Install of oem tow hooks on a 14 Express

[JB1]

Hopefully @kad can get you guys squared away

 

[DM1204]

Yup. Actually the design work is (hopefully) done. After many cardboard prototypes and fittings I'm currently in the middle of making a set in steel. Got the major drilling and cutting work done Wednesday, I was going to do the final grinding, filing, etc last night but the weather wasn't conductive to doing anything but sitting inside in the air conditioning. 90F and near 100% humidity isn't my thing. With any luck I'll be able to get back to working on them on Saturday.

Sneak peek:



-K

Well heck. I went an bought a steel angle bar and was going to chop up my own. I will definitely buy a pair from you.

 

[kad]

Well heck. I went an bought a steel angle bar and was going to chop up my own. I will definitely buy a pair from you.

I'm flattered, thank you, but I do not intend to make them for sale. Quite frankly they are too much work and I do not have the means to conduct engineering safety tests, etc. My intent is to release the pattern for those who want to make their own for personal use with the caveat that I am not responsible for any damage, injuries, etc that may occur from using the design. If I ever find a machine shop willing to do them from the plan for a reasonable price I may reconsider, but so far I've had no luck with that.

-K

 

[DM1204]

I'm flattered, thank you, but I do not intend to make them for sale. Quite frankly they are too much work and I do not have the means to conduct engineering safety tests, etc. My intent is to release the pattern for those who want to make their own for personal use with the caveat that I am not responsible for any damage, injuries, etc that may occur from using the design. If I ever find a machine shop willing to do them from the plan for a reasonable price I may reconsider, but so far I've had no luck with that.

-K

Any idea what the unit of measurement is in the previous CAD diagram? (Or the measurements of yours) No one around here is going to be able to make something like that but I can chop something up if I know I have enough material.
Secondly, I'm not concerned about the safety side of it; it's mainly for looks. If you do end up making some send me a PM or something... under the table LMAO!

 

[kad]

Any idea what the unit of measurement is in the previous CAD diagram? (Or the measurements of yours) No one around here is going to be able to make something like that but I can chop something up if I know I have enough material.
Secondly, I'm not concerned about the safety side of it; it's mainly for looks. If you do end up making some send me a PM or something... under the table LMAO!

For Ken's original? No, that was one of the issues with it. I extrapolated from known measurements like the bolt diameters and distance between bolts to get my starting point from his, then went to cardboard prototypes and bouncing thoughts off some others here who have done it. As soon as I finish fitting mine and making certain that the measurements are accurate I will be releasing plan sheets with full measurements that should enable anyone with basic fab skills and a few simple tools to cut out a set.

-K

 

[JB1]

Just FYI, you don’t need all those fancy angles that Ken has and you incorporated into your model

Any idea what the unit of measurement is in the previous CAD diagram? (Or the measurements of yours) No one around here is going to be able to make something like that but I can chop something up if I know I have enough material.
Secondly, I'm not concerned about the safety side of it; it's mainly for looks. If you do end up making some send me a PM or something... under the table LMAO!

He put a link to the 3D model in a reply

I posted my CAD model on grabcad.com in .stp format for anyone would like to try making a set. It's a 3D model only, you'll need to produce your own drawings with dimensions, using your own CAD software.

T
Load the step file in solidworks and make your own drawing with the software, easy
https://grabcad.com/

 

[kad]

Just FYI, you don’t need all those fancy angles that Ken has and you incorporated into your mo

They do, however, make it much easier to put the whole thing together inside the bumper. The subject of the angles is the one point that JB and I differ on regarding these brackets.

-K

 

[kad]

Fitment test is done. The fit is good and the hooks end up where I wanted them, centered both up/down and left/right in the large portion of the opening. The hook I grabbed for the test fit ended up facing out, as the factory installed ones do, but I may switch them around and face the openings inward when I do the final assembly, I haven't decided yet. Now I just need to get everything painted (the hooks I bought used, so everything needs paint).

-K

 

[JB1]

The subject of the angles is the one point that JB and I differ on regarding these brackets.

-K

Congrats, looks good

 

[Truck Fun]

just put rebel tow rings on my big horn this weekend. have been wanting to add View attachment 130001 View attachment 130002 hooks when I found a set of rebel hooks I couldn't pass them up. Like to be a little different from everyone else this fit the bill.

Very nice. Are the Rebel tow hooks direct bolt-on or were any modifications required?

 

[bryce88]

Fitment test is done. The fit is good and the hooks end up where I wanted them, centered both up/down and left/right in the large portion of the opening. The hook I grabbed for the test fit ended up facing out, as the factory installed ones do, but I may switch them around and face the openings inward when I do the final assembly, I haven't decided yet. Now I just need to get everything painted (the hooks I bought used, so everything needs paint).

-K

What would be your reason for attaching them with the openings facing inward?
The reason the openings face out is so that if you're using a v shaped setup to be pulled out, it pulls the straps towards the center, so there's a higher chance of them slipping off if your openings are toward the middle.

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[SitKneelBend]

Go bold! Paint them fire engine red!

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[kad]

Go bold! Paint them fire engine red!

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Well, I'm not sure it classifies as "fire engine" red, but the paint I bought is indeed red. I think it will look good on my black truck.

-K

 

[kad]

What would be your reason for attaching them with the openings facing inward?
The reason the openings face out is so that if you're using a v shaped setup to be pulled out, it pulls the straps towards the center, so there's a higher chance of them slipping off if your openings are toward the middle.

Facing them inward would make it easier to get a rope/tow strap onto the hook due to the angle they end up at in the sport bumper. I know why they normally face outward, but they will be mostly for looks on my truck, I don't really offroad beyond a little wandering across the pastures of a friend's horse farm. I won't make my final decision until I get the cutouts made in the cover and check the clearance on the open ends though.

-K

 

[kad]

Wire brushed and ready for primer.

-K

 

[WTM75]

Wire brushed and ready for primer.

-K

Where did you get them made and how much did it cost?

 

[kad]

Where did you get them made and how much did it cost?

I made them myself. It cost about $5 for 2ft of 2.5" mild steel angle from the local metal supply house and about 5-6 hours of labor over two days. That's not counting all the time designing them and testing prototypes made of softer materials. I'll be posting the plans once I finish cleaning them up.

-K

 

[DM1204]

I made them myself. It cost about $5 for 2ft of 2.5" mild steel angle from the local metal supply house and about 5-6 hours of labor over two days. That's not counting all the time designing them and testing prototypes made of softer materials. I'll be posting the plans once I finish cleaning them up.

-K

Any luck on finishing?

 

[kad]

The weather has not been conducive to getting things painted here (almost non-stop rain) but we got some dry weather this weekend and I managed to get things painted. Next step is install of the brackets/hooks and cutting/fitting of the surround. We're forecast to get the remains of hurricane Florence tonight/tomorrow, so that's going to have to wait a few more days unfortunatly. Here's a couple of pics of things painted up to tide people over.

-K

 

[kad]

All right, finally got the tow hooks on! Probably the hardest part was getting the plastic panel back in. Word of advice, if you remove it, put it back in before you mount the hooks!

-K