Hey guys, I see that the 95 F150 doesn't have any tow hooks or a good place to attach a tow strap. I was just wondering if anybody fabbed up any sort of tow hooks and where and how did you attach them? Pics would be great. Thanks!

 

 

Where did you get those at? That looks just what I'm looking for.

 

'97-04 4WD F150s & Expeditions, and some Explorer SportTracs use that shape. Early trucks have the Aluminum ones, but most are the later cast iron. '04-up F150s use a similar fabricated eye.

 

So I could just go to a junkyard and get them off a truck there then? I guess there are holes that they bolt to on the frame then I would have to cut a hole in the plastic panel under the bumper. Would using these tow hooks interfere with the putting on of a brush guard?

 

Did you read that caption? No, they don't simply bolt up to the older frame horns - you have to fabricate brackets. The ones I made don't interfere with the accordion crumple zones.

Check how the brush guard mounts to find out if these will interfere, but you can always attach the eyes (or some others) to the brush guard if it doesn't already include hooks.

And most brush guards for these trucks are just cosmetic - they can't actually stand up to knocking down brush, so be careful using one as a pulling point, no matter who put the hooks on it.

If you want something that will actually bump, you have to build it, or buy a REAL off-road bumper, like ARB, RanchHand, Reunel... I built mine.

. . . . .

 

I see what you mean now. About how much does it cost to fab up your own if you don't mind me asking? The one you made looks real good. So this would be one of those cosmetic ones I am guessing: http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sk...or+Accessories

 

For those brackets on the '93? I had that material & I did my own measurements & cutting - I only paid $20 to get the welding done. If you dropped the truck off & asked someone to do the whole job, you might pay $50-200 just for the brackets.

If you mean my bumper... That took me a few years just to finalize the design (which naturally got revised during & after construction). Then I bought the material a little at a time, worked it, then paid/traded to have it welded together as it progressed. I probably have $200 in material & $100 in welding. I think I paid ~$100 for powdercoating, but I sandblasted it myself.



"Modular Construction" in that APW description means it's screwed together (13 major pieces, to be exact). That's weak. "Gives Your Vehicle A Unique Stunning Look" sounds like they've never sold one. If they have, yours won't be unique. And even if it is, I doubt anyone will be stunned. (I hate advertising hype!) "No-Drill Frame Mount Installation" means it loops under & behind the bumper (VERY weak) to the factory bumper mounts, which are too close together for something that sticks up above the grille. "Limited 3-Year Warranty" probably means they only warrant against rust, and rusty scratches aren't covered. "Image may not be application specific" means they aren't even showing you the one you'll receive. $487.06 means you could build your own sturdy bumper, have it powdercoated, and spend about the same money.

After a few seconds' research, I found:
1) even the GoRhino site doesn't show a pic of it
2) even the GoRhino site doesn't detail the warranty exclusions
3) the frame mount is even weaker than I imagined.
4) I was wrong about the meaning of "No drill installation" - apparently, that means you have to drill 4-6 holes in your bumper to install it

http://www.gorhino.com/productsDetails.aspx?id=357454
http://www.bigcountryauto.com/bcProd...les/3315-i.pdf

The APW extended warranty is an even bigger rip-off than the GoRhino mystery warranty; both in price & exclusions. I wish I could get people to give me money under those terms.

BTW
Don't even think about attaching recovery points to that thing.

 

Thanks for your advice again! Now I just need to figure out how to design one, get the materials and do it.