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Eye-bolt replacement for ball hitch

15K views 34 replies 20 participants last post by  Poopshute 
#1 ·
I'm one of those guys who will wait for my bumpers to get ripped off before replacing them with something beefier. So, in the mean time I wanted to add an anchor/recovery point to the rear of my 2000 Taco. There are two steel loops up front but nothing really in the back with the stock setup. I don't have a tow package so all I have to work with is the hole that a ball hitch can go into. I had a ball hitch in place with a SPA shackle looped around it. It was ghetto and didn't really do the job. The shackle would rattle around and it tore away at some of the finish on my bumper. Anyways, I wanted something that would be more useable and reliable than that setup. Below are pictures of what I did. I used a forged steel eye-bolt w/shoulder I found at a local specialty hardware store. The thread size is 3/4" which is the exact size of the ball hitch. The thread length is 2" which is a bit on the small end for the stock bumper. I wasn't able to use any washers due to the short thread length and instead of using a lock washer, I was forced to use blue loctite. I torqued it down to 100 ft/lbs. The eye-bolt is rated around 1200 lbs being pulled at a 45 degree angle which should be plenty for a mediocre recovery or to tow someone out of some snow. This was a cheap solution to use with the stock bumper. I know the bumper clearance may be an issue since I have the loop pointing towards the bottom but as I said before, if it gets ripped off, I'll buy a new bumper AND, now I can sport my CU Buffs logo on my license plate better.

Oh, the eye-bolt I used is made by chicago hardware and is made of forged steel. There are versions of this made with stainless steel that have a longer thread length but they're quadruple the price (I paid ~$15 for this one).

Anyways... pictures below...









No room for washers... blue loctite it is.
 
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#2 ·
I predict one of two things happening
1) the bolt will sheer off. Those eyebolts aren't ment for side pressure.
2) say good bye to your bumper.

Either way, not the smartest attachment point.
 
#3 ·
Strength-wise, it shouldn't matter if it's mounted toward the top or how it currently is mounted, right? I understand that these eye-bolts are strongest when pressure is being pulled directly from the top however, I saw a spec sheet stating it can handle 1200 Lbs of pressure from a 45 degree pull.
 
#7 ·
What are they putting in the water down at CU these days?
Your mom.

Why not just put a 2" ball into the hole. I'll bet that eye bolt will last one or two tugs. The shackle you used the first time was the way to go, just zip tie some some rubber to keep it from vibrating. You will bend the bumper mounts, or tear it out of the mounting hole before the shackle would fail. I'd retry the shackle again.
Thanks for the insightful post. I get annoyed when I ask a question and get a bunch of smart-ass replies. Maybe this was better off in the newbie section. Anyways... I guess this may have not been the best idea. I'll look towards some type of tow hitch or just go back to the ball. I may try stress testing this first towing a friend's truck/car. I'll report back later.

1200lbs what r u gound to be recovered out of wet grass?
Correction... wet marshmallows.
 
#5 ·
Why not just put a 2" ball into the hole. I'll bet that eye bolt will last one or two tugs. The shackle you used the first time was the way to go, just zip tie some some rubber to keep it from vibrating. You will bend the bumper mounts, or tear it out of the mounting hole before the shackle would fail. I'd retry the shackle again.
 
#6 ·
1200lbs what r u gound to be recovered out of wet grass?
 
#10 ·
The way you have it set up, you've created a leverage point against your bumper brackets. I'd be more worried about tweaking those than the frame.

Before I upgraded my rear bumper, I put in a Class III 2" receiver and used a WARN receiver-mounted shackle. It worked getting me out of axle-deep gooey mud (yanked, not winched). So I'd suggest a receiver. Another (cheaper) option is a step bumper mounted 2" receiver. You'll have to drill a few holes in the bumper for the bolts, but I've seen full size trucks yanked out of holes with those as the recovery point (I was the recoveror, and a Silverado was the recoveree).

Keep in mind that a good enough yank could bend the bumper upwards enough to impact the tailgate. Not a problem if you don't mind the carnage, otherwise you're going to have some sheetmetal work to do, too.
 
#14 ·
This dude probably never has seen hard enough trails to even worry about his departure angle!! probably a muding luvr.. I have to LMAO ROFL about the lack of threads into the nut though!
 
#15 ·
good idea on paper. bad idea in reality i think. what i see is what the others saw. a lever that when pulled on will put an upward twist on either the bumper or the mounts, which ever is weaker. i can see tailgate damage occurring. I would just go ahead and get a hitch put on there. thats what i use and omgosh yes my "departure angle went to shit" but it works good. not too expensive either if you know a mom and pops type garage that is good. plus, you can now tow heavier trailers. a little cool tidbit. a 2" receiver is the perfect size for a mortar
 
#17 ·
MY local junkyard has a mound of hitchs about 15 feet tall. If you find the dimensions of a hitch that will fit, call a local junkyard and see if theyve got it. The guy near me sold my buddy one for his ranger for 15 bucks.
 
#23 ·
If you're going to use a stock bumper at least buy a big shackle that will fit that hole. The eye-bolt thing you got going on is going to get someone hurt after it sheers. Just think about the physics of it - sideways load, etc. At least with a shackle it would be pulling on the bumper length wise rather than a twisting motion.
 
#24 ·
Guys, just purchased a Uhaul class III hitch for my taco. Called junk yards around Denver and no one had a hitch for my truck. Craigslist wasn't anything special either. Ebay had the Uhaul for $144 shipped. Thanks for those who gave insightful info and there will be a big bag of flaming poo on the doorsteps of those who had to throw in their douche-bag comments. :)
 
#31 ·
Be carefull cause i will be waiting with a 12 guage shotgun.
 
#27 ·
i'd rate this mod a 1 on a function and form questionnaire.
E for effort, though.
np Ricer Poopshoot, we know that you don't really have shit for brains:2cents:
Neat.

Lets play a game and see how long we can keep this thread alive with intelligent posts like these.

I honestly hope a mod comes by and closes this thread.
 
#30 ·
I'm not trying to start a fight here. I have towed people out of some minor situations with a ball joint in the same location on my bumper w/out any damage to the bumper. So, using the eye-bolt lead me to thing it would be strong enough. There were a lot of good posts that people put up that got me to research and look into getting a trailer hitch and ditching this idea (based on safety, damage, etc...). It's the posts that people put up that don't provide anything except showing off how big of a dick they can be that really does nothing for this forum. I haven't been on this forum in a while and before I left there were a lot more positive/constructive replies than what I saw in this thread I made. It gets frustrating for people like me who come... sorry... RELY on this forum for great technical advise (even when something I come up is a bad idea). However, about 50% of the posts in this thread haven't been helpful at all. I'd honestly like to see this thread die or at least see all the negative/pointless posts stop.

I do really appreciate all the posts that were made here that steered me to ditching this idea and moving on to buying a trailer hitch.

For those of you who helped me, thank you much. For those that want to continue posting garbage... have fun.

Seacrest out.
 
#33 ·
Helped me-

I am a newbie to pickups. Drove Dodge vans (318- great engine!!) for over 650,00 miles as my work vehicle. Semi retired now.
Want to get a simple ball for light duty. Log splitter, etc. This thread did help.
I run on the beach ( Chevy Blazer, defunct now, hence the Taco),love to surf fish. Never had to dig out or be pulled out.
 
#35 ·
Please let this thread die and never do what I did. Lessons learned (luckily not be an incident but coming to my senses)... Just don't use this method. Poor thread was doing just fine dying a slow death and then had to get resurrected.
 
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