I am on my second '05 qc 4x4. Both I have had to add towhooks after I bought the truck.

My first truck had a problem on the beach and was totalled. Two tow trucks showed up to try and pull my truck out. I had a tow truck pulling on each of the tow hooks.

When we finally got it out, too late, the front end was all tweeked. It was totalled from sea water damage so I didn't look very close. But the frame or the crossmember that the towhooks bolt to was bent.

So the moral of this story is I wasn't very impressed with the durability of the structure the tow hooks mount to.

In a similar situation with a friends Ford, no sea water involved though, I crawled under his truck first and noticed that the bracing for the towhooks was much more robust than what we have on our Dodges.

 

Not sure how they are mounted on the 1500's, but the HD's are mounted at the very end of the frame rails, not to a cross memmber.

Take a look at how they are mounted. If you can get the HD tow hooks, they are closed loops, not that crap open hook.

I know on the HD's, the hooks are rated at 8K a piece. That's THE one thing I miss about my SD. Those hooks were rated at 30K. You couldn't break those if you tried.

 

Since when? Since people cant drive in the snow without getting stuck?

If you have a tow hitch it is just as good as a tow hook.

Maybe if it has the "Off Road" package it should have hooks, but just saying all 4x4s should isn't the brightest. If you can prove to me that basic everyday use in a truck NEEDS hooks, than I will reconsider my opinion.


If anyone wants one, I have a Mopar hook, just no bracket for the Ram, that I will give away for free. No shipping

 

Driving in the snow is one thing, going out and using TRUCK for what it's meant to is a whole different story.

When the vehicle weighs in excess of 7K lbs, you can't just wrap a strap around a cross member or hook it to the bumper; carnage insues. Try pulling out a truck that's buried to hilt and doesn't have tow hooks. You or him will be looking for a new front bumper.

It's fine and dandy to be able to get pulled out backwards, but if you are not in a position to get pulled out backwards, what's your option.

Tow hooks aren't NECESSARY on all trucks per say, but if it's a 4WD TRUCK, you can say with reasonable accuracy that it will go off highway.

Also, those hooks are not just for getting the vehicle they belong to out of trouble, they are also damn handy for getting other folks out of trouble. I see you have tow strap on the BACK of that there Liberty. If the guy on the trail pulls up behind you with no recovery hooks and has no room to turn around, do you think he's gonna damage his truck to pull you out.

It's like a winch.....you may only use it 1% of the time, but the other 99% of the time it's very reassuring knowing it's there.

 

Yea, that my old libby... I have used it a few times to pull people out... rear to rear. No problems..

Sure most trucks will go "off highway" but most the time it will be a 2 track or something like that.

As far as tow hooks, if you plan on going offroad where you may get stuck get the "Off Road" package. The companies these days are saving money where ever possible, from what my dealer told me they are not even putting floor mats in the trucks anymore, they need to be bought through the dealer.

 

Hey Moparkj, how much to ship the tow hook? any pics?

 

HEY MOPARKJ my suggestion to you would be to sell your truck and buy a CAR.

 

I've used my tow hooks several times and i dont"offroad" very often,they are just handy to have. GM has been putting tow hooks standard on their 4x4's for many years!!! Ford has too!! I HATE how manufactures these days are cutting corners to save a buck or two. Oh well.....

 

What do you suggest I get?

maybe an '07 Charger R/T.... hmmmm wait already have one. If you would like pics, I would love to post some up

I never said tow hooks are a bad idea, just that not everyone who buys a 4x4 truck will use them, thus the company will make it an option to save themselves money.

 

Naaaaah, saving a buck ain't the issue. They need to stop making these trucks geared toward the yuppies that are willing to pay upwards of $50K to have one.[:@]

Hell, the guys that actually use their trucks have to pay extra for a useful feature.............but they'll damn sure try to get you to buy that DVD navigation and of course supercallafragalisticiskyalla rear seat entertainment center so you don't have to backhand the little ADHD case in the back.

What's next....the SuperMegaDoubleExtended cab with a 2 ft bed???

Good god, go get a friggin SUV if you need that much room.