whack. He pointed out the tow hooks are bolted to a bracket that holds the bumper, and then bolts in place to the frame. So I crawled underneath my new truck and sure enough, he was right. The tow hooks are not tied directly to the frame like the 3rd gens were. In theory, the hooks are bolted to the frame, but it's not a direct mount. Any hard tug on the front tow hooks has the potential to tweak the bumper outta shape. I wonder if this is solely associated with the new frame design?

 

[jhenderson]

Tow hooks are designed for a pull in a forward direction. They are not tie down points. If used as designed I doubt any damage would be likely.

 

[kthaxton]

Agreed.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I agree the guys was dumb to use the hooks for tie downs. Should have anchored to the frame directly or axles themselves.

If these tow hooks are only good for straight pulls as suggested, then these tow hooks are just about useless as they are configured. Not sure about everyone else, but I used the hooks on my old truck as anchor points for all sorts of stuff, and getting pulled or pulling out something else wasn't always a straight pull. I guess I'll find out.....

 

[jhenderson]

The hooks are bolted to the frame. The bumper bracket mounts in between the hook and the frame. Most likely the bumper moved on the elongated holes in the bracket that's sandwiched between the hook and frame. I've had mine apart to install my plow. IMO they are as strong as the 3rd gen units.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

^^ It sure doesn't look that way, but I'm keeping a positive attitude Henderson. I'd almost guarantee the hooks are bolted to a vertical bracket, that's then bolted to the frame.

 

[gsbrockman]

The hooks are bolted to the frame. The bumper bracket mounts in between the hook and the frame. Most likely the bumper moved on the elongated holes in the bracket that's sandwiched between the hook and frame. I've had mine apart to install my plow. IMO they are as strong as the 3rd gen units.

A picture is worth a thousand words..... :-laf
#ad

#ad

#ad

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Brockman - my truck looks the same. In your first pic, I have additional brackets behind that plate where my tow hooks bolt to, then those brackets fasten to the frame, making it an indirect mount. Hope that makes sense.

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

JHawes, I feel that if you pull off your toe hooks in all directions, you'll end up in the same boat as the guy in forum B. Ya, the hooks may look cool and make a guy feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but they are a poor design. Your bumper will move just as it did on my '14 AND my '06. It got to the point on my '06 that I scribed marks on my frame and bumper brackets to make realigning a lot easier.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Here's another thread on forum B that I found that discusses the tow hooks. I'm pretty sure the hooks are mounted to flimsy brackets that attach to the frame.

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/2013-general-discussion/997282-tow-hooks.html

 

[jhenderson]

A picture is worth a thousand words..... :-laf
#ad

#ad

#ad

Maybe a picture and a feel. Go out to your truck and actually put your hand behind the tow hook. The brackets in your picture are the bumper mounts. They sandwich between the hooks and the frame horn. I'll Waite here.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I remember my 3rd gen having tabs that were welded directly to the front of the frame; I could be wrong. That truck didn't come with hooks, so I recall having to take the bumper off to install them.

 

[gsbrockman]

Maybe a picture and a feel. Go out to your truck and actually put your hand behind the tow hook. The brackets in your picture are the bumper mounts. They sandwich between the hooks and the frame horn. I'll Waite here.

There's no bread to make any sandwich here..........

#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad


#ad


http://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-2016-D...cdb2449&pid=100011&rk=4&rkt=4&sd=262193457907

 

[DonFitzwater]

"There's no bread to make any sandwich here........." :-laf

 

[jhenderson]

I worded my statement poorly. There is a sandwich. The brackets are the bread and the frame is the meat. The brackets sandwich the frame with through bolts . The bolts hold the bracket square on the frame. The story about a bent bumper is misleading. I watched the video. The bumper was pushed down on the elongated holes that are use for adjustment, which you would expect when binding down over the bumper. They guys who did the video weren't exactly towing professionals. The cast tow hook won't allow the brackets to deform unless the hook breaks. Has anyone heard of that happening? I still say when used as designed they are plenty strong. If there was a design problem don't you think we would have heard about it in 3 years?

 

[Newsa]

So it was the tie downs pushing against the bumper (because the bumper was in the way) that caused the damage? Makes sense! The tow hooks don't stick out far enough not to have the tie downs press against it at most angles.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

#ad

Good find Brockman. This proves my point, and even decreases my dislike for there design.

 

[Alphonse]

Thanks for all the photos GSBrockman! Helps in understanding how it is all coupled together.

 

[Mingoglia]

If it makes you feel better, the 2nd gens could move as well, though it didn't affect the bumper like you're suggesting. I had my second gen attached to a Super Doody with a ~20k toy hauler, and to the front of my truck, was a Duramax. We were trying to double pull the stoopid doody out of the sand at the dunes in Yuma. Tweaked my tow hook up. When I crawled underneath, it was slotted and I just had to loosen everything up and torque it down again. Seemed like a stupid design.

 

[SnoKing]

If it makes you feel better, the 2nd gens could move as well, though it didn't affect the bumper like you're suggesting. I had my second gen attached to a Super Doody with a ~20k toy hauler, and to the front of my truck, was a Duramax. We were trying to double pull the stoopid doody out of the sand at the dunes in Yuma. Tweaked my tow hook up. When I crawled underneath, it was slotted and I just had to loosen everything up and torque it down again. Seemed like a stupid design.

Yeah, however those 2nd gen factory brackets were not stamped out! SNOKING