Tow Hooks on Non-Trailhawk Renegades

Discussion in 'Renegade Modified Tech' started by A. Hayes, Jun 8, 2016.

  1. Thomas Duryea

    Thomas Duryea Active Member

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    The TH doesn't exactly have way more clearance that the 75th, like .25-.3in iirc. Angles are a little better, but again not a huge thing.

    The chassis protection is negligible, but something is better than nothing. That is why we have @Sgt_Strife building proper protection for all models.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
     
  2. TWX

    TWX Active Member

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    I have to disagree. The approach angle is a huge deal. The approach angle is the difference between destroying your front bumper cover in even the lightest of trail conditions.

    In third-party reviews they found that even the Trailhawk front end would mildly scrape in many situations. In one head-to-head between the Renegade and the larger modern Cherokee Trailhawk with worse angles, the Cherokee scraped really badly, and even it has better angles than the non-TH Renegades.

    As for Sgt. Strife's aftermarket parts I'm not going to complain, but on the other hand a lot of buyers aren't going to do anything to their Renegades after buying them. This is why it's so important to buy the right one for the use. That's why despite our Renegade being my wife's daily driver we got the Trailhawk and didn't even look at any of the rest of them.
     
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  3. Newadventurer

    Newadventurer Member

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    I get too much joy from driving manual to compromise and get the automatic Trailhawk.
     
  4. wvanbusk

    wvanbusk New Member

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    Here is an FYI - The FCA official shipping and transport for all Renegades requires strapping the wheels, not using the tow hooks, frame holes or removable tow eyes.
     

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  5. Newadventurer

    Newadventurer Member

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    it seemed to me that memo was for when the cars were being secured for transport, not being moved. Seems like they are driven into place. I could be wrong.
     
  6. TWX

    TWX Active Member

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    I had a fair number of junky cars when I was young and as a consequence had to have cars towed fairly often. If a hook-and-lift tow truck responded, they usually used either a drain-hole on the sheetmetal-sandwiched assembly that passed for a frame member as a temporary grab point, or else they hooked on where the suspension attached, like at the inside of the lower control arm what passed for a front subframe.

    Even those passenger cars that I owned that had large chromed bumpers were hooked this way, they did not hook the bumpers, they did not hook the valence. They went right to where the suspension was tied or to the structural portion of the undercarriage.

    the jacks on the cars with the chrome bumpers used holes in the bumpers as lift points, but even everyone knew that using that jack was risky and it was suggested to just carry a small bottle jack instead.

    These thread-in holes are new to me. I don't know exactly when they first appeared, but I'm not expecting that the designs of the vehicles themselves have changed, so at best one now has a thread-point on something that isn't designed for a whole lot of force. Maybe enough to pull a disabled vehicle up onto a flatbed tow truck, but definitely not enough to pull something that's stuck in the earth.
     
  7. Josh P.

    Josh P. Member

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    My point exactly. Use tools/devices as they were intended and you'll be worry free. (I.e. Don't use a tow eye screwed into the crumple zone with a more than a low rolling resistance.)
     
  8. Newadventurer

    Newadventurer Member

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    I want the Trailhawk front end because I like the idea of having tow hooks and I think it looks cooler. Is that OK?
     
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  9. TWX

    TWX Active Member

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    huh?

    Why wouldn't it be OK? I'm mildly disappointed that they don't offer at least the plastic front bumper from the hookless international version of the trailhawk on non-trailhawks. The combination of chin that juts out and the lower clearance both make that worse.

    I've been trying to figure out what all differs between the TH and conventional Renegades. There are very few pictures on the Internet of the front clip off of a TH, but the Globex people have one posted as they're working on the in-bumper-cover lights on a customer's (and Toasterjeep user's) TH. Looks like the front structural bumper is steel on the TH and that the hooks bolt to both the structural bumper and the structural part of the front of the chassis. Coupled with looking at the front pictures of some non-TH Renegades with their front bumpers off, it looks like the chin part of the bumper has some rigidity insert but that it's not particularly structural from a crash-worthiness point of view, so it may well be that gettting that steel structural bumper and the hook mounts would allow a non-TH to have TH-grade reinforcement up front. Couple that with the installation of a factory in-bumper rear tow hitch and associated hitch-mounted hook and you should have all of the TH-style recovery points.

    I'm not about to pull apart our TH just to look, but if I ever have any other reason to be in the front clip I would investigate. Unfortunately the way the wheel opening molding trim attaches it's difficult to just remove the bumper cover without having to use replacement parts to reassemble and particular care must be taken to avoid damaging the body with the trim removal tools.
     
  10. Newadventurer

    Newadventurer Member

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    Yeah, Jeep seems to have gone out of their way making it difficult to convert, and I can't even find diagrams for each front end to compare.
     
  11. dhoy42

    dhoy42 New Member

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    with just the stock renegade latitude where would be the best place to attach tow straps to get out of snow or mud? i assume the axle but just double checking. also if i wanted to add tow hooks for these situations where do i find ones that attach to the frame?
     
  12. wvanbusk

    wvanbusk New Member

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    There is no great place to attach straps or hooks to a stock non-trailhawk renegade like your latitude for the purpose of sand, mud or snow recovery. In the front we can access the sub-frame at the suspension, but that is weaker than the main frame rails that support the impact bar and engine and trailhawk tow hooks. In the rear we can access the suspension parts only. Either risks putting deforming force on the body plastics and damaging the suspension. That leaves the wheels, where you can dig, attach devices or wrap straps around, but still risk damage if severely bogged down and pulling with another vehicle.

    There are modifications you can make to a stock latitude make it more recoverable. If you have a towing option, you have a decent place in the rear. For the front, there are winch kits that bolt to the right places. Each usually requires removing the plastic facades to gain access to the main frame rails. This video shows the frame rails during assembly:
     
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  13. kirame2

    kirame2 Member

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    Got a pair of new take off hooks from my Trail Hawk from when I added my winch? Shoot me a number if interested.
     
  14. Murf

    Murf New Member

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    Hi guys, I'm new to the forum. I like the forum name. I went from a toaster car (Nissan Cube) to a 2017 Latitude toaster Jeep. I like square vehicles (don't care for the cross over shape). Anyway, I got the Renegade as my daily driver for a rural drive to work. I'm not going 4 wheelin in it. I simply want to get to work on snowy Indiana roads in the winter. However, the possibility exists that I could slide off the road and get stuck. I find it hard to believe that they would design a vehicle that once it is stuck off a road you have to just leave it there because any way you try to pull it out will pull the vehicle apart. But that sounds what it is being said with what I read. Mine didn't come with the "toe eye screw" and it sounds like it is not made to pull anywhere except a flat level surface. So if I slip off the road and want to pull it out with my F150 4x4, where/how do I do that - where do I attach it? If a tow truck comes out, how do I have them pull it on to the road without destroying it?
    (I did get the Cube stuck in a snow drift and pulled it out with the "toe eye screw", but it was still on the road. I just had to get up to ramming speed to bust thru it.)
    Thanks
     
  15. Alexander

    Alexander New Member

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    long shot, but still have those hooks?
     
  16. Keith Ruff

    Keith Ruff New Member

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    Greetings from the Jersey Shore. Reviving an old thread here, my son picked up a 2015 Latitude 6 speed 1.4L Turbo and is planning on lifting for off roading. He needs some tow hooks, haven't seen a go to set yet for the fronts or rear. We did pick up a set of Trailhawk hooks and brackets out of a junkyard. I took a look, the brackets will not fit but I do notice there is a hole on both sides (ds and ps) of the frame rail plates where the hooks go through for the oem brackets. The bracket attaches to those frame rail plates and also 2 bolts bolt up and under the front bumper metal plate behind the bumper cover. I attached a pic I found online showing this install. My thoughts are to slip the tow hooks through the frame rail plate holes where they do go, bolt on the back side as the oem's do, then create spacers for the front 2 bolts that attach under the front bumper rail to center them on each side and attach there as the oem's do. End state is the hooks mount to the same points as the Trailhawks do but I won't need the bracket as I can't get them to fit on this non Trailhawk Renegade. Any thoughts? Will this work? Not sure yet about the rear hook we got, have to look closer but it won't fit in the oem round threaded hole as the Trailhawk tow hook is flat with 2 threaded holes that bolt it to the frame somewhere.

    Thanks for any help/advice!
     

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  17. Toycoma02

    Toycoma02 New Member

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    Did you ever find anything? I just made a set for my limited. Plan on making and selling more after I make a second, more refind set. I'm located in south jersey.
     
  18. Keith Ruff

    Keith Ruff New Member

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    We bought all tow hooks off a Trailhawk in a junkyard but have not installed them yet. Brackets won't fit on a non Trailhawk so I have to rig something up. Back one won't work either unless I rig something up for that too. My son bought a screw on one for the rear that fits in the stock threads under the bumper vent panel on the right side. Do you have pix of yours? How did you install them?
     
  19. Toycoma02

    Toycoma02 New Member

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    I started a thread
     

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