aFe Front Tow Hooks

Does anyone have any experience installing these?

https://afepower.com/afe-power-450-72t001-r-afe-power-front-tow-hook-red

I have tried to remove the bolts, but they don't appear to "slide out" very easy, or drop down. I am curious if anyone else has installed these and have a trick for me...

I am assuming it is user error (no surprise, but I was unable to find any hints on YouTube. Figured I go to the experts ...

Thanks in advance

 

They can be tough to remove especially if they are covered with winter road debris. Shoot them with either WD 40 or another oil good for breaking loose items.

From my experience. Pretty easy to loosen the Sway bar bolts. I have a 24" breaker bar and applied gradual pressure.

That said, the position of these is very low requiring care when using to pull the Tundra as the pull strap more then likely hits the bottom valance work.

Simply stated, mostly a show item. I am installing a CBI bumper this spring that has the Tow hooks positioned correctly.

Good luck

 

I think is most cases if you hook up to those, off comes the nose of the truck, they are just too buried in there. you'd have to have a nose up angle only IMO

 

Thanks. I am gathering that these may not be the best based on the angle. I am going to assume that they are more for show than anything.

 

I am reading you need to bend the hooks back on to remove the bracket in order to pop it on...

 

Yes, that is correct

 

These are really for emergency recovery (your vehicle being recovered) and not for recovering another vehicle. If you are stuck and need to be yanked out, the last thing you are going to worry about is the front bumper. But yes, without getting creative with pulleys and such, you are going to rip that bumper a bit.

I had some trouble getting them installed only because my driveway has a slight incline to it which shifted everything. Do it on a flat surface and removal is easy. You will need to bend the little hooks. They are thin and don't take much to move. Pliers or even a flathead screwdriver and leverage will make them fold.

 

Has anybody actually put these hooks to real use yet? Are they just for looks? I don't like the angle they seem to present and the risk of front bumper damage. I actually use my tow hooks regularly. Is there a safe place (sturdy, frame cross member?) where you could wedge a 2x4 or a block of wood in between the tow rope/strap and the bumper to provide some clearance under the bumper?

Are there any other true bolt on options that don't require cutting and drilling? If I have to do all that I may just replace the whole bumper.

 

if you regularly use tow hooks for real, a full bumper replacement would be the way to go, all these other band aids with "red tow hooks" are just for show.

like you said, with that angle the front of the truck is gone if you pull on it unless its clear in the front and nose up.

 

You're probably right. But do the aftermarket bumpers affect safety concerns? I see some of them remove the factory cross member. Could that cause insurance issues? Or worse yet, genuine safety issues?

And do any of these aftermarket bumpers play well with aftermarket skid plates?

I've got the factory 3" lift so I can't use the TRD Pro skid plate (at least not without exposing the sway bar and making R&R for oil changes a PITA) and the stock one that comes with the TRD OR package is a total joke.

 

ya, sorry but Im not sure on all the aftermarket bumper questions you have, maybe search the forum here, there are plenty of people that have done it, some are better than others.

this is one area if your a real off roader where toyota dropped the ball with the tow hooks, but that is beat to death

 

Definitely beat to death, but without a good, effective, and easy fix apparently.