# Home made ram tow hooks



## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

The 04 ram didn't come with front tow hooks, and they were way to expensive on ebay, so I made my own, 2 small plates, 2 chevy hooks, drill, and welder.


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## lawfires (Jan 14, 2008)

I'd suspect that the plate itself is strong enough, and the hook itself is strong enough (although I've seen those Chevy hooks straighten out under heavy load), but I'd be really, really scared to put any pull on that. That tiny weld around the base of it (even assuming that it is a fillet joint that you ground back and welded in) will NOT be strong at all...and that's assuming that it is a dead straight pull. If there is even a tiny bit of an angle on your pull, all of the force (and leverage from the length of the hook) will be squarely on ONE SIDE of the weld, which will almost certainly fail.

My guess is the first time you try to use that, the hook and plate will separate. And if you're pulling with any force, they will separate in dramatic (and hopefully not deadly) fashion. I'd strongly suggest you reconsider before using those.


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## vmderrick (Jan 21, 2009)

Way to rain on his parade. I think they look excellent boss.


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## THEGOLDPRO (Jun 18, 2006)

yeah i wouldent use those. i would have used a diffrent way to secure them to the plate then the one weld spot, but i dont feel like explaining it or having to draw up a diagram of what i would have done.


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## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

lawfires;764779 said:


> I'd suspect that the plate itself is strong enough, and the hook itself is strong enough (although I've seen those Chevy hooks straighten out under heavy load), but I'd be really, really scared to put any pull on that. That tiny weld around the base of it (even assuming that it is a fillet joint that you ground back and welded in) will NOT be strong at all...and that's assuming that it is a dead straight pull. If there is even a tiny bit of an angle on your pull, all of the force (and leverage from the length of the hook) will be squarely on ONE SIDE of the weld, which will almost certainly fail.
> 
> My guess is the first time you try to use that, the hook and plate will separate. And if you're pulling with any force, they will separate in dramatic (and hopefully not deadly) fashion. I'd strongly suggest you reconsider before using those.


Wow you must think I am an dumb ass. I build some of the best tube frame race cars in the North East. The plate is 3/8" thick the hook is throught the plated and welded on both sides, and the front weld is 2 passes oved 3/8" of an inch wide. On top of that I have a masters degree in metallurgy, and mechanical engineering, and companys bring pressure vessels to me to be welded from all over the us. I have built many of these and never had any of these fail.


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## MattyK (Dec 16, 2008)

check mate? we're all friends here. just looking out for each other, thats all

lets get some pics of them on the truck!


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## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

MattyK;764806 said:


> check mate? we're all friends here. just looking out for each other, thats all
> 
> lets get some pics of them on the truck!


Oh I know, I am just letting him know what backs the way they were made. It will be a bit before I get them on, gonna get them powder coated first.


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## RBRONKEMA GHTFD (Dec 17, 2006)

Where will these be mounted on the truck? I know up front, but curious as to where. My buddy has the same truck and I am thinking this might be our next project. Can you post some pics of them mounted up?


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## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

RBRONKEMA GHTFD;764845 said:


> Where will these be mounted on the truck? I know up front, but curious as to where. My buddy has the same truck and I am thinking this might be our next project. Can you post some pics of them mounted up?


Here is the link to the pics here on plowsite. They fit in the bumper at the factory location.


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## 350-CHEVY (Nov 27, 2007)

i think you forgot the link


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## stroker79 (Dec 2, 2006)

Looks good!

I was going to say, the only way id trust them was if the hook went through the plate and welded on both sides but looks like you did that already. Kinda makes me feel good though since I dont have the education that you do. Nice job though, should look pretty tough!


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## 90plow (Dec 22, 2001)

If the ram has a plow they might have taken them off. When they put the plow on my 06 they pulled them off and gave them to me.


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## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

90plow;764932 said:


> If the ram has a plow they might have taken them off. When they put the plow on my 06 they pulled them off and gave them to me.


The truck doesn't have a plow but it does have the plow prep.wich includes a delete for the tow hooks.

Sorry about the link http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=80020


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## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

stroker79;764904 said:


> Looks good!
> 
> I was going to say, the only way id trust them was if the hook went through the plate and welded on both sides but looks like you did that already. Kinda makes me feel good though since I dont have the education that you do. Nice job though, should look pretty tough!


Putting the hook throught the plate comes from experience, and common sence not from the education. It means you think about how things work, and needs to work, and that is better than any education


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## jgoetter1 (Feb 23, 2007)

I wouldn't pull a snowmobile out of the snow with those hooks.


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## shott8283 (Feb 17, 2008)

apik1;764801 said:


> Wow you must think I am an dumb ass. I build some of the best tube frame race cars in the North East. The plate is 3/8" thick the hook is throught the plated and welded on both sides, and the front weld is 2 passes oved 3/8" of an inch wide. On top of that I have a masters degree in metallurgy, and mechanical engineering, and companys bring pressure vessels to me to be welded from all over the us. I have built many of these and never had any of these fail.


chalk one up for us welders!!!!

a welded joint is stronger then the surrounding metal when done properly!

what did you use.. 7018?


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## Dissociative (Feb 28, 2007)

those would scare the he11 out me as well.....i don't even trust them in stock chevy form..

i am not knocking you welding....but would i put that on my 7k lb truck......i duuno.......

do the ford commercial thing....hang your truck from a crane by them...then we can all rest easy!..lol


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## glfredrick (Nov 21, 2008)

To be fair, your original picture just shows us a hook welded on one side to a piece of plate. You didn't include the info with that picture. It is easy to see why some guys, myself included, jumped to a conclusion about your fabricating skills.

Welded as you later explain, they'll carry the max load that the hooks can take, and that may not be as much as you like. I, like others, have snapped off or otherwise twisted those Chevy hooks all to pieces.

I'm in the off-road world, where we often get to use our fabricated tow points at levels that most folks would never see. We do winch pulls straight up rock walls, and out of mud up to the middle of the doors --often with a doubled-line 12K (24K) winch doing the pulling. For getting someone out of a snowy ditch, your hooks should do fine. I'd build something heavier for bigger pulling efforts.

Check out the Ford Super Duty tow hooks. They are about double the strength of the Chevy parts, and still capable of fitting your application with the fabrication skills you have.

Here's a pic:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/techarticles/body/129_0610_1999_Ford_Super_Duty/photo_04.html

Otherwise, for really hard pulls, I prefer a larger tow point, typically a piece of 3/4" or 1" by 3" stock that pierces completely through a box section tube, and is welded all around. I've actually suspended my off-road truck by these type hooks with no damage.


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## NBI Lawn (Oct 15, 2007)

Dissociative;765222 said:


> those would scare the he11 out me as well.....i don't even trust them in stock chevy form..
> 
> i am not knocking you welding....but would i put that on my 7k lb truck......i duuno.......
> 
> do the ford commercial thing....hang your truck from a crane by them...then we can all rest easy!..lol


X2, I would be a little worried but its not like its a mud truck. They will only be used in an emergency I hope, so they will work perfect. I bent the hell out of the hooks on my Tahoe but it took alot to do it, pulling at an angle messed them up good


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## NBI Lawn (Oct 15, 2007)

apik1;764801 said:


> Wow you must think I am an dumb ass. I build some of the best tube frame race cars in the North East. The plate is 3/8" thick the hook is throught the plated and welded on both sides, and the front weld is 2 passes oved 3/8" of an inch wide. On top of that I have a masters degree in metallurgy, and mechanical engineering, and companys bring pressure vessels to me to be welded from all over the us. I have built many of these and never had any of these fail.


I dont mean to call you out but it really sounds like you are crying because someone said they wouldnt trust them. No reason to post all of your credentials to prove a point.

You have two masters degrees and build some of the best tube frame race car chassis in the NorthEast yet cant afford a used set of dodge tow hooks? Why did you even bother looking for stock hooks if you have built "many of these" in the past?


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## Dustball (Dec 5, 2008)

glfredrick;765228 said:


> To be fair, your original picture just shows us a hook welded on one side to a piece of plate. You didn't include the info with that picture. It is easy to see why some guys, myself included, jumped to a conclusion about your fabricating skills.
> 
> Welded as you later explain, they'll carry the max load that the hooks can take, and that may not be as much as you like. I, like others, have snapped off or otherwise twisted those Chevy hooks all to pieces.
> 
> I'm in the off-road world, where we often get to use our fabricated tow points at levels that most folks would never see. We do winch pulls straight up rock walls, and out of mud up to the middle of the doors --often with a doubled-line 12K (24K) winch doing the pulling. For getting someone out of a snowy ditch, your hooks should do fine. I'd build something heavier for bigger pulling efforts.


I go four wheeling as well and looking at the tow hook pictures made me pause. To me, that hook is sticking out much too far for what little surface area it has. There's just too much leverage available there to bend your frame rail if you ever do a hard off-angle pull.


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## M1N1TRK (Dec 30, 2008)

You shouldn't have to take the tow hooks off to put a plow on the truck.

I have a Boss plow mounted on my 04 2500 with the tow hooks still in place. You might just have to use longer bolts to keep them on with the plow frame but you should be good.


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## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

NBI Lawn;765286 said:


> I dont mean to call you out but it really sounds like you are crying because someone said they wouldnt trust them. No reason to post all of your credentials to prove a point.
> 
> You have two masters degrees and build some of the best tube frame race car chassis in the NorthEast yet cant afford a used set of dodge tow hooks? Why did you even bother looking for stock hooks if you have built "many of these" in the past?


No, I am not crying about it, I posted my credentials to represent that I have a clue and I am not some kid that made these in his garage having no idea the angle, stress, and weight that will be placed on them. Without credentials, either hands-on or schooling no point can be made. If you went to a plowing customer and only said "I plow good" without representaion of experence or credentials where would you be? Not making money plowing.

It's not that I can't afford them, to me spending $100 on used tow hooks is crazy. If they were $20 I would have bought them off ebay and not built any. So I figured that I have made these in the past for other people and worked out well, I would do a set for myself.

So, I installed and tested them today. We sunk the 08 F-450 crew cab pickup is some nasty slop behind the shop and tried to use the ram to recover it, that was a joke, but I pulled straight on and was slamming the truck hard, they didn't bend or break at all. We took them off to look for stress cracks in the powder coating, from bending and there was nothing.

Anyway it took the Ram and an 05 F250 to get the F450 out. I don't think they will go through that kind of abuse ever again. In eleven years of plowing I think I have used tow hooks maybe three or four times, to free other stuck trucks.


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## apik1 (Mar 25, 2007)

Dustball;765296 said:


> I go four wheeling as well and looking at the tow hook pictures made me pause. To me, that hook is sticking out much too far for what little surface area it has. There's just too much leverage available there to bend your frame rail if you ever do a hard off-angle pull.


Take a look at a ram front end, they need to be that long to get out in front of the bumper. Ill get some pics in a few.


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## lawfires (Jan 14, 2008)

First, I'm never terribly impressed by someone who posts a poorly thought out fab job and then attempts to defend it by arguing that they have credentials. Your credentials may be impeccable, but credentials do not add any strength to the project that you have built. My welding credentials are not as substantial as yours--I will admit that at the outset. However, I have fabricated a fair amount, and using common sense and the education which I do have, I can evaluate the forces to be applied to those hooks. I will refrain from doubting your integrity and honesty in reporting either your credentials or the testing methods which you have employed.

Your method of 'stress testing' really doesn't inspire any confidence either. You have shock loaded the hooks a few times, straight on, and demonstrated that under those conditions they did not fail. Wait--no, you demonstrated that the powder coating over the welds didn't fail. If in your fabrication career you have never seen intact powdercoating or paint covering a cracked and failed weld, then allow me to share my much more limited experience with you and suggest that it can and does happen. Powdercoating has far more elasticity than the underlying weld.

Given your metallurigal experience, I would assume that you investigated the type of steel that the Chevy tow hooks are made out of and utilized an approprate type of welding to accomodate the dissimilar steels utilized. I'd be curious to hear more about the method that you used, as the pictures do not appear to show that a method which would commonly be used to join the steel in those tow hooks and a piece of mild steel plate was actually the method you employed.

In a straight pull, under stress, I wouldn't be surprised if the plate deforms. But assuming that you used an appropriate welding method (as outlined in the previous paragraph), If the hooks are welded on both sides of the plate, I can see the welds themselves holding. However, if you apply any sort of lateral force to the hooks (such as pulling from anything other than a dead straight pull), I think you'll likely experience a failure.

Chevy tow hooks of this form are known to fail even under hard 'straight' pulls. They simply unbend from their hook shape to straighten out. This is a common issue, even when they are used in their stock application. So assuming that the weld and joint hold, starting with the tow hooks you used is not starting from a great position.

Further, even in the stock application, the Chevy hooks are bolted in two locations to the frame, providing greater resistance to lateral loads (e.g. pulling at an angle). In your example, the hook projects significantly from the 3/8 plate, giving it a great deal of potential leverage against the plate. And instead of that leverage being resisted by two bolts separated by approximately 1.5" of frame spacing (as in the stock application), all of that leverage is being resisted by two welds which are _definitionally _not separated by more than 3/8 of an inch. In short, you're applying a great deal of lateral stress to a very small, relatively weak area. Even if your welds hold, you're likely going to bend the steel plate and/or the hook when you pull on those. It is my sincere hope that no one is injured when that happens. Preventing that from happening could be as simple as using a hook intended for the application, or putting some more careful thought into the design you used. For example, using a gusset on either side of the hook could greatly strengthen the design, and spread the load over a much larger area, thus likely preventing deformation of the plate or the hook. Given your credentials, though, I'm sure you know that.

I don't wish you any ill-will. I do hope that the hooks serve you well--and that you never have to use them. I have, however, seen far too many examples of ghetto-fab on the internet, often crafted by persons who profess to have a significant amount of experience and training, to accept at face value that someone has put careful contemplation into their design. If I were asked to recover a vehicle with those hooks attached to it, I would refrain from connecting my winch to those hooks, and would instead look for a suitable alternative location to hook on...especially on a full-size pickup. For that matter, I wouldn't hook onto these on a ghetto-fab mall-crawler (which would be a more likely location to find them, I'd suspect).

So...what was the welding method and material utilized, and what kind of steel are the Chevy tow hooks?


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## shott8283 (Feb 17, 2008)

my OEM tow hooks on my 01 dodge had to be removed in order for my western to be installed..... ALSO the OEM tow hooks on my (old) employers 03 GMC 2500 have to be removed for its western to be installed...


and id like to be the one to mention that ive seen.,,, personally.. GM tow hooks break instead of bending when overstressed... 

thats the beauty of high carbon steel!!!!! the harder it is.. more brittle it is (in most cases)


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## BDEMOTT (Oct 10, 2005)

lawfires;765483 said:


> First, I'm never terribly impressed by someone who posts a poorly thought out fab job and then attempts to defend it by arguing that they have credentials. Your credentials may be impeccable, but credentials do not add any strength to the project that you have built. My welding credentials are not as substantial as yours--I will admit that at the outset. However, I have fabricated a fair amount, and using common sense and the education which I do have, I can evaluate the forces to be applied to those hooks. I will refrain from doubting your integrity and honesty in reporting either your credentials or the testing methods which you have employed.
> 
> Your method of 'stress testing' really doesn't inspire any confidence either. You have shock loaded the hooks a few times, straight on, and demonstrated that under those conditions they did not fail. Wait--no, you demonstrated that the powder coating over the welds didn't fail. If in your fabrication career you have never seen intact powdercoating or paint covering a cracked and failed weld, then allow me to share my much more limited experience with you and suggest that it can and does happen. Powdercoating has far more elasticity than the underlying weld.
> 
> ...


you guys have way to much time on your hands... i really cant believe you wasted probably 10 minutes of your life to enlighten him on a bunch of BS. to me it doesnt sound like hes goin to be hangin the truck in the air by the hooks. And if they do break then he fixes them, if he paid someone to fab them up then its a different story. All he is doing is showing what he made, probably because he had some spare time.


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## stroker79 (Dec 2, 2006)

BDEMOTT;765740 said:


> you guys have way to much time on your hands... i really cant believe you wasted probably 10 minutes of your life to enlighten him on a bunch of BS. to me it doesnt sound like hes goin to be hangin the truck in the air by the hooks. And if they do break then he fixes them, if he paid someone to fab them up then its a different story. All he is doing is showing what he made, probably because he had some spare time.


That is probably the best and most reasonable post here. I agree with your standpoint completely.


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## zabMasonry (Oct 13, 2007)

I think that those hooks will probably work fine. Personally if i had made them i would have put on at least 1 gusset. Worst thing that happens is they homemade remedy needs to be fixed at home.


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

Apik1, they look like they will do just fine. Don't let all the "Pros" on here get to you. I've already pulled out a plow truck with a 1" ratchet strap. Not ideal, but it got the job done. I don't see these hooks failing under normal load snowplowing. Good Luck!


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## Dustball (Dec 5, 2008)

zabMasonry;765761 said:


> I think that those hooks will probably work fine. Personally if i had made them i would have put on at least 1 gusset. Worst thing that happens is they homemade remedy needs to be fixed at home.


No.

Worst thing that happens is that some part of the tow hook or attachment to the tow hook lets go and ricochets back at the pulling vehicle and kills someone.


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## rollin snow (Mar 4, 2009)

if u had a chevy u could pull dodges! no gay hooks here ! chevys rip them in 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Dustball (Dec 5, 2008)

rollin snow;765785 said:


> if u had a chevy u could pull dodges! no gay hooks here ! chevys rip them in 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


That was pointless.


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## rollin snow (Mar 4, 2009)

point is the hook break or will look like this --------[ . not the weld but the hook is crap !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## randym99 (Oct 20, 2008)

Boys Boys Relax,The guys just trying to use up what hes got kicking around in the best way he knows how .And dude none of us are downing your work.We just would hate to see ANYONE get hurt by something like this coming in threw the windsheild or such.Hey stay busy,STAY SAFE and letts have some fun out there while making a living you crazy gearheads.Peace.


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## cocco78 (Dec 12, 2003)

The fab work looks sound, but I agree with everyone else that said chevy tow hooks are junk. I've seen them bend on moderate tugs. But hell, i'd use it, I think I'd add a gusset just in case of a pull thats not straight ahead.


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

What are you guys talking about plow package = no tow hooks? Mine are in the stock location and I have the plow package and a plow duh. 

Nice work I think but I hate how stuff looks unpainted! I look forward to seeing it on the truck. 

I hope it holds, and that noone gets a towhook in their brain.


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