Rear chassis crossmember strength??? enough for a recovery point? (1 Viewer)

[EsbenDenmark]

Homemade tow point at the rear of the HZJ
I am thinking about making a rear recovery point on my 1995 HZJ so that I can be pulled free when I get stuck. So it must be strong!!!
I have removed the towbar so I was wondering if I could bolt an eye to the middle of the chassis frame where the towbar was boltet on? (See the red "doodle" in the picture)
Is this part of the frame strong enough? (the one marked in blue)
I think it's good enough for a 3 ton trailer....but is it enough if I'm well buried in mud?
If I have to reinforce it... how would you do it?
What have you made of creative solutions?

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I think you should be fine as long as you limit the dynamic load. Probably very helpful to use a recovery strap which stretches rather than a tow strap which doesn’t.

 

[coldtaco]

Don’t know the answer but I can tell you what I found on my Ute, of course I think it’s older than your rig.
Mine was cracked right in the middle, it seems like it is a two piece cross piece instead of a single piece of steel. I would double check that area and if in doubt weld or bolt on another piece either behind in the channel or on the outside. I still ended up using that center section and the 4 bolt holes as one of the mounting points for my bumper/hitch, but the bumper/hitch is also attached at the end of the frame.

 

[Rigster]

I dealt with exactly this when putting a regular receiver on that crossmember. The 2 thin c-channel pieces from the factory placed together, have a large hole that allows crap off the road to go in there and collect. Mine was rotted out pretty good and I did not trust it. I had it cut out and a new 1/4" c-channel welded in.

As long as that is solid back there you should be just fine. My LC came with a recovery hook already bolted on there from the factory. As @WarDamnEagle said, to reduce shock-loading the cross member, use a proper recovery strap that reduces dynamic shock load as they are designed to stretch a little bit.

 

[EsbenDenmark]

Sounds like I should probably replace the rear Cross member with a new square tubing.

 

[LDowney]

From my perspective, this is why I opted for a bumper that spans the width of frame utilizing all the attachment points provided by Toyota. The bumper provides rigidity/strength for attachment of recovery points that transfer the pull load directly into either longitudinal frame member plus integrating a tow point in the center that can also be used for recovery. From these basics, the bumper can be tailored to include aesthetics and features to suit me.

Good luck with what ever path that you choose.

 

[RHINO]

the factory used it as a recovery point, take that how you want to.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Sounds like I should probably replace the rear Cross member with a new square tubing.

You could always replace it if it ever bent. Of course I don’t want to talk you out of a project if you’re looking for one.

 

[Tennessee Jed]

I'm sure it's fine for most trailers - 6000 pounds? Don't know - I'd want to get a ruling on that one. It's a common problem on the 80 series when (basically) the same frame member is used to tow and jerk and it winds up bent and broken. But hey, they put 4 holes in it for some reason, right? It's as much Toyota's fault as anyone's.

 

[hoser]

Two recovery points spaced out and near the frame laterals would be stronger. For heavy pulls, use a bridle strap to distribute load between both recovery points.