Tow/recovery points

Acky

Acky

Bigger Hammer
Jan 29, 2019
144
Nantucket
First Name
Joe
Willys Model
  1. Wagon
Willys Year:
  1. 1961
In the absence of a hitch, what are good points to secure a tow rope in the event of needing to be pulled or pulling someone out of sand on a Wagon?

Anyone used a hi-lift jack? If so, are there any safe recovery points on the vehicle or does this require modification.

Anyone used the wheel adapter for a high-lift jack and, if so, on stock wheels?

I have an off-road style bottle jack and plan to use hopefully use the hi-lift as eye candy only, but in the event of a major issue I want to be ready to use it if the bottle jack and recovery pads fail.
 
As Larry said, but be careful not to crush your brake lines.
No matter where you hook a chain or rope use common sense by all means.
Have a piece of plywood for under the bottle jack. Maybe 8" x 8" and at least 1/2" thick. You would need a very sturdy roof rack to support a spare tire on the roof with all the bouncing your Jeep would do running sand. See my answer on your other post. Running sand on the Cape and Islands is tricky. I've done a lot of it. But not recently.
diggerG
 
I know all the ins and outs of driving sand on the island, just not the ins and outs of the Willys wagon yet. The main idea is to not get stuck. After that knowing the strongest part of a 50 some-odd year old frame is also important. A jack stand, tow ropes, and all the stuff is standard equipment. First few times we’ll have my Wrangler along side.
 
NDWillys said:
Then the Willys will have everything needed to pull out the Wrangler. Always fun exploring with a group.
Click to expand...
Yup, I'm not much of an off roader... But I had to drive off road on occasion... My come-along and chains helped others many times... I was usually driving a 1 wheel drive 1/2 ton, Ford or Chevy pickup.. I also used my pickups for service calls on big trucks.. So, I had a big wood box in the back full of tools and supplies... Once my neighbor called and asked for help... They stuck a Datsun 4wd and 1970 Cherokee in a river bed...And yeah the water was 12" deep and flowing........We even had a Ramcharger with a front electric winch trying to help.... The only thing that worked was my hand operated come along hooked to the Ramcharger hooked to my pickup... We worked for hours but got 'em out..
 
I’ve had the pleasure of towing many folks out of sand and snow with a wrangler and a good tow rope many times. Generally a safe venture if you know where to ties the lines and never use anything made of metal which can act as a projectile:(

Thanks for all the great tips. I’m looking forward to putting this beauty queen to work after 50+ years of sitting on her duff. Always a little fun with an old car or sailboat, provided it’s down safely. The new stuff is just too easy. Half the fun is figuring things out and knowing how to finesse things.
 
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Your best attachment for a snatch / recovery strap will always be a properly affixed to the frame tow hook or tow / trailer hitch. Never ever use the tow ball though they can shear off and kill anything near by. You can get a attachment "eye" tow hook that will fit in the receiver hole that is much stronger.

Master of unfinished projects
 
Yeah that’s really the best thing, strange they weren’t standard on these trucks.
 
Carry a set of Maxtrax or equivalent and you probably won't need to be towed.
 
Funny you said that. Just got a set. They are absolutely HUGE! Reviews on them are very good. I agree that if I do spin a wheel, can probably dig these under the wheels and be out. As Psychodelic suggested I may go ahead and put on some hitches, and be covered from all angles.
 
Be aware atha ypu can bury them in the sand deep enough to make them hard to find!
 
I sincerely hope I never find myself in a situation where these behemoths are buried that bad. Yikes.
 
cwdtmmrs said:
Be aware atha ypu can bury them in the sand deep enough to make them hard to find!
Click to expand...

This is not a joke, if you get stuck and the tide comes in your 4 wheeler CAN just disappear. I have seen pictures.

The Willys wagon with floatation tires will be great in the sand, Horsepower is your enemy there.
diggerG
 
driving a 1 wheel drive 1/2 ton, Ford or Chevy pickup..

Hey Larry, aren't all 1/2 ton trucks 1 wheel drive? lol
 
From what I gather, the Superteaxion bias ply tires with a wide side wall should work very well aired down in any type of off-road condition, including sand. Should be able to overcome tire width issues by increasing footprint and I just don’t see NDT or not being an issue. With a V8 my main concern is keeping a steady foot and actually not over-stressing the stock running gear and leaving the axle on the beach. Lack of torque (no HP so much) is not a concern. Probably won’t work as good a true sand tire or even an all terrain tire but should work OK if a little science and skill is applied. My main concern is keeping momentum over a dune (if oncoming trucks necessitate a stop) and changing directions (reversing) without burying the rim. But this is kind of where the fun lies. The Wrangler doesn’t break a sweat in this stuff, of course.
 
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So I’ve decided to install hitches for D-rings on the frame, front and back, and am looking for tips on the best locations on the frame, and also if it makes sense to put 2 in the front and 2 in the back vs just 1 and 1. Also, how and where would one put jack points for a Hi-Lift, and is there away to have the jackpoints and hitches be combined into one unit? I’m not convinced I need jack points at all, but if there is a way to do it simply “while I’m at it,” in conjunction with the hitches, I’d consider it, just as a backup, assuming I end up doing 4 hitches and not 2.
 
For the rear at least, if you add a trailer hitch receiver, the type that bolts as a unit under each rear frame horn, you would in effect be distributing any pulling or lifting on the frame. It would be a central lift point rather than one corner at a time thing, but in the sand you'd likely be lifting both rears anyway if trying to free up those tires. It would also allow a socket in effect for the Hi-Lift to hook into. The rear bumper mounts are spring steel and have a lot of flex. Also, you have to lift so high from that point that it gets dangerous. At that height, the Hi-Lift can slip off the slick chrome bumper. As far as the front, I mounted tow hooks onto the frame horns extending out to the sides rather than down, still allowing a strong tow point without damaging the more fragile bumper and spring steel bumper mounts under the spray apron. The tow rope hook hooks onto that tow hook and the fabric of the tow rope lays flat against the underside of the bumper. The tow hooks are hidden but are there when needed and dont damage anything when used.
 
Thanks lb. What I think we’re going to end up doing is kind of a combination of ideas. We’re basically putting a full length dropped hitch on the back with the receiver coming off just below the bumper, with a D-ring attachment. The corners should be able to serve as hi-lift jack points with the plan to hopefully never use them. On the front we’re going to fabricate something similar coming off the very ends of the frame rails, which we also hope will give the frame a little more support as well by connecting the two sides.
 
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