Front recovery points

[Brecht]

Hello,
I've got a SWB 2002 prado 90 D4D with a nice (cosmetic) push bar and some light mounted on it. My problem with this is that they are mounted to the factory tow point. But the tow points are 17cm beneath the chassis, so you can't recover from that! You would just bent them and maybe break them and the push bar. I didn't find a solution or a hardcore version of it.




So i fount these online, Recovery tow hooks (rated for 4500kg each).


So would these be a good solution (without going crazy all the way) if you use an equalizer strap? I'm not planning to go hardcore offroad with my vehicle, just some light offroading here and there, and I want a secure point without bending or breaking anything. I could just mount these under the push bar mounts secured to the chassis.


The only other (extreme) solution is to make a recovery bar, I made a quick sketch on my pc to show you guys what I mean, Make a bar connection between the 2 original recovery mounting places on the chassis with a bar with eyes on it to put D rings through. but I honestly think it is a bit extreme since I don't go hardcore offroad or don't have a lift kit etc.

Please let me know what you guys think I should do!

Thanks in advance,
Brecht

 

[Tractionman]

My observations are -:
The recovery/tow hooks you show are similar to standard fitment on early hilux surfs, and are made to be bolted to the chassis rail in a horizontal plane.
These wouldn't work on your 90 as they would be higher than what you have now and would clash/ interfere more with your nudge bar.
I don't have a 90, but I think you are on the right lines with your design which would give you more options, being 2 recovery/tow points over the 1 already there, at the same time spreading the load if 2 are used for a direct pull.
I see from your picture there are 4 contact/bolting points, 2 horizontal and 2 vertical either side, are there threaded areas in the chassis both sides to correspond with these, especially as there is only one original recovery/tow point o/s at the moment ?

 

[Shayne]

Winch bumpers attach using those very same tow bolts . Yours is a light truck and while i use mud terrain tyres the only time i ever needed someone to winch me out in my swb 90 was what you might call extreme off road , a tag challenge . Theres a vid of it on here somewhere .

Can't see your tow hook well but i think its original same as i have and i simply bought another to go on the other side .

 

[Brecht]

My observations are -:
The recovery/tow hooks you show are similar to standard fitment on early hilux surfs, and are made to be bolted to the chassis rail in a horizontal plane.
These wouldn't work on your 90 as they would be higher than what you have now and would clash/ interfere more with your nudge bar.
I don't have a 90, but I think you are on the right lines with your design which would give you more options, being 2 recovery/tow points over the 1 already there, at the same time spreading the load if 2 are used for a direct pull.
I see from your picture there are 4 contact/bolting points, 2 horizontal and 2 vertical either side, are there threaded areas in the chassis both sides to correspond with these, especially as there is only one original recovery/tow point o/s at the moment ?

The hooks would be in line with the bolts that bolt into the chassis, I don't think they would interfere actually, the only thing I need is to drop them 1 or 2 cm lower that it would clear my front bumper, if they would be bolted to the chassis itself the recovery strap itself would push on the plastic front bumper i think.

The bolt holes on the side of my sketch would be for mounting the nudge bar.

 

[Brecht]

Winch bumpers attach using those very same tow bolts . Yours is a light truck and while i use mud terrain tyres the only time i ever needed someone to winch me out in my swb 90 was what you might call extreme off road , a tag challenge . Theres a vid of it on here somewhere .

Can't see your tow hook well but i think its original same as i have and i simply bought another to go on the other side .

They are the factory tow point, but because the nudge bar attaches to these tow point they were made longer I think, and if you pull on them they bend at the 90° angle.

 

[Shayne]

 

[Shayne]

First time I ever looked at the recovery hook on my mrs 90 which has a bullbar . My 90 has a winch bumper and I simply used longer bolts which go through a the same hook on both chassis rails and through the 10mm steel of the bumper .

 

[Brecht]

View attachment 327760View attachment 327761View attachment 327762

Wow! Ow are these mounted ? Because it looks like 2 pair of mounting bolts next to each other ?

 

[Shayne]

It does , thats why i said i'd never looked at them before . Her truck does 20 miles of tarmac daily to work and back but nothing else so its unlikely to need recovered .

 

[Brecht]

Dit you mount it with a plate? Or how? Because I only have one set of bolt holes.

Regardless of that, these hooks are safe to use ? I know you don't have to do a speed pull with an kinetic rope and a car flooring the gas, but for everything else it should be safe I think.

 

[Shayne]

I can't work out how your nudge bar is attached but its a fair bet it uses the same holes as used in my last pic ?

 

[Brecht]

Yeah they use the same holes as your hooks with your winch bar. But on this picture, you have a plate with 4 holes, where your hook and nudge bar is attached to and then is bolted to the chassis with 2 bolts. Or am I looking at it the wrong way?

 

[Shayne]

Yes your seeing that correctly , and i don't like it

Hers being a road only truck I suppose it will be fine should she ever need a tow , but I think i will again order some longer bolts so both the bar and the hook bolt into the same chassis welded nuts .

Its definitely a 1.25 fine thread ......... M12 i think going from memory but i'd remove a bolt to measure before ordering longer ones .

The "Tow point" in your first pic is not actually a tow point , its just a tie down bracket for when the truck was new and loaded onto a car carrier . I will bin mine .

 

[Brecht]

Okay thank you!! I've ordered my recovery hooks so I'll post a picture as soon as i've got them mounted!