[badbird17x]

Might have been covered already, I read many but not all. The biggest problem I see is since its mounted so low, away from the frame, it puts unwanted twist on the frame mounts.

I do everything I can with my head instead of checkbook and love new ideas, I don't like flat iron for structure, or pulling, the reason that hitch was rated at 2000 lbs is for some reason they built it out of a heavy flat iron which would pull ok, but tongue weight is none. If it was a square tube mounted right to the bottom of the frame rails you would have something.

I post a lot of pics of the out of the box crap I do, some people like it, some hate me, but I have taken what people say and improve, or in my whole cutting my roof off experience, there is some that haven't tried, but think they know, some people on some subjects need to be ignored. Now if I'm wrong on my avalanche it will buckle in time and I'm out a zj chassis, if your wrong someone could die, seriously when I was young one of my dads employees was killed when another employee got an 80,000 lb semi stuck in the field. They hooked a chain to the rope for length and the chain broke so the rope sling shoted the little chain left through the back window. Sig never new what hit him, rip buddy. That's a hard story for me to tell and it wasn't my fault.

I built my own bumper for front recovery I figured it would be fine to put plates behind the factory holes in the front of the rails, then square tube the front to a receiver. Worked good for the small irrigator pulls I was doing until one day I about got stuck getting to the gator so I hooked up and hit it ripping my entire bumper off. After that I cut the heads off 4 bolts that where 12x1/2 and welded the bolts down the frame rail. I have tested the hell out of it now and it's solid as can be. It's called trial and error, just don't let the trial be life threatening. And if 3-10 of the regulars around here are telling you that you need to change your design, well then you really should.

[xbeakerx]

I understand the KORS product is tested. I do understand that but that doesn't mean that there can't be alternatives. I believe this is that alternative. I'm sure every single one of you laughed at KORS product. Then they proved its durability, then you shut up about it and started praising it. Am I wrong?

My setup is at the same height as KORS. I used thick steel(1/4), grade 8 bolts and nuts and welded it to the RS in all the right places instead of using bolts like the factory hooks(which most of you have stated that my design is less than). For all the people that have told me I should have used bolts and crap. What do you think rollcages and frames are put together, I'll give you a hint its not bolts. If its going to ever rip out its going to have to take the entire front assembly also. There is no way it will do that.

Your telling about an accident that happened to a friend. I'm sorry that happened but that wasn't because of the tow system is was because of a chain that broke and someone that didn't know any better to not use that way of hooking up a vehicle. I never use chains just for that reason. I honestly think chains are a joke when offroading. I use straps that are non lethal if something were to go wrong. Things always go wrong, like your bumper but you never know what is going to happen til it does. That is just life.

It isn't going to be changed. I will say this, if you haven't seen it up close then you don't know what your talking about. Like I stated before come see it in person. I will be at Wheelin for Hope this weekend. My name is Patrick, I have a 1998 ZJ burple with 31x10.5 on american racing wheels. If you don't catch me there, I live in Powhatan, Va 5 minutes from VA-288. I will personally meet you there but be prepared to have an argument.

I did make some changes that were recommended to me so I was listening but I think the overall design is better than what I can buy online or buy in a JY. I'm finished responding your ignorant comments. Love it, Hate it, Use it for yourself but you know what I don't a **** anymore!

[ratmonkey]

No one laughed at the kor tow point. You know why? It was well designed and everyone could see that.
Flat stock is weaker than tube.
Single plane mounting is weaker than dual (welding it to 10ga sheet metal did nothing to solve that).

I get paid to fabricate and repair structural pieces on heavy industrial machinery.
I went to college for mechanical engineering.
There are people here talking from experience AND knowledge of the materials involved, brushing off things you don't want to hear usually gets people hurt.
I've seen a strap take a tow hook and blow it through front and rear windows in a suburban before. Factory hook from a Wrangler that was buried yo the frame btw...there are plenty of suck situations that can require way more than the 10k factory hook rating.

[JohnnyZJ]

[QUOTE=xbeakerx;13440315]It isn't going to be changed. I will say this, if you haven't seen it up close then you don't know what your talking about. Like I stated before come see it in person. I will be at Wheelin for Hope this weekend. My name is Patrick, I have a 1998 ZJ burple with 31x10.5 on american racing wheels. If you don't catch me there, I live in Powhatan, Va 5 minutes from VA-288. I will personally meet you there but be prepared to have an argument.

QUOTE]

i will laugh my *** off when/if you get buried in a mudhole and nobody is willing to hook up their vehicle to your 'recovery' system..............

there would be no argument. I'd look at that and tell you, 'don't get stuck, i ain't hookin up to you to pull you out'

[vegasZJ]

Where is the video of this thing in action?

[badbird17x]

Just looked at mine. Go buy a 2x2 1/4 wall square tube and a receiver slug from fleet farm for $10. Set it in between the plates you have sandwiched and weld it in. Then weld the receiver to it with some of the plate you have from cutting up that hitch, this will strengthen the welds. Cut everything below the square tube off. You now have an excellent front recovery point for $30 that doesn't screw up your approach angle, you can install anything you need for the different types of pulls needed, and it's constructed of proper materials instead of flat iron. My $.02.

[badbird17x]

Here is my 10,000 lb winch mount that I reworked to make it closer to the receiver, aka stronger. This happened from one good 45 degree hit with my 4000lb bruiser pulling my very stuck other zj. 10,000lb is candy when you are stuck. On the good side my welds held lol

[JohnnyZJ]

Originally Posted by badbird17x

Just looked at mine. Go buy a 2x2 1/4 wall square tube and a receiver slug from fleet farm for $10. Set it in between the plates you have sandwiched and weld it in. Then weld the receiver to it with some of the plate you have from cutting up that hitch, this will strengthen the welds. Cut everything below the square tube off. You now have an excellent front recovery point for $30 that doesn't screw up your approach angle, you can install anything you need for the different types of pulls needed, and it's constructed of proper materials instead of flat iron. My $.02.

that is a great plan to held solidify your tow points.

[suthrnsoldier]

Originally Posted by badbird17x

Here is my 10,000 lb winch mount that I reworked to make it closer to the receiver, aka stronger. This happened from one good 45 degree hit with my 4000lb bruiser pulling my very stuck other zj. 10,000lb is candy when you are stuck. On the good side my welds held lol

You did a jerk pull with your winch???? Is that what a "hit" is?

[suthrnsoldier]

Yall are killing me with this...... He is not crawling Moab... yall are talking about 60 degree climbs and 25k snatch recoveries and burying trucks to the windows... It looks to me like he just wanted a functional daily driver with a little uh oh protection for when he cant self recover.. id say he accomplished that, and with the Op's agreements on doing some good product testing before actual use i think all we can do now is wait for the results... then we take the results and build from there...... thats what its all about.....

[badbird17x]

Originally Posted by suthrnsoldier

You did a jerk pull with your winch???? Is that what a "hit" is?

I winched to bruiser dug in and it stopped the winch, so I doubled up and it drug it right out of the holes. Then we hooked front and rear with a 40ft strap and couldn't budge it, so I 45ed off the receiver on the front of the hitch, should have taken the hitch off I know, but sheet happens. After the winch ripped off I put the receiver into the slug in the bumper and hit it hard a few times to lift the pass side, breaking the suction, after I about rolled it over it came out. After 1.5 of trying different recovery methods I did screw up by pulling at an angle with the extra leverage of the winch, but these things happen, and had I been using a rope it could have been worse, at least the strap just ripped it off and dropped it to the ground instead of a 65lb missile.

[badbird17x]

Many of the hitch in the last post should be winch. Sorry.

[suthrnsoldier]

Originally Posted by badbird17x

Many of the hitch in the last post should be winch. Sorry.

I got ya.... we use straps for jerk recoveries thats why i was asking... the rubber band effect is what make them effective for us...

[badbird17x]

Originally Posted by suthrnsoldier

Yall are killing me with this...... He is not crawling Moab... yall are talking about 60 degree climbs and 25k snatch recoveries and burying trucks to the windows... It looks to me like he just wanted a functional daily driver with a little uh oh protection for when he cant self recover.. id say he accomplished that, and with the Op's agreements on doing some good product testing before actual use i think all we can do now is wait for the results... then we take the results and build from there...... thats what its all about.....

The reason people are so after it here is recovery is a serious thing. If he built a light bar out of the wrong material we could say "let's see what happens". There are many things that have to be built right, this is one of them. I have the skills and tools to build a roll cage, but when it comes to something that does that much I payed a professional to do it. Recovery is something I will tackle, but almost always way over build it, the one time I used the material that came with the part you all can see what happened, and now I will way overbuild it with 1/4 wall 2x2 and braces welded in. More forces are exerted on everything during recovery, if you want to tackle that you should overbuild because some day he is going to be stuck, and it sucks when your stuck, just destroyed a buddies truck or harmed them, and now have no way to get it out. You build things wrong with the excuse of "well I won't get that stuck".

[badbird17x]

Originally Posted by suthrnsoldier

I got ya.... we use straps for jerk recoveries thats why i was asking... the rubber band effect is what make them effective for us...

Straps have very little rubber band effect. Rope will act like a rubber band but are very dangerous unless you have great recovery points. I use straps simply for the safety. At least with a strap weakness is shown without people getting hurt.