Dodge Ram tow hook broke

[Ahab Shamaa]

23 minutes ago, Srikumar said:

Did it break? Hopefully no one got hurt. When was the last time it's integrity was checked?

@Srikumar, you will not believe it until you see the pictures. If I have to describe what happened, I would say the metal just stretched so much and broke off like a piece of taffy! The nuts and bolts holding it together didn’t break. Rather the metal itself stretched to its breaking point...

Thank God @Wrangeld had the foresight to double the length of the rope. Otherwise, it could have been ugly as that piece of metal is very heavy.

[Gaurav]

50 minutes ago, Ahab Shamaa said:

@Srikumar, you will not believe it until you see the pictures. If I have to describe what happened, I would say the metal just stretched so much and broke off like a piece of taffy! The nuts and bolts holding it together didn’t break. Rather the metal itself stretched to its breaking point...

Thank God @Wrangeld had the foresight to double the length of the rope. Otherwise, it could have been ugly as that piece of metal is very heavy.

I think they were not stock tow hook, as they are usually front facing in Ram than the one I have seen yesterday - down facing.

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA have you installed these hooks or it came stock with your Dodge Ram? 

Is your Ram, GCC specs? Or any such trim that has sport option, as recently I encountered in one of the drive Dodge Durango with a sport bumper of 6 inch clearance and no front tow hooks.

[Paul Zeitoun]

@Gaurav, remember you rejected a Ram on my absolute drive, red sport version with no front hooks

[DANIEL NOGUEIRA]

10 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

I think they were not stock tow hook, as they are usually front facing in Ram than the one I have seen yesterday - down facing.

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA have you installed these hooks or it came stock with your Dodge Ram? 

Is your Ram, GCC specs? Or any such trim that has sport option, as recently I encountered in one of the drive Dodge Durango with a sport bumper of 6 inch clearance and no front tow hooks.

It's the sport edition, from America (not GCC), not with the metal bumper that comes with stock towing. So to put the stock ones I should also change the bumper... what I did was install the tow hooks where the original ones are supposed to be attached, and cut of the front of my bumper, giving me a better and higher clearance on the front. I will check with my denter and chassi specialist what can be done to reinforce the tow hooks or what will be the best solution...

It's funny because I was pulled out of the desert by a tractor couple weeks ago when my steering box locked, and I had no issues, but the pull was different,  maybe because it was 1 kinect folded in double and a regular flat tow , it didnt stretched enough and stressed the frame to the braking point, also the metal bumper from @Ahab Shamaawas pulled out , so it was a very hard pull... learning that in this type of situation for my car , it's better to use a winch when it is available...

pictures attachesd

1 - how it is the tow hook attached (other side not used)

2 - how it looks like now without the piece of the frame

3 - the piece that flew off , it might weight more than 3kg

[Gaurav]

20 minutes ago, Paul Zeitoun said:

@Gaurav, remember you rejected a Ram on my absolute drive, red sport version with no front hooks

Yes, that's the same guy I was referring to.

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA are you really sure that, that's the same place where other RAM has a tow hook installed?

This look like lightly welded for bumper support etc. and not MIG welded to be used for tow hook.

Generally tow hooks should be with 3 bolts and directly bolted on chassis channel or on cross member.

[Paul Zeitoun]

Just now, Gaurav said:

Yes, that's the same guy I was referring to.

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA are you really sure that, that's the same place where other RAM has a tow hook installed?

This look like lightly welded for bumper support etc. and not MIG welded for to be used as tow point.

Here is how the OEM hooks are fit to the chassis  in 3 locations

[Ahab Shamaa]

Hey @Gaurav, I thought the same thing as you, but I’m not experienced enough to voice my opinion 😀. It looked like a factory tie down point for transport, rather than a function specific tow point...

 

 

[DANIEL NOGUEIRA]

3 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Yes, that's the same guy I was referring to.

@DANIEL NOGUEIRA are you really sure that, that's the same place where other RAM has a tow hook installed?

This look like lightly welded for bumper support etc. and not MIG welded to be used for tow hook.

Generally tow hooks should be with 3 bolts and directly bolted on chassis channel or on cross member.

I was just checking in the forums, and yes, it is this place, but has another 2 bolts behind the bumper which helps the attachment 

[Gaurav]

So it's time to fix it properly now with atleast 3 bolt support.

Thank God, everyone was lucky yesterday as tow point failure are the biggest FEAR for offroaders and that's why Richard has gone extra mile to secure it properly.

 

[Luca Palanca Falsini]

Btw.. @Ahab Shamaa did you had any issue with you car? I saw the rear bumper was damaged also, I hope no issue with the frame. 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Luca Palanca Falsini