High strength front recovery brackets?

hiPSI · Nov 29, 2022

Louisd75 said: ↑

1. Believe me, I'm well aware of the Larry of Suburbia factor of looking like you're ready for the apocalypse OP was asking about adding a recovery point and, to be fair, we really have no idea what kind of driving he's got in mind. ARB is one of those companies that people poke fun at. Yeah, their stuff is expensive. I'd be willing to bet that they have more actual engineers on staff than much of the aftermarket recovery gear industry combined though. Their frame mounted recovery point is legit designed and tested to work at many angles, it's working arc is from hard over to hard over with your front wheels.

2. So why bother with any recovery points? Having a dedicated forward facing recovery point makes as much sense as having a dedicated rear facing recovery point Also, winching sideways off of a frame rail or off of an axle is bad juju, nothing like bending the axle tube or frame rail to make your minor inconvenience of being stuck into a real crappy day. Better to winch off of securely mounted sliders for a side pull. Hitch pins carry a risk of bending the pin inside the receiver and then not being able to get it out, you're better off having something like a shackle receiver attachment, which would be a ... dedicated recovery point. In reality, having a solid slider setup, a front recovery point, a rear recovery point and a shovel will be fine for more than 99% of the situations most of us will get into.

3. Run what you brung. Dragging an F350 doublecab super duty with an 8' 1/4" diamond plate steel flat bed up a hill in snow? Yeah. That damn truck probably weighed in at twice what my truck did. My piddly 1st gen did that through judicious use of mechanical advantage (snatch blocks) and careful rigging. The other option was a four hour round trip and hoping to find someone in a bigger truck as there was no cell service. Any plan involving hope is a crap plan.

I'm not saying that the ARB mount is a panacea to all stucks. It's definitely a good quality tool that can be helpful in a wide variety of situations. Does it have it's limits? Yep. Is it worth the money? That's up to the buyer. You seem to be a talented enough driver that you're never stuck with a dedicated recovery point facing the right way. I'm not sure if I should recommend driving lessons or that you start a Youtube channel

Also, it's easy to read emotion into things that are written... know that there's no malice or anger in my comments, just a lot of experience and a background in mechanical engineering. The vast majority of my travels are solo, towing a trailer, with my family in the truck in remote locations of Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with your post. Go easy when going alone for sure.

GREENBIRD56 · Nov 29, 2022

I for one have had to stack flat rocks to get unstuck - not in the taco - one ton chev with a camper box. Alone, not fun, impaled on a broken cattle guard. Too high in the air for safety - but necessary.

The real guts of this recovery stuff is when using kinetic energy to get something to move. The vehicle weight and speed - and how solidly the tow rope/strap delivers it - is everything. Stretchy nylon kinetic recovery ropes and straps - sized and attached properly will do amazing things - but better be in the command of someone who has experience with them. Trouble comes when people use straps designed for tow only - or perish the thought, chain - and hit the end at speed. Even the ARB attachment point is not going to be useful for abusive amounts of energy.

2Nice · Nov 29, 2022

robe689 said: ↑

Here's one from an earlier thread...

https://www.bpfabricating.com/products/tacoma-recovery-tow-hook
They also have a driver side that would matchup Nice!
Click to expand...

GREENBIRD56 · Nov 30, 2022

Read the above referenced ad and look for yourself - the BPF is a BOLT-ON device. It says its load rating is based on utilizing "Grade 8" screws. Real world - metric screws marked 8.8 are SAE Grade 5 material strength - and the SAE Grade 8 material is usually marked 10.9 on metric screws. Which is it? What is the recommended torque and how is it applied? Everything must be right to get those pounds of grip they advertise.

The threads on the frame are in nuts tack welded on the inside of a sheet metal box X-member - there is a reason that Toyota engineering only supplies the TRD bolt on bracket and never gives it a rating.

The shipping bracket on the front x-member? The bar is a designed diameter and material strength, held in place with a designed length of fillet weld. You can bet there are calcs and tests that prove exactly what it was placed there for - to satisfy shippers and insurance requirements (not recovery). Not bolted on.

BattleKat · Sep 2, 2023

Tacos4fun[OP] said: ↑

Yep, I'm just shocked that as popular as Taco's have become that there aren't other options beyond ARB.
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Companies afraid lawsuits I suspect!

LeakyAC · Sep 2, 2023

Louisd75 said: ↑

1. Believe me, I'm well aware of the Larry of Suburbia factor of looking like you're ready for the apocalypse OP was asking about adding a recovery point and, to be fair, we really have no idea what kind of driving he's got in mind. ARB is one of those companies that people poke fun at. Yeah, their stuff is expensive. I'd be willing to bet that they have more actual engineers on staff than much of the aftermarket recovery gear industry combined though. Their frame mounted recovery point is legit designed and tested to work at many angles, it's working arc is from hard over to hard over with your front wheels.

2. So why bother with any recovery points? Having a dedicated forward facing recovery point makes as much sense as having a dedicated rear facing recovery point Also, winching sideways off of a frame rail or off of an axle is bad juju, nothing like bending the axle tube or frame rail to make your minor inconvenience of being stuck into a real crappy day. Better to winch off of securely mounted sliders for a side pull. Hitch pins carry a risk of bending the pin inside the receiver and then not being able to get it out, you're better off having something like a shackle receiver attachment, which would be a ... dedicated recovery point. In reality, having a solid slider setup, a front recovery point, a rear recovery point and a shovel will be fine for more than 99% of the situations most of us will get into.

3. Run what you brung. Dragging an F350 doublecab super duty with an 8' 1/4" diamond plate steel flat bed up a hill in snow? Yeah. That damn truck probably weighed in at twice what my truck did. My piddly 1st gen did that through judicious use of mechanical advantage (snatch blocks) and careful rigging. The other option was a four hour round trip and hoping to find someone in a bigger truck as there was no cell service. Any plan involving hope is a crap plan.

I'm not saying that the ARB mount is a panacea to all stucks. It's definitely a good quality tool that can be helpful in a wide variety of situations. Does it have it's limits? Yep. Is it worth the money? That's up to the buyer. You seem to be a talented enough driver that you're never stuck with a dedicated recovery point facing the right way. I'm not sure if I should recommend driving lessons or that you start a Youtube channel

Also, it's easy to read emotion into things that are written... know that there's no malice or anger in my comments, just a lot of experience and a background in mechanical engineering. The vast majority of my travels are solo, towing a trailer, with my family in the truck in remote locations of Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
Click to expand...

ARB is the only one out there so far that does frontal crash tests with their front recovery point to make sure it doesnt alter the vehicle's crast test safety rating.

Most "recovery" points aren't ever actually tested by the manufacturers.

Gotta pay for quality shit.

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High strength front recovery brackets?

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High strength front recovery brackets?

#21 hiPSI Laminar Flow

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#21
hiPSI Laminar Flow

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BattleKat Well-Known Member

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LeakyAC Captain jackass

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