Front Recovery Points

Yeah no. Take a closer look at the demon bracket design. The shackle lugs are keyed into the wraparound plate. It's a design that doesn't rely on weld strength or bolt shear strength. The limiting factor is the OEM front crossmember, which has two braces tying it to the steering rack crossmember farther back.

You aren't the only engineer here. Some of us have to worry about strength to weight ratio and approach angle

 

So if I understand you correctly the BPF in this case is because of its length and angles compared to the original hook. That makes sense. Is it dangerous or more a case of risking damaging the subframe?

 

Spoken exactly like someone who knows just enough to be dangerous. Just educated enough to think that they understand the situation to the required level, when in fact they do not.

Sad really. 'Not reliant on weld strength' when the tiny piece of metal that the D-Ring goes through is straight up welded to the bent plate.

And LOL to thinking that the backside of a bent plate 'bearing' on the cross member is a replacement for a bolts shear strength. That one got me good.

I generally like and agree with all of your posts btw. Your sig is very recognizable. Just not this time. I apologize if I come off jerk-ish, but this is my wheelhouse.

 

Think load path, i.e. that way that the force from a tug is going to travel through the recovery point. The irregular shape compounds these forces as they move through the metal and then into the fixed point (the bolted connection to the truck).

It all depends Dave. Deformation is likely the only nasty result, but total destruction of the recovery point, resulting in a projectile, can also happen under the right circumstances.

 

Keep an eye on the classifieds. They pop up every so often when someone upgrades their front bumper. That is where I picked mine up at. I didn't want to spend the $400 either.

 

I think I paid $50 or $75 for mine. Found it under a table, new open-box, at an offroad shop's "garage sale". Was a make-an-offer sale. I'm very glad i noticed the box.

 

What’s your opinion on this product? I’m asking sincerely. I know they are not for the front, and this is kinda a thread jack but still. https://nytop.store/2016-2023-toyota-tacoma-rear-recovery-points

 

Right off of the bat I'm on the impressed side. 1/2" - 5/8" thick plate is excellent. 'High strength steel' leaves a bit of room for interpretation though. I'd much rather see a reference to something specific like A572 Grade 50 (Fy = 50 ksi). They could be referring to the very common A36 (Fy = 36ksi) steel, which is still strong, but not really considered 'high strength'.

I would like to see the holes/slots used as mounting points to have larger fillets/radii to make it easier on the soft shackle (think Factor 55, that radius is very smooth relatively).

The load path is pretty straightforward too, and intelligently designed. The connection to the frame is intelligent as well.

 

I'd treat it like my ARB, and NOT use a soft shackle. I'd use a D-ring Shackle to keep those from cutting the soft shackles.

 

They look good but they don't really do much that a hitch mounted shackle won't

 

I cannot find the response now but I do not have Maxtrax or any other brand of recovery boards.
As for front recovery points, I may just get a set of something to hang my D Rings on simply because I like the look and use only rear hitch receiver with appropriate insert for recovery. I do not off road specifically but live on a farm in Vermont and we get a lot of snow followed by mud season. Did use the truck to pull wife’s cousin and his VW Westphalia camper out of snow recently.

Appreciate all of the responses and information.

 

I think the maxtrax comment was a reference to another recovery option. Probably very useful for you. 2 boards or 4.

 

Right!

 

It was actually more about whether the OP already paid 300 or 600 in recovery boards, but didn't want to spend 300 on a rated recovery point. I see that kinda thing often. Or the giant light bars, etc, lol.

but yeah, I have used my ARB recovery point like 2x. My Maxtrax, I've used them 50+ times, easy. Sometimes 5 or more times in a single day. my winch? I've used once, to pull out a rhododendron of my yard. But with my crazy heavy camper, I'm glad that ARB recovery point is there, especially if a wrecker ever needs to pull me outta a ditch or something.

 

fify

 

ARB from bumpers are not "recovery rated", that is why they have their bolt-on recovery point.

 

You need some perspective. That "tiny piece of metal" is 3/4" thick plate, as wide as the shackle. Pulling loads are primarily transmitted by the wraparound shape (like a hook) and by the keying into the bent plate, which by the way is 3/16" or 1/4" thick, beefier than anything on the frame.

The demon brackets aren't as strong as the ARB monstrosity, but they are "strong enough" if we view the OEM OR hook as baseline. The ARB needs to be beefier because it's in the worst possible location for off-road clearance, being the first part to dig into rocks.

 

I also thought about the price of the maxtrax. Never even needed my maxtrax. Not trying hard enough I suppose. Used the winch to pull out others that had gotten themselves into suburban predicaments. And I used it creatively to pull a small boat up nasty embankment. If maxtracs had been around when I was younger… it would’ve been so nice.

 

You aren't wrong... There was a lot more jammed in there before I made the drive home in the rain this weekend. I definitely felt it hit.

 

Recovery hook. The hoop on the driver's side is for towing, though it's pretty thoroughly welded to the crossmember and can be used for recovery if the forces are low. How to estimate recovery forces: