A Tow Hook question

[weatherman]

Should the opportunity ever arise to pull an inferior vehicle out of a ditch, etc with my RL, am I to assume that I hook my tow rope/strap to the tow hook located under the left rear bumper of the vehicle versus my trailer hitch? It just doesn't look as stout as my trailer hitch.

[Engyo]

I think that tow point is for pulling your RL out of wherever, if you don't have a hitch to connect to. I don't think it is meant for pulling other stuff.

[waross]

I believe that the tow hook in question is strictly for strapping the ridge down on a flat bed tow truck keeping it from moving around. I would not be relying on that to tow anyone.

[Andy-Montreal]

The factory tow hooks on the RL were specifically designed to be used to accomodate flat bed towing equipment in the event that the RL should be inoperable and require towing. They are not to be used for towing another vehicle or as tie-down points on a flat-bed tow truck. There are front and rear tie-down hook slots located on the frame of the vehicle for this purpose.

This low-cost receiver tow hook can be purchased and used in conjunction with the truck's trailer hitch receiver in the event that you'd like to pull another vehicle out of a ditch, pull out a few tree stumps, launch a glider, etc...

http://www.4wheelparts.com/PPT5830T4007.aspx

[Pug]

Oops!

I've used the hook a coupla times to pull other vehicles out of some sticky situations. Once, from a snow drift, and another time (just recently) a coworker went over an embankment and was balanced precariously with the ass-end of his wagon up-in-the-air.
I used a tow rope to get his vehicle back down onto the road, and out of danger.

Didn't have to pull too hard on either occasion... never even spun a wheel...
I don't think anything could have been damaged/twisted, do you?

[Andy-Montreal]

Originally Posted by Pug

I've used the hook a coupla times to pull other vehicles out of some sticky situations. ........I don't think anything could have been damaged/twisted, do you?

The hooks off-centered location as well as it's method of fastening to the vehicle frame is testament as to what it's real purpose should be.....a source for the flat bed tow truck's winch to haul the truck up in a straight line.

When pulling another vehicle out of a snow bank or ditch, the tow hook is subjected to sudden jerking "snap-action" forces which may weaken the hook's attachment point to the frame and subsequently cause damage or injury. We've all been found guilty of using the tow hook for purposes other than what it's initial design called for. Good prudence and judgement applies in a case like this..as always!

[ChrisM]

Originally Posted by weatherman

Should the opportunity ever arise to pull an inferior vehicle out of a ditch, etc with my RL, am I to assume that I hook my tow rope/strap to the tow hook located under the left rear bumper of the vehicle versus my trailer hitch? It just doesn't look as stout as my trailer hitch.

The front and rear tow hooks on the RL are very substantial. The front tow hook was designed to withstand a 35 mph offset front impact with another vehicle and not seperate from the frame. This is demonstrated in post #4 of this thread.

Official Video Thread

The rear tow hook is bolted onto the same frame rail that is used by the trailer hitch by 3 bolts which is the same amount of bolts that hold on one side of the hitch. I don't think that you could pull it off of the truck short of hanging the truck in the air by it as long as you didn't yank on it when you hoisted it up. If you use it to pull another vehicle, you MUST pull in a straight line and must take the slack out first. If you don't you risk bending the frame on your truck.

I pulled a Chevy 4X4 out of 3 ft of snow for over 200 ft last year in Illinois and it didn't do a thing to it. (including scratch it.) I would caution that I did use 40 ft of tow strap and pulled in as straight a line as possible and started out completely straight having the towed vehicle directly behind the RL when I pulled it. I also took all of the slack out of the tow rope before I applied any real pressure.

The owners manual says on page 287 that the hooks proper name is a "tie down hook" which to means that they are meant to tie down the vehicle onto a flat bed if it is to be towed but cautions against using them for open road towing which means towing the vehicle for extended periods of time on the road. They however can be used to free the vehicle if it becomes stuck. The manual also suggests that they be used in a straight line and caution against towing at an angle.

Now, with all that said, yes I would believe that you can use it to tow other vehicles out if they become stuck. Would I use Andy's suggested alternative if it was available to me when I needed to pull someone out? Yes I would.

I clicked on the link and bought one myself.

Thank you Andy.

PS. You may also tow the RL on the ground for 50 miles on all 4 wheels at speeds upto 35 mph BUT don't use the tie down hook for this function. You must start the truck up and put it into drive and then into neutral and then turn the truck back off and then use a suitable tow bar to use this function. You must also leave the steering unlocked.

[Andy-Montreal]

ChrisM said:
The front and rear tow hooks on the RL are very substantial. The front tow hook was designed to withstand a 35 mph offset front impact with another vehicle and not seperate from the frame. If you use it to pull another vehicle, you MUST pull in a straight line and must take the slack out first. If you don't you risk bending the frame on your truck.

Having said that Chris, I don't doubt the structural integrity nor the structural engineering that went into this part. Thankfully, everything on this vehicle has been over-engineered. I do know that as a liability issue, Honda does not refer to or market the tow hook in their sales brochure as a "get unstuck" or "pull somebody out" item. Neither does Honda offer an offroad package for the RL as does GM, Ford & Chrysler which properly market their offroad tow hooks, skid plates and other related products.

I pulled a Chevy 4X4 out of 3 ft of snow for over 200 ft last year in Illinois and it didn't do a thing to it. (including scratch it.) I would caution that I did use 40 ft of tow strap and pulled in as straight a line as possible and started out completely straight having the towed vehicle directly behind the RL when I pulled it. I also took all of the slack out of the tow rope before I applied any real pressure.

Once again, kinetic energy! BTW, the front tow hook is spot welded to the frame.

The owners manual says on page 287 that the hooks proper name is a "tie down hook" which to means that they are meant to tie down the vehicle onto a flat bed if it is to be towed but cautions against using them for open road towing which means towing the vehicle for extended periods of time on the road. They however can be used to free the vehicle if it becomes stuck. The manual also suggests that they be used in a straight line and caution against towing at an angle.

The Honda service manual refers to the tow hook as a......tow hook. The tie down slots are distinctly shown in the manual as an area on the frame in which the tow truck operator attaches his cable and hook to tie down the vehicle during transport. Obviously, the owners manual and the service manual writers at Honda were not the same people. Perhaps Gary can solve this riddle for us?

[weatherman]

Originally Posted by Andy-Montreal

The factory tow hooks on the RL were specifically designed to be used to accomodate flat bed towing equipment in the event that the RL should be inoperable and require towing. They are not to be used for towing another vehicle or as tie-down points on a flat-bed tow truck. There are front and rear tie-down hook slots located on the frame of the vehicle for this purpose.

This low-cost receiver tow hook can be purchased and used in conjunction with the truck's trailer hitch receiver in the event that you'd like to pull another vehicle out of a ditch, pull out a few tree stumps, launch a glider, etc...

http://www.4wheelparts.com/PPT5830T4007.aspx

Thanks for the url for 4wheelparts. I just ordered one of those tow hooks online. They only charged $1.10 for shipping, so total cost was $12.09. Looks like it might come in handy some day.

[Kodiak]

The tow hook is strong enough to support 2.5x the vehicle wt. This component was designed to function as an extraction device. The tow hooks are strong enough to tie a Ridgeline to the back of a Ridgeline and then pick up an F150 behind the 2nd Ridgeline. All three trucks can be suspended by a crane.

How is that for factor of safety?