cucv tow bar $35

[Floridianson]

I'm not totally against fabricated towbar

Kenny maybe you should be. Don't think anyone is belittleing him but this set up will kill him and someone else.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Kenny,
Do you have a link to that build? I can't find it. It was great work but with the amount of time involved, it would have been cheaper to get a medium.

Link http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/21184-homegrown-tow-bar.html

 

[Warthog]

I have a couple sets of heavy/medium towbars. They are a pain to hookup but they are very stout. I use them on every recovery from 5tons to CUCVs.

Now if I was just wanting something to move CUCVs around the shop, I would love to use a lightweight set of towbars.

In todays society it is just not worth it to use low cost homemade towbars.

 

[davey8943]

I'm not totally against fabricated towbars.

...

If we are going to bring problems (critisizms) to the table we should be prepared to bring solutions as well. Lets guide this member in the right direction, not belittle him.

Kenny,

Thank you for taking the time to add a succinct, thoughtful post. Your thoughts mirror mine exactly. I sometimes struggle with an appropriate way to approach members with lower post counts. I just don't feel like they will understand my positive intent.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for ALL the time you spend posting, modd-ing, and just plain helping out around here!

Thanks!
Dave

 

[MudderMilitia]

This seems like an accident waiting to happen. If you have to take off the shackles to put this on, why didn't you just make something that mounts directly to the frame mounted receiver tubes instead of welding some bed frame right to a shackle? I would go back to the drawing board and reconfigure how this tow bar mounts to the cucv and make the A-frame a little more beefier.

 

[therealsundance]

Those welds look like they will shear off without much effort.

 

[nattieleather]

I'm not going to beat you up as I have a home made tow bar that I use to use for towing a M151 all around. Used it for well over a couple K miles in all kinds of weather and all kinds of road/traffic conditions with no issues. But, I designed mine a little different. I used 2 inch box tubing instead of angle bar. I also had it welded by a professional welder who got very good penitration on his welds. (I did not have a welder nor did I know how at the time)

I would like to suggest that you look at changing the angle bar to box tubing 2 inch or better and get a better weld on your shackles. This will give you more strength. It may up your cost a little, but as was stated it's worth the money not to have a problem. If you look at the link listed above the gentleman got such a good weld that when done it looked like cast steel. You want to get good welds!

Good luck with your project and I wish you well.
Joe

 

[OL AG '89]

I'm not trying to frag on the towbar, but I've got TOO much invested in my tow rig and M1009 for a homemade bar. If it was made from 2x3 .125 wall tubing maybe I would go with it, maybe, but would have to have a much stronger attachment point that cut down shackles.
That angle iron would crinkle if you had an emergency stop and the Blazer was moving at anything more than 20 mph. I guarentee you would be explaining to the DOT boys about your towbar and possibly expalining to your insurance man about the HUGE divot in the rear end of your tow vehicle, if you didn't just get shoved into whatever it was that you were stopping for.

I am ANAL about safety in EVERYTHING I do!!
I will always be that way after seeing way too many people taking unnecessary chances and ending up injured...
I'm looking for a medium towbar for my blazer but until I find one, I will just put on my trailer and go... It's a hassle, have to change out front tires, because its too wide for trailer.....

 

[Atwater]

ditto

Kenny,

Thank you for taking the time to add a succinct, thoughtful post. Your thoughts mirror mine exactly. I sometimes struggle with an appropriate way to approach members with lower post counts. I just don't feel like they will understand my positive intent.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for ALL the time you spend posting, modd-ing, and just plain helping out around here!

Thanks!
Dave

 

[docfarmall]

THAT THING IS GONNA KILL SOMEONE MAYBE EVEN YOURSELF GREAT IDEA JUST NEEDS SOME PERFECTING. LET ME NO IF YOUR BRINGING THAT TO INDIANA I WILL STAY HOME OFF THE ROADS THAT DAY

 

[3dAngus]

I'll drop the price of my medium towbar on the classifieds for you (not refurbished) if you buy it and go safely. PM me if interested.

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not being ANAL about it, just offering. Sounds like a lot of experienced and professional advisors here.

Personally, when I first saw it, I had a great deal of admiration for your ingenuity and talent. I wouldn't know a good weld from a bad one, so I just go with the ones who know better. Good luck with it, either way. Wish I could do that.

 

[A/C Cages]

I would worry about the torsion effects. First twisting or turning would crumple the bars.
What does your insurance company say about using this is what I would be worried about.

 

[GoinNutts]

The insurance company would pay the first claim just good luck getting insurance again if you live through it. Then again when the "bird poop" welds cut loose and the blazer kills yah who needs insurance.

 

[wallew]

OK, I gotta give the guy a break.

But realize as a retired, degreed gunsmith, THE LAST PERSON I EVER WANT TO MEET is my customer's, widow's ATTORNEY.

You know what I mean?

 

[shovelheadmike]

I really don't think that welding on a shackle like that, and depending on it to be reliable is.a.good idea. Have seen several mods like that fail in a most spectacular way. Those welds have a tendency to crack if.not.properly heat treated. That material.will.cool too fast.and be.brittle. There is a.reason the military tow bars are constructed the way they are. in my humble opinion, that is a.disaster just waiting to happen.

 

[kassim503]

Constructive criticism gets places, not ripping on the guy. I would remake the arms with some heavy square stock and come up with a better idea for the ends. Good idea on using a a-frame coupler, is the coupler a real "attwood" style or the knockoff kind? the knockoffs have some different dimensions to it that put stress on the locking pin which isnt all to dandy.

If its going to go onto the road its gotta be able to withstand anything you throw at it. Like what if you were emergency braking while the tow vehicle was grinding through the gravel and rumble strip, all of those vibrations might crinkle that angle iron or rip those welds.

If you double your money, you could purchase a cheap chinese tow bar for around 80 bucks, and they are decent for towing 1009's as long as you replace the bolts with the equivilant grade 12.9 bolts. Since I had mine, I logged a off 500 miles on it w/no problems.

 

[shovelheadmike]

If you insist on doing it.with that material, at.the least I'd trash the shackles (they are ruined anyway). Then bend and box in both sides of the mounting foot to resemble the military design. You could perhaps use the shackle pins, if properly spaced. Even then, it is too light for me to ever trust to be safe. Square stock would be much safer.

 

[m16ty]

Here's one I built- http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/31268-built-me-towbar.html?highlight=towbar .

I've pulled several deuces with this towbar and tried to break it (off road of course) and it holds up fine. It's made with 2X2X1/4 wall tube though. I've even sold a couple but I sell them for off-road use only for liability reasons.

I think your towbar is strong enough for a CUCV for the most part. The angle iron looks pretty heavy and IMO strong enough (for a cucv). The shackles welded to the angle needs to be redesigned. There's not enough weld area there and the shackles are made out of a material that really shouldn't be welded.

 

[original]

It always better to design and make it yourself; however, this tow bar is too weak. You don't want to learn this the hard way. After a few major mishaps, I have developed a tendency to over build things. A properly built tow bar would take time good materials, and careful design / research.

 

[docfarmall]

I wouldnt trust the square tube your opening your self up something you dont want even if you say off road only can the towbar read