towbar mounts

[jesusgatos]

towbar mounts (storage)

I've got a medium towbar that I plan on carrying somewhere on my M109. It's singled-out and I'm thinking that I'll probably mount it on the outside of one of the framerails, towards the rear of the vehicle. I'm betting that most of you guys carry them in the bed, but I'd still be interested in seeing pictures of any type of permanent mounts.

Oh, and would it be OK to grind down the reinforcing collars so that I can fold the towbar up completely flat?

 

[Big CASE]

DO NOT DO IT ( grind down the reinforcing collars ) if you do it the tow bar will be unsafe to use !!!!! there are mounts that are for the tow bar that go on the bumper.

 

[KsM715]

Check out this link. There is away to get it to fold flat with the collars on it.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/22206-towbar-bumper.html

Edit: I should have checked the links in that thread. they do not work, but the pics are still there and you can continue your search from there.

 

[jesusgatos]

DO NOT DO IT ( grind down the reinforcing collars ) if you do it the tow bar will be unsafe to use !!!!! there are mounts that are for the tow bar that go on the bumper.

Yeah, I understand that the collars reinforce the towbar, but some towbars I've seen don't have those collars and they fold-flat. So what would be the harm in grinding the collars on mine? Honest question. I just don't see what the big deal is.

Thanks for the link KsM715. Reversing the short leg looks like a good alternative to grinding the collars.

 

[emr]

It is absolutly safe to grind down the inner side of the collar so they fold down, They were/ are strong enough before the collors were put on and used for many decades, There is only one batch from one company that SOME of the towbars had bad welds, and that is up to discussion, To have the welded collar grinded down is in absolutly no way going to weaken an already strong enough tow bar,and obviously most of the collar will still be applied. it is way over kill and still will be If u do it, I have done it on one of mine and it does not fold all the way but sure is better, Now I personally prefer to separate them anyway, when storing or carrying, And i will say i can still throw that tow bar on my shoulder at 51 and proud of it, but I separate them any way, U can reverse the tow shackles so they go up and rest to tow bar on them and it looks alot neater than that. all has been done before,

 

[tm america]

i like the look of them mounted above the front bumper. as they are close to where you need it.

 

[jesusgatos]

It's also a lot more weight hanging out there over the front axle.

 

[tm america]

ya it is but alot of guys do it even with winches and i havent heard any complaints. also you have a m109 that has alot of weight in the back balancing things out.a tow bar weighs what 200lbs .thats not gonna make a noticable difference

 

[jesusgatos]

Eh, I'm not wild about that (mostly because of the weight on the front tires). I've heard that winches affect tire-life by a noticeable amount, so I'd like to avoid adding any more weight up there if I can help it.

 

[tm america]

well if you dont want to go in the front why not go between the bed rails above the frame and below the bed croos members?it would be hidden and wouldnt get packed full of mud like it would if you put it on the outside of the frame in the back

 

[jesusgatos]

Good idea, but that's where I installed the boarding ladder.

 

[emr]

I do not agree at all winches put any noticable strain on the front end at all. And as for tires absolutly no difference in tire wear, u will find not rotating your tires will do alot more to have em wear out fast than anything else, i have had a set on one deuce for say 30,000miles.and as for a tow bar out there i can tell you from years of doing it , it is absolutly not noticable at all, and the deuce does not notice or care in any way at all either, a tow bar is a pimple in weight on the front of a deuce.

 

[jesusgatos]

Good to know. Thanks for posting.

 

[tm america]

having the tow bar mounted on the front bumper puts about as much weight as having two passengers in the front seat.or the same as having some snow on the truck but not as much as having mud under it from going offroad. these trucks were built to haul 10000lbs all day long and can take much more .when you put 10000lbs in the bed evenly distributed alot more than an extra 200lbs goes on the front .probably more like 1000- 1500 as the tires are not exactly in the middle of the bed.if you look at the data plate in the cab it shows how much more would be on the front when loaded

 

[jesusgatos]

Come on, you know that having a towbar mounted on the front bumper isn't the same thing as having a similar amount of weight somewhere closer to the middle of the truck. Maybe you guys are right though, maybe it's not that big of a deal...

 

[jwaller]

also remember that mounting that towbar on the front bumper just says "steal me" all over it.

 

[tm america]

trucks that dont use keys say steal it all over to me. i would make my mount lockable no matter where i put it . a pin and a pad lock go a long way to stop that. but to me if someone can just pick up a medium tow bar and walk away like its nothing i probably wouldnt want to say anything to them unless i had my gun . so they can have it anyway. better to let them take it than to get beat with it

 

[jesusgatos]

Yeah, wherever I mount it, it will definitely be locked.

 

[wehring]

gypsy racks

gypsy racks has a towbar mount for $200. Gypsy Rack - GR-TB

Justin Wehring
979 997 3112

 

[Beerslayer]

Hey J-Cats, I saw in another thread on towbar mounting, some time ago that someone had pulled a pin and turned one of the bars around and it folded flat just fine. Looked great without any grinding. Agree with EMR though that some on that one side would be OK.

Paint it bright yellow, mount it on the front bumper, would look great.