YJ rear tow hook

mightymike

Adventurer
My 15 year old son just bought his first Jeep, a 1997 YJ Wrangler-what a cool first car! When I had my Rubicon Unlimited a few years ago we went to a Jeep Jamboree and I think he was hooked. We ordered front tow hooks and as soon as the PB Blaster soaks into the front bumper bolts we are going to install them. Can anyone tell me if there is a location to add a rear tow hook or shackle without drilling into the frame? It is a 4cyl model and came with a very cheesy, soon to be removed rear trailer hitch that I would not trust to do any type of recovery with. His budget is not going to allow for a new rear bumper for a while. Any suggestions are appreciated.
 

madizell

Explorer
I don't remember a pre-drilled location on the rear frame of the YJ, as there should be a crossmember, or rear plate, that more or less blanks free access to the rear frame members. Drilling the frame, however, should not be very difficult. If a tow hook is mounted on the rear frame, it would have to be canted down below the line of the cross member, which would put the tow stress on a diagonal to the retaining bolts and across the line of the forged hook. Doable, but not the strongest. The frame is also boxed in this area, and if a tow hook is bolted to the frame, the bolts should pass through the frame, and the frame should have crush sleeves installed, which could be more of a project than you are looking for.

The reliable rear tow points I have seen have all been on bumpers, but even then you have to verify that the bumper is stout and that the tow point is located near or in line with the frame bracketry. There may be a position on the stock rear cross, but this member is only around 12ga metal, and if used as a mounting surface for a D-ring, the member should be plated or doubled in the rear in the stress area with heavy gauge sheet steel (1/8th inch or better), then drilled for mounting bolts. Don't surface weld a tow point.
 

stick

Adventurer
1997-2007 would be a TJ. 1987-1995 would be a YJ. The only reason I bring this up is because there were factory tow hooks for the rear of TJs, but none that I'm aware of for the YJ. Not sure if a TJ rear tow hooks would fit on a YJ or not.
 

BigAl

Expedition Leader
If it is a YJ (square headlight) your options are more limited. As stated above, the rear cross member is weak. If you tie to it, also make sure you also tie into the frame rail from below. Your current hitch is probably using this hole.
Frame%20tie%20in.JPG
 

jagular7

Adventurer
Go through your local CL listing for Jeep parts. Look for a local Jeep club. Many Jeep owners will have the money to upgrade to aftermarket equipment and will sell cheaply the stuff that comes off the stock vehicle.

Using a tow bar is appropriate for attaching a retriever point. On a TJ, the ends of the frame will have access from underneath. The stock rear bumper has a welded nut on the inside for the stock rear bumper. Aftermarket hitch frames bolt into that bolt as well as the side holes on the end of the frame giving you 2 different planes to secure to. Some even have a plate that comes up in the tow bar to attach to the rear crossmember. I had one of those. IIRC Hidden Hitch. I used a magnetic tool retriever to get the bolt head through the crossmember hole with the bumper on.
 

madizell

Explorer
The problem with using a tow bar as a recovery point is load rating. Typical Class III hitch assemblies are rated for no more than around 5,000 pounds. Since the Jeep itself weighs nearly 4,000, one could conservatively pull the Jeep from a tow bar recovery point, but snatching would be risky to operators and to the vehicle. Snatch points need to be closer to 10,000 pounds. Hardware store D-rings don't qualify, nor do ball-type hitches.

The other problem with using a tow bar for recovery is that the attach point is generally centered between the frame rails, which puts a twisting moment on the draw bar if used for recovery. The attach point needs to be at or very near the frame rail, as shown with the D-ring in the photo posted earlier. Hopefully that D-ring is through-welded, not surface welded to the cross member.
 
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mightymike

Adventurer
Sorry for the mistake it is a 1987 Wrangler a square-headlight YJ. Thanks very much for all of the tips and ideas....We will most likely keep our eyes open for a used aftermarket rear bumper.
 

madizell

Explorer
Until you find the rear member you are looking for, use the tow bar for recovery, but attach a recovery point at the outer edge of the bar, near the frame. Or, just keep in mind that if you use the tow bar for recovery, don't let anyone get carried away with the effort. Use a tree saver to wrap around the tow bar, then attach your recovery strap to the tree saver. Just don't use a ball hitch for the job. Most of us have gotten by at one time or another with less than ideal recovery. If all else fails, wrap the tree saver around the rear axle tube, and tug away.
 

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