Paul, I was thinkingthat too, but i'd like to put receiver hitches in and shackles to replace my tow hooks. Once my winch is mounted, my bushguard is comming off. I picked up an entry level superwinch LP8500, looking to mount it between my tow hook mounts, where the Offroad direct one mounts,

-OSS

 

I arc weld everything I can. Bevel it all if it needs it or not for the simple fact it makes me sleep better, lol. Nothing wrong with mig (if ya got it use it) and I can't tig worth a crap.


Most class 3 hitches are rated for 3000 to 5000 pounds pulling. It amazes me how many people think its a good idea to mount a 8000+ pound pulling winch to one or use shackles mounted in one to pull a truck out. I've seen receiver hitches bent and even ripped from the frame in light **** jeeps stuck in the mud.


Leave the hitch for a trailer and use a real winch mount.

 

very well said sir

 

That's why you use class iv and proper recovery equipment. Nothing wrong with using a receiver to recover vehicles if it's done correctly.

 

Yes but as said below when done correctly they are the way to go in my opinion. People who rip out hitches must be an idiot. You honestly cant expect a small class 1 or 2 to do the job! But for example more than 90% of front hitches you can buy have a 9000lb line pull even including the hitches for our trucks. Now take a winch with an 8000lb pulling capacity and a slightly over 4000lb pound truck, That leaves for almost double the amount of weight etc for being stuck and or bogged down. I still cant see a problem with it being how slow a winch moves and its purpose to be a slow and steady pull and not a yank which i can see causing damage. Even ****** blocking where you cut the cable speed in half...And even then if a hitch breaks then i could understand because your doubling up on the capacity but the amount of stress being applied from a pull so slow shouldn't merely rip off a hitch at the line rate even with the added stress. Ive never seen it happen a day in my life and i cant even begin to tell you have many winch setups ive this way including my brothers for years

Thank you! I still will always find this to be the strongest pull point compared to a tow hook unless someone does crazy metal fabrication to make a mount or hook etc because a hitch mounts to both frame rails and has a secure centerpoint

 

Show me somebody who actually looks at the hitch rating over just finding one at a junkyard and welding it to the front end. Even better show me somebody that makes a bolt on front hitch for s-series that's over the rating the truck is even rated at to pull. Even most of the aftermarket bumper companies that include reciever mounts have disclaimers about the rating of them for pulling. As for it being mounted by 2 points its still being pulled from a 2x2 tube hanging 6 inches in the center (weakest point) of that bar.

You been doing it for years, congrats on being lucky. I got an uncle that uses chicken wire and bondo to fix body damage. He's also been doing it for years. Ill stick to using a real winch mount for my winch, trailer hitch for my trailer, and chicken wire for a chicken pen.

 

Here's a few pics of what a winch does to receiver mounts

 

I don't run a winch, but I'd have no issues throwing one in any of my receivers if I had to. My response was mostly to the nonsense about not using receivers for recovery. I have a class 4 rear hitch with a shackle in it, and I bolted two class 4 receivers tubes into the tow hook/skid plate location which also have shackles. I've pulled out several full size trucks and have been pulled out by the same. Never a single issue, and it's as safe as any recovery point because I use proper equipment for my recoveries.

Just before my receiver, shackle and ARB strap dragged him out.

 

Curt Front Hitch for Chevrolet Blazer 2000 - 31021

Read the line pull ratings and almost every front hitch made for any vehicle has that rating! A blazer is about 4000-4200lbs on the slow speed of a winch it should never have a problem and even stuck should it really never exceed 6500lbs. Ive seen many Heeps break this hitches from too much tongue weight, But never rip one off. To anyone who welds on a hitch from a junkyard and doesn't apply it correctly i could see why things are breaking. As for my rear hitch SnowBlaZeR2 i actually helped pull my buddies 5 ton deuce and a half on 53"s off the beach this past weekend. His front air line for the front axle had pulled off and i was pulling him while i had a ram 2500 with the hemi pulling me from my towhook only reason because he didnt have any other wise it would have been backwards. So he had his rear 2 sets of wheels but had to go backwards having more traction that way and was digging in the sand and the truck would just hop a little trying to find traction and just sink. With our 2 trucks hooked up and under his own power we were able to pull him off still slightly hopping taking over a good 5 mins. Also the truck weighed just over 20,000lbs. He had to have it weighted for registration purposed and i had someone pulling from the front of me while i was pulling him and doubt people are putting that much stress on a bumper or hitch as i did at that moment

Your the only person i can actually say that this is a problem using a hitch. I cant see how a bumper would be any stronger, It mounts to the frame the same way using the 2 frame rails and the winch is placed into the middle of the bumper (weak point would be no different from a hitch)

 

Hell yeah man! Ive pulled out 30 something cars/trucks the winter before last year and the largest was a fullsize Coca Cola box truck. Now after last weekend helping pull my buddies deuce, That will definitely end up being the largest