Front tow hook weight limit?

[OxyGenIII]

What's the towing capacity or rating for the front tow hooks?

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[t4thfavor]

"All of it".

There's no stated load rating that I've seen, but let me say I've ripped on those pretty violently with 5/8" chain, and never pulled one off a single truck in the past.

Think "50' of chain hooked into one of them, back up to within 10' of the stuck vehicle and let her rip until you run out of chain" That's gotta be above and beyond what anyone else is going to be doing with the Ranger.

 

[OxyGenIII]

"All of it".

There's no stated load rating that I've seen, but let me say I've ripped on those pretty violently with 5/8" chain, and never pulled one off a single truck in the past.

Think "50' of chain hooked into one of them, back up to within 10' of the stuck vehicle and let her rip until you run out of chain" That's gotta be above and beyond what anyone else is going to be doing with the Ranger.

I bought a bunch of recovery items for offroading in two weeks from now, couldn't find a rate load or towing capacity from them anywhere. Snatch straps, tow straps, D rings and a D ring hitch and some other goodies.

 

[DHMag]

I guess it all depends on the shear strength of the fasteners. If I recall correctly, they are only 12mm.

 

[SandBaja]

Strong enough to pull you out of a mud hole, not strong enough to dead weight hold a locomotive ready to drop into a canyon, I suspect.

 

[OxyGenIII]

I guess it all depends on the shear strength of the fasteners. If I recall correctly, they are only 12mm.

I thought they were 15mm? Either way they are all rated the same 16mm or less is 800MPa, or about 116,000 psi minimum tensile strength.

I shouldn't have to worry but it'd be nice to know you see those YouTube videos of bumpers getting torn off... Haha

 

[OxyGenIII]

Strong enough to pull you out of a mud hole, not strong enough to dead weight hold a locomotive ready to drop into a canyon, I suspect.

Love the analogy.

 

[Rinn69]

I thought they were 15mm? Either way they are all rated the same 16mm or less is 800MPa, or about 116,000 psi minimum tensile strength.

I shouldn't have to worry but it'd be nice to know you see those YouTube videos of bumpers getting torn off... Haha

Wouldn't the shear strength of the bolts be a better indicator of rating ? I haven't looked at them, but if the bolts go through the tow hook assembly, that would be a better number to go with, IMHO.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Wouldn't the shear strength of the bolts be a better indicator of rating ? I haven't looked at them, but if the bolts go through the tow hook assembly, that would be a better number to go with, IMHO.

Hi Mike,

You have a good point there, as long as the pull is level, but if there is an angle relative to the tow hook, like nose up and the tow vehicle is below a horizontal line then tensile strength of the fasteners comes into play as well. Not sure how the Aussies tested these.

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[MT19RANGER]

I thought they were 15mm? Either way they are all rated the same 16mm or less is 800MPa, or about 116,000 psi minimum tensile strength.

I shouldn't have to worry but it'd be nice to know you see those YouTube videos of bumpers getting torn off... Haha

Thank goodness not attached to the bumper, they are bolted to the frame.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Thank goodness not attached to the bumper, they are bolted to the frame.

Based on this diagram, you're definitely looking at shear strength. And maybe a little tension on the aft bolt if you're pulling up on the front of the hook a bit. But certainly not an appreciable amount compared to the shear in the bolts. If we know what size they actually are (12 or 15mm), it wouldn't be that hard to figure out the strength of the interface, without any safety factors.

 

[OxyGenIII]

Thank goodness not attached to the bumper, they are bolted to the frame.

I only saw one bolt. Two is even better. My guess is around 7500lbs per bolt minimum sheer, so since there are two each, the limit would be at the hook/ring itself which is most likely rated at 9750lbs. So more than enough and no need to worry.

 

[MT19RANGER]

I only saw one bolt. Two is even better. My guess is around 7500lbs per bolt minimum sheer, so since there are two each, the limit would be at the hook/ring itself which is most likely rated at 9750lbs. So more than enough and no need to worry.

This is on my wishlist... For this winter can hook at the front or at the back when needed.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072V51TRC/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A3NVDU966NX7D9&psc=1

 

[Noseoil]

If it's a 1/2" grade 5 type of bolt (close to a 12mm grade 8.8 bolt?), it's rated at 14,000# in single shear. Two bolts, which could be considered an uneven pull with most of the force on just one hook, would be about 28,000# when they shear. Running a solid chain to one hook would be the worst case scenario. If you use a "spring line" with the chain (rope or strap) of equal strength, it would work well enough with a running start. It's still the old adage, a chain is as strong as its weakest link...

 

[VAMike]

My old adage is "make sure you break the part that's cheapest and easiest to fix"

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