Factory front tie down points

Can these be used as recovery points if the two points are connected with a bridle if in the extremely rare chance I get stuck somewhere?

 

The toyota manual states they can be used for towing on flat surfaces, for a limited mount of miles. With the stipulations I remember reading in the manual, I would be wary of using them as recovery where any significant amounts of tugging is required to get the vehicle moving are involved (such as when using a snatch strap).

 

So I wonder what they do when a basically stock 4R gets stuck somewhere? Maybe try and pull from the back?

Looking at the Treaty Oak recovery point that is held by 2 bolts to the frame, one bolt screws directly into the frame and the second bolt screws into a flat nut held on by a rod that you put inside the frame. That hole actually goes through both sides of the frame so I wonder why they don't just use a long bolt that goes all the way through the frame and use a large thick washer and nut instead?

 

I have the Treaty Oak recovery points installed and these are very beefy and there are no concerns on my end about how they bolt into the frame. These are plenty strong to hold up to dragging someone’s butt out of trouble (or your own!).

 

If you need to use them, the bridle would be the preferable way. And even than no side loads, and no getting a running start with the tow vehicle.

I have the Apex Overland Recovery points on mine, which I like. Similar to the Treaty oak, they just mount differently. IIRC from the install, they have 4 bolts per side.

 

The factory welded hold downs look pretty good to me. Curious if there’s actual evidence of them failing during a pullout.

 

I ordered the Apex Overland recovery points the other day. Should receive them later in the week. They look like a good and safe option for those who do not have an aftermarket front bumper

 

Once you look at them carefully, you notice they arent welded to the frame proper…they’re actually welded to the crossbar under the radiator. The problem there is that the crossbeam structure is sideloaded.

Also, the loops themselves are being side-loaded, since they have a downward bend. Any pulling will impart a bending force to the loop portion.

Toyota say’s it’s good enough for towing short distances on paved roads, but that’s about it.

If you tug too hard, that cross beam where the loops mount to will bend forward towards the front of the vehicle. But since the loops are welded in a way that effectively applies torque to the crossbar, I can just as easily imagine the crossbeam twisting. In a best case scenario, only the loops themselves would bend out straight.

However, that is only assuming that cross beam is in pristine condition. On most 4runners that crossbeam is the first thing to completely rust out. Ive seen older 4runners with them almost entirely rotted out. So, the reality is that on older 4runners, that whole cross beam is gonna get torn out.

If you sit and look at it, it’s really a weird setup for any type of anchoring point.

 

You make some good points. I’ve looked at them but never studied the structure. My plan is to avoid getting into a situation where I need a tow.

 

Regarding the rear recovery, yes I would say the rear hitch (using a hitch/shackle setup in the receiver) is the safest way to attempt a recovery. Of course, the hitch is rated to tow 5,000lbs, so that should still be part of the consideration. I dont know what that tow rating means related to ultimate strength before things get tweaked, but it still seems more stout that the front hooks. Also keep in mind, if you are being recovered (in off road situations) using the front loops, you’ll be pulling yourself INTO the very thing that got you stuck (lots more force needed to pull you through it) Usually this would be a bad idea lol.

So Id stick to recovering from the rear. Just make sure you are in neutral before getting (gently) snatched out.

Regarding the treaty oak anchor points and the rod that goes through the frame…. My guess is that rod is sized to be the exact same width of the box section frame,and that the bolt essentially screws down pressure onto the rod, instead of the walls of the frame. If you used just a through bolt with a nut/washer on the other end, you could end up crushing the two sides of the box section frame towards each other.
The only reason I know is because my warn bumper had a through-bolt. As I tightened the nut, my torque wrench did not click when I thought it should have. I stopped to look and realized it would never click, because it would just end up squashing the two sides of the box closer and closer. Thankfully I realized this before I did any damage.

 

I just changed the oil last night…gave me an opportunity to spend an unnatural amount of time just looking around down there lol

part of that time was spent looking at that crossbeam and making sure the half-gallon of Woolwax I applied to JUST that part, was still doing its job haha

 

Are you referring to the crossmember that supports the radiator and has that foam that some people have had corrosion problems with?

Last year when I was doing my oil change I raised the foam in a couple of places and it all looked good, like new. Fortunately I live in an area where vehicle corrosion is not a problem.

 

Yup, that’s the one. I’ve heard some recommend to take the foam off to let that crossbeam dry out. And while I agree that foam may be a source of corrosion due to trapped moisture, I decided instead to leave the foam on, but I saturated it with woolwax (in addition to coating the entire crossbeam inside and out). I live in salt spray central, and I was afraid taking the foam off would just allow salt/brine mist to make it into the engine compartment and cause all sorts of trouble inside there.

Mine is only a year old, but so far, no rust anywhere on the frame…

 

Mine is 3.5 years old (18’) and no corrosion. I live in the desert and they don’t use salt here.

For now I am going to leave the foam.

I just went out in the garage and took these pictures. It’s looks to me like the anchors are attached at the corner of the frame structure. I didn’t see how you could attach an anchor behind this area because the sway bar mounts are very close behind.

 

I've used them for snatching and doubling winch line back through a snatch block and I think they're fine. Probably not the gold standard of recovery points but I've never had a failure, seen a failure, or heard of a failure. The 2 times in their life most people will use these, they'll hold up well.

 

On a side note, the purpose of the foam is for what? Is it routing airflow?

 

The Apex recovery point looks great but the KDSS version looks to be a pain to install.

 

There's one that looks just like the Treaty Oak by BBG and comes powder coated.

https://www.treatyoakoffroad.com/product/gx460-5th-gen-4runner-recovery-point

https://www.bbg4x4.com/product/bbg-rp150/

 

Just use them. You’re silly if you spend $150-$300 on recovery points that are held on by 2 bolts because someone on a forum told you to be wary of using these points.

they work fine.

 

Oh, no KDSS on mine.

 

You hit the nail on the head. The purpose was for a few times use across the life of the vehicle. Not for repeated snatching in the boondocks.

I've heard people say they use them all the time for off-roading. Although clearly our rigs are capable, i'm sure Toyota R&D is not factoring in the off-road community when designing these tie down points. Hence why they are called "Tow-Down Points". Not "Recovery Points".

Clearly if you off-road the preference is to get appropriate recovery points. Don't have them? Its not a sin to use them..

 

As a new owner of a T4R, I promptly got mine stuck in soft snow in Utah. We used a bridled chain set up to get myself pulled out. We did pull it out as straight as possible, but it worked fine. Prior to the chain set up, we tried it with some shady straps... and the straps failed before rings.

 

So, saw a Tacoma use the 2 factory tie downs and a loop around the frame to get winched (3 winches at the same time) out of a wash. So, I think they will be fine for anything I can think of, since it’s the same frame and such. Would I use them to get dragged up a rock ledge sliding completely on the skids/frame, probably not, but I am not going to be in that situation.