Front hitch question

[Okie-Go]

I am seriously thinking about the draw-tite front hitch. I think it would be stout enough to pull me and the 5er if I get stuck. Would it be heavy enough to warrant a frontend alignment. My tires are wearing very well and really don't want to mess up anything. I know the hitch isen't very heavy but would appreciate any thoughts please.

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

You shouldn't need a front end alignment. The hitch should be less than 50 lb. if you and the 5er need more than 10k lb of force to pull you out that'll be the last of your worries

 

[Thomas]

You need to watch your speed while towing with the Draw-Tite front receiver

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

Thomas. . I just didn't think of it that way. . LMAO

 

[BK]

My buddy has the draw tight, and it's fine.

I have the Warn, which I prefer. It' has a shorter distance from the tube to the frame, heavier side plates.



Measure the height of some fixed reference point on your front end, either on the frame or body or bumber just before you install the mount. Make the same measurement after you install it.

Both the draw tight and warn were bolt in. After some time and retake the measurement in the same spot of your driveway.



It doesnt seem that the mount made any difference in my ride height on my 4x4 ... when the winch is plugged in I do see a ride height difference after a while.

I have an ARE cap on the back and stuff in the bed. . so with out the winch in the front reciever, the truck sits level... . with the winch in the front receiver, the nose sits a little low, takes a little time of driving around with, but I can see it after a week.

Since I have the 4x4, I dont really have an alignment issue.



Both my buddy and I have used or front hitch mounted winches to pull out stuck 4x4's with TT hitched up ... on the beach.



But the best if really the Dodge Tow hooks. . That gives two darn good attachment points for chains that are right on the frame. The front receiver is only one,thats in the middle of the hitche's tube and hanging out there.



Bob

 

[Thomas]

I noticed no difference in height or driving after installing the Draw-Tite front receiver on my model year 2000 Ram 2500 4X4. My main use is spotting my 25 foot SunnyBrook TT—superb control.



The DrawTite is rated at 9000 pounds maximum winch line pull and 500 pounds cargo capacity—I don't know how this compares to the front axle weight rating on my 4x4, but figure since it is a "cargo capacity" rating the 600 or so pounds of tongue weight of my TT at 5 mph is conservative. The DrawTite 65003 front receiver will NOT work with the Mopar tow hooks—I had to remove my tow hooks (I gave them to my son) when I installed the front receiver. The DrawTite does have recovery eyes welded to the ends of its crossmember. They're not nearly as stout as the Mopar tow hooks.



The DrawTite tucks up real close to, and behind, the bottom of the front license plate frame. It barely shows here:



#ad




The "recovery eyes" are behind my air dam.



Bob: What do you mean by "It' has a shorter distance from the tube to the frame"?

 

[BK]

Tom,



When I compared my buddies drawtight with my warn, its the distance traveled up the side plates from the cross tube (tube that goes from one side of the truck to the other, and the tube the receiver is actually welded to) up to the horizontal mounting surface thats the mounting surface point of the hitch to the frame.



Yours sounds just like his with the two "recovery" hoops welded to the hitch.



I wasnt suggesting that he use the Dodge tow hooks with the front hitch... but instead of, I'm aware the two cant co-exist on the frame. The Warn has the same issue as does most bolt on front end things. . stinks...



But I think the tow hooks are a stronger option than either front hitch since the "attachment" point of the tow hook is right on the frame and not offering any additional leverage issue that can be encountered using the receiver on the front hitch. Just a thought. Since he has a 5'er, he wont be using it to spot his trailer like you and I do with TT's.

 

[Thomas]

I won't argue with you on the strength of the Mopar tow hooks—I hated to give up them up!

 

[BK]

Dont blame you, I really wanted them, but wanted the use of my winch on my Dodge and a spotting hitch. So on went the hitch.



I put my 6K Warn on the Warn hitch adapter years ago to move it from truck to truck. Works great, don't have to leave the load of the winch on the front of the truck all the time and dont have to get a winch for each truck. And run power to the rear and I can have the winch on the rear if needed.



Again, if you dont need a spotting hitch and arent gonna invest in a winch. . me thinks the dodge tow hooks are better than either hitch.

 

[Okie-Go]

Thanks Alot, I guess I need to find the $ to spend a little more and get tow hooks. If the truck and 10,600 trailer get stuck it would put a strain on anything either hitch or tow hooks. Of course I would hope I wouldn't need them but this waiting till it dries out to bring the trailer home is for the birds if you know what I mean. There is a tractor handy if I need it.

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

There's no place I can get w/my 4x4 w/o a trailer that my JD 301A can't pull me out of. If I get stuck away from home I have Allstate roadside assistance that'll pull me out

 

[Okie-Go]

Wouldn't the frame hitch be a bit cheaper to buy? From what I am gathering both would work. Of course if I do get stuck it ain't like the truck will be plum buried. (I hope)

 

[BK]

Yup, new. I paid around $135 for my Warn. Don't remember what my buddy paid for his Drawtite. . but it was around the same ballpark. If I remember correctly, the tow hook kit is over $200, but it's worth the price due to what it comes with.



There are folks like Tom that bought them decide they need something esle to bolt onto the front and they have to be taken off. And I've seen some get sold over the TDR board.

I wish I could get them on mine and keep my front hitch. When I do a double line pull I do it off of the hitch mount. Which I'm not crazy about. I'd like to have the tow hooks on the frame for that.



If your not going to invest in a multimount and a winch and since you dont need it for spotting, the hooks are your best solution for what your looking for, IMHO.



With a chain hooked up to each tow hook correctly, there is far less chance of twisting something out of square. I've done a fair amount of bending of things on folks trucks when winching them out when there's nothing real to attached too. And thats with my 25year old 6Klb Warn winch. . I could just imagine what a wrecker's winch could do on an off center pull.



The Warn front mounts/hitches are specifially made just for the winching. I would say because of the difference in the designs, thicker side plates and shorter distance from the tube to the frame mounting surface on the Warn, that the Warn would handle side loads better. Thats the reason I bought it over the drawtite.



I would say from hearing from other people, your probably more likely to come by the Drawtite locally without ordering than the Warn. I lucked out and a local shop I knew could get one from a local stocking distributor for me to look at.



Either way I dont think any of the 3 solutions are gonna fail you. . it's just you choice for what you want to do and how easy it is for you to buy your solution.



Bob

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I've had mine on (draw-tite) for a couple of years now and love it. I personally think that you are better off pulling from the center of the truck and pulling on both frame rails rather than on the tow hooks. I have seen too many chains break and cause damage to trucks/people so I don't use chains any more. I use heavy duty straps (current one is rated to 40,000 lbs) instead and there isn't a good way to hook a strap to two hooks for a central pull. On top of that if you are pulling on both hooks (with a chain like Bob said) you are trying to compress the crossmember between the two frame rails. Whatever you choose I wouldn't hook to just one tow hook, I'd be afraid of laddering the frame.



BTW, didn't have to do anything with the alignment on my truck.

 

[BK]

Steve, you have a 4x4 right?

He has a 2x4. .

But still if the height of his truck doesnt drop he wont need it.



my thoughts. .

Hitch. .

When pulling on the center from the hitch, from an off center pull... the force is different on each frame rail, the frame rail closest to the puller sees a push to the rear and the other a pull to the front with a twist oposite of each other based on the angle to horizontal. .



Tow hooks...

If the -- chains --- (I didnt say -chain- oops I did in reading back, ment to say chains, but a single chain can be setup right with a clevis or a cinch hook to balance the chain for an off center pull) are setup right (or straps), the force will be equal. I wont use straps when winching, but I do have 6" wide straps for pulling and towing someone out.



Only on the wide open beach do I usually get the chance to get a dead on straight pull. On the side of the road and in the woods it's very rare.







I've broken cheap chains, haven't broken the sets I have now that I bought after chewing up the smaller set I had... . thats another whole story from years ago.



When outright pulling with a truck, like a tug of war, to get another truck out. . I 100% agree that the straps are far safer and better than the chains. But for the controlled pull of a winch the chains are more efficient, the strap use up to much winch line length and battery. I've broken tree straps when winching, if it wasnt for the blanket on the winch line. . it wouldnt have matter if it was a strap or a chain that let go. . the returning winch hook would have still dented my hood or lost a radiator. When my cheaper chains let go and I didn't have a blanket, the weight of the chain made the winch line fall in place. . a strap would have released it's engergy and helped the winch cable and hook make it's way back in short order. So chains and straps have their place.



When using the tow hooks, theres also less additional hardware involved in the pull. To use the hitch correctly you need a plugin with the correct hardware. . a hook or clevis. The slide in's with the hooks that I've seen and could touch and hold are welded. . thumbsdown... If there's a completely fordge one piece unit the size of a mopar tow hook, that would be nice. Granted there's a bunch of hook or hoop plugins on the market, I know I havent seen nearly 5% of them in person, and would love to find a place that I could compare and touch.

So that usually leaves you with a plugin and a properly rated clevis, not a great option. Anyway, just saying there's less things between the puller and "pulley" with the tow hooks.



Since we're on straps, a word of caution... .

The only bad straps are those "knock off" bargin straps that have hooks instead of hoops. . when those rubber bands break. . they've got their own little missles built in on them ... . Ouch...

Dont buy or use a strap with hooks, only one with hoops made from the strap itself.



Bob

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Yes I have a 4x4. I don't use a winch (and never have) but I agree with you 100% that a chain would be better for winching, a strap better for pulling with another truck. Amen on the cheap knock off straps - you've got to spend some money to get a good one. The one I use is a 6" 40,000 lb strap made by Keeper, the entire strap is two layers thick with the ends being doubled over and reinforced (4 layers thick there) and it was a little over $100 as I remember. I use a warn clevis in the front, all of the hooks I have seen are welded also. The clevis is convenient because if I'm doing the pulling I can move it to the rear hitch for an attachment point. I've yet to have to be pulled out of any situation, but I've pulled a whole lot of other people out. Of course now that I've said that I'll probably bury the truck this weekend!



-Steve

 

[Okie-Go]

Very interesting discussion. The ONLY place I plan on going is the low spot I have to cross at the farm where I park the 5er during hunting season. If needed my whole purpose is hooking up the trailer and having a tractor pull truck and trailer across this low spot. There is plenty of room to pull straight with no twisting or pulling crooked. Believe me I do not plan on venturing off road other than this. Learned that lesson a couple of weeks ago when I wrote I got stuck. My truck has never been on a beach.

 

[BK]

Steve, thats the name I was looking for... Keeper. .

Great straps.

I originally had two of their 3" straps, but destroyed them.

Went up to the 6"ers, they've been staying alive. Havent bust them.



In the other email I mentioned an choker hook (like a slip hook), I ment a cinch hook... so you can lock onto a particular link to adjust the lengths to even the pulll. . fixed my text.



I original got the winch because of the places we ran and got stuck (mud river banks on the edge of the woods for a few 100 yards)... we spent hours trying to pull each other out. The winch brought it down to minutes with no digging. On the beach when someone is stuck in the surf, if you try and pull them out, the puller just sinks and gets stuck. The winch is the only thing that gets them out with out sinking the truck doing pulling deep into the sand. Basic saves can be done on the beach by pulling with the strap. . but the winch just saves the abuse on truck. I love my Warn winch... got my moneys worth out of it and it's still going...

I feel naked with out it.

 

[BK]

Sorry went a bit off topic on ya. . but it's fun... as long as it's not me stuck!... err I dont get stuck, I just get delayed.



If your looking at a straight pull and thats about all your worried about, your right, all you need is a decent front hitch and all the brand names are made well (without picking personal favorites).



As Steve 1st pointed out. . a quality strap. Along with quality hardware to hook the strap up to. A good quality straight, short tongue class 4 plugin with a quality huge clevis.



Don't put the hoop of the strap on a hitch ball. The hoop acts as a sling shot pocket and the hitch ball's become cannon balls when their stud snaps and the strap recoils.

The clevis is designed and rated for such loading and aren't hardened like the ball is. The clevis may bend, but I've never snapped one.





Bob

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I personally prefer the Warn clevis over a tongue style plug in and clevis. You can see it by going to the Warn web page (www.warn.com) and then going to products, accessories, rigging/attachment points - it's the one at the top. Their's is the plug and the clevis and you are pulling straight out on the receiver rather than down or up at an angle with a tongue style plug.



BK - I regularly run at the Sand dunes here in Michigan. Only time we ever had a problem pulling a truck out with a strap was on an off camber climb around 100 feet vertically and about a 30 degree climb, he slid towards a tree and the windshield frame (old bronco, no top) got caught up on the tree. You couldn't stop on the climb and then get going again, we ended up folding the windshield down and getting him out of it.



-Steve