Front Recovery Point? Stuck + Winched by a Jeep while Off Road/Rock Crawling

9405 Views 28 Replies 15 Participants Last post by Polonus, 3 mo ago

Transit_4x4_3.5_130

Discussion Starter · Jun 24, 2021

It's been well discussed that there is no factory tow hook on a Transit, but has anyone ended up stuck with no tow hook and had to improvise? How have others handled this situation?

We found the van's limit and had trouble getting up a rocky hill. In a pinch I loosened the front lower bumper trim piece to wrap a tow strap around the frame end and feed it back through the plastic trim. Hooked up a shackle to the tow strap and took a winch pull from a Jeep. Planning on fabricating a front winch bumper after this experience.

Below is a video of us getting stuck and winched while doing some mild "rock crawling," which is also up for debate... ; ) We have a Jeep Rubicon too, and until recently I would have said this is not really rock crawling... but it sure felt like it was from behind the wheel of the van!

Check out the video, is this really "rock crawling?"

Reactions: 3

1 - 20 of 29 Posts

cosmicjumperalex

· #2 · Jun 24, 2021

You should check this out!

vanupgrades.com

Transit Van Front Tow Hook System - Van Upgrades

Front tow hook for the Ford Transit van. This aftermarket tow point attaches to the frame and comes through the...

vanupgrades.com

Reactions: 1

cosmicjumperalex

· #3 · Jun 24, 2021

I noticed it appears you haven't done the rear shock mount lift mod, but it may be just how it looks on camera. It may give you some peace of mind when going 4 wheeling like that. Looks like ya'll are having a ton of fun, I always enjoy seeing transits being pushed to the limit off road.

vancompass.com

VAN COMPASS FORD TRANSIT REAR HIGH CLEARANCE SHOCK EXTENSION BRACKETS

Ford Transit van high clearance rear shock mounts.

vancompass.com

I wonder if you could have made it up that trail with a spotter and some careful line choice? Seemed like you abruptly dropped into that hole on the trail. I wasn't there so I may be miss-judging it, but getting stuck and then pulled out is what 4 wheeling is all about!

Reactions: 2

1x1_Speed_Craig

· #4 · Jun 24, 2021

Nice video. I bought some Ballistic Fab tube end shackle mounts/recovery point inserts, but have been too busy to break out the welder. I'm going for a minimalistic set of recovery points, and one that doesn't require a destructive install like the VC ones.

Just be careful to keep your bumper weight light. The Transits tend to sag in front with (steel) winch bumpers.

Craig

Reactions: 2

carringb

· #5 · Jun 24, 2021

Nylon sling choked around the sun frame works great. Done this many times pulling out transits.

Reactions: 4

Transit_4x4_3.5_130

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 24, 2021

cosmicjumperalex said:
I noticed it appears you haven't done the rear shock mount lift mod, but it may be just how it looks on camera. It may give you some peace of mind when going 4 wheeling like that. Looks like ya'll are having a ton of fun, I always enjoy seeing transits being pushed to the limit off road.

VAN COMPASS FORD TRANSIT REAR HIGH CLEARANCE SHOCK EXTENSION BRACKETS

Ford Transit van high clearance rear shock mounts.

vancompass.com

I wonder if you could have made it up that trail with a spotter and some careful line choice? Seemed like you abruptly dropped into that hole on the trail. I wasn't there so I may be miss-judging it, but getting stuck and then pulled out is what 4 wheeling is all about!

Good eye! I haven't done the rear shock mount lift mod. Been wrestling with the compromise. It appears that the mod would reduce the amount of rear axle articulation/travel by using a 2" shorter shock and lowering bump stops by 2". Up travel reduced on one end of the axle could reduce down travel on the other end. I'm worried that would make it harder to keep my tires on the ground over uneven terrain like this, even though I would absolutely LOVE to have more clearance? You've done a ton of wheeling in your van, what do you think about the tradeoff?

We sure did have fun out there, great trail and it was a trip casually hiking over the Mexican border and back! I like to think I could have made it with a spotter and a better line, although it was getting pretty tippy 😬 Cheers!

Transit_4x4_3.5_130

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 24, 2021

carringb said:
Nylon sling choked around the sun frame works great. Done this many times pulling out transits.

Awesome, good to know!

Transit_4x4_3.5_130

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 24, 2021

1x1_Speed_Craig said:
Nice video. I bought some Ballistic Fab tube end shackle mounts/recovery point inserts, but have been too busy to break out the welder. I'm going for a minimalistic set of recovery points, and one that doesn't require a destructive install like the VC ones.

Just be careful to keep your bumper weight light. The Transits tend to sag in front with (steel) winch bumpers.

Craig

Thanks for the heads up! Do you have a link to the Ballistic inserts?

Reactions: 1

Transit_4x4_3.5_130

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 24, 2021

cosmicjumperalex said:
You should check this out!

Transit Van Front Tow Hook System - Van Upgrades

Front tow hook for the Ford Transit van. This aftermarket tow point attaches to the frame and comes through the...

vanupgrades.com

These look really solid! Since I'm planning on fabricating a front winch tray, I was thinking about integrating shackle mounts to the winch tray brackets themselves. Think I'll use similar pickup points to vancompas, but try to reduce weight compared to their design since I don't have to worry about liability, just my own safety, lol

cosmicjumperalex

· #10 · Jun 24, 2021

Transit_4x4_3.5_130 said:
Good eye! I haven't done the rear shock mount lift mod. Been wrestling with the compromise. It appears that the mod would reduce the amount of rear axle articulation/travel by using a 2" shorter shock and lowering bump stops by 2". Up travel reduced on one end of the axle could reduce down travel on the other end. I'm worried that would make it harder to keep my tires on the ground over uneven terrain like this, even though I would absolutely LOVE to have more clearance? You've done a ton of wheeling in your van, what do you think about the tradeoff?

We sure did have fun out there, great trail and it was a trip casually hiking over the Mexican border and back! I like to think I could have made it with a spotter and a better line, although it was getting pretty tippy 😬 Cheers!

I have not done a ton of wheeling in my van but I have taken it to some silly locations with stock tires and mostly stock suspension, so take my advice with a giant boulder of salt. haha

So my understanding was that the bump stop add on and or the shorter shocks would only be necessary if you van is stock ride height. As you have the quadvan 4x4 package I assumed that it included a lift which should mean that you can lift the rear shock mount and not worry about the travel loss, though I could most definitely be wrong.

For me I added sumo springs front and rear along with lift shackles and shock mount modification. I use my van for a lot of different purposes. Some of those including heavily loading the cab and then towing a heavy trailer. A lot of people go with air bag suspension in place of rear bump stops to help with heavy loads but I didn't want to fork out the cost and deal with the reliability issues that can come along with that. So I opted for sumo springs in the rear. I also wanted more ground clearance so I raised the rear shock mounts. I didn't opt to get the bump stop increase because the sumo springs will stop my travel before I articulate too far anyways. I also did the rear leaf spring shackle lift which adds 1/2" of ride height to the van meaning the sumo springs only need to account for 1 1/2" of limited travel. I also added sumo springs to the front to gain almost 1" of travel and helped a lot with what I perceived to be a soft front end from the factory.

My van is far far less capable off road compared to a shorter van with 4wd like yours is, so I envy your off road experiences!! I can't wait to upgrade my tires and go see how far I can get off road with just 2wd. So far I have been very impressed what I can do with just a careful line choice and some momentum.

Either way hope to see more videos of your van going off road in the future.

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Reactions: 1

1x1_Speed_Craig

· #11 · Jun 24, 2021

Transit_4x4_3.5_130 said:
Thanks for the heads up! Do you have a link to the Ballistic inserts?

www.ballisticfabrication.com

Tube Clevis End

Tube Clevis End Create A Custom, Heavy Duty Anchor Point Create an anchor point at the front or rear of your tube chassis or bumper. Best suited when large surfaces are not available to attach large clevis mounts. Available for 1.25" ID and 1.5" ID tube. The 1.25" ID-1.5" OD clevis (MISC-693-1)...

www.ballisticfabrication.com

www.ballisticfabrication.com

The Ballistic one is nice, but Barnes 4WD has a similar one for half the price...may be worth looking at.

www.barnes4wd.com

Tube Clevis Mount 1-1/2" I.D.

This is our tube clevis mount, it is a great way to add a recovery point to your tube chassis or tube bumper. These mounts are manufactured out of 1018 steel and are designed to be welded inside any tubing with a 1.5" I.D. These will work with most 3/4" clevises. Sold bare and individually.

www.barnes4wd.com

www.barnes4wd.com

Reactions: 2

mister T

· #12 · Jun 24, 2021 (Edited)

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cosmicjumperalex

· #13 · Jun 24, 2021

mister T said:
What is the "sun frame"?

Thank you.

I believe he meant "sub-frame"

rockDAWG

· #14 · Jun 24, 2021

Transit_4x4_3.5_130 said:
It's been well discussed that there is no factory tow hook on a Transit, but has anyone ended up stuck with no tow hook and had to improvise? How have others handled this situation?

We found the van's limit and had trouble getting up a rocky hill. In a pinch I loosened the front lower bumper trim piece to wrap a tow strap around the frame end and feed it back through the plastic trim. Hooked up a shackle to the tow strap and took a winch pull from a Jeep. Planning on fabricating a front winch bumper after this experience.

Below is a video of us getting stuck and winched while doing some mild "rock crawling," which is also up for debate... ; ) We have a Jeep Rubicon too, and until recently I would have said this is not really rock crawling... but it sure felt like it was from behind the wheel of the van!

Check out the video, is this really "rock crawling?"

Great vids. This reminds me to take the Jeep. Our Transit AWD EL will be dead in water.....LOL

Reactions: 2

OldMadBrit

· #15 · Jun 24, 2021

Transit_4x4_3.5_130 said:
Good eye! I haven't done the rear shock mount lift mod. Been wrestling with the compromise. It appears that the mod would reduce the amount of rear axle articulation/travel by using a 2" shorter shock and lowering bump stops by 2". Up travel reduced on one end of the axle could reduce down travel on the other end. I'm worried that would make it harder to keep my tires on the ground over uneven terrain like this, even though I would absolutely LOVE to have more clearance? You've done a ton of wheeling in your van, what do you think about the tradeoff?

We sure did have fun out there, great trail and it was a trip casually hiking over the Mexican border and back! I like to think I could have made it with a spotter and a better line, although it was getting pretty tippy 😬 Cheers!

I have a Quigley and did the shock mount mod. From what I could see, it doesn't impact articulation - so much as restore it. Quigley add a 2" lift block but keep the stock upper shock mount in the same place, so the shock runs nominally 2" extended. This nominally compromise rebound travel, with reduced static sag. Relocating the lower shock mount upwards by 1-1/2" restores the shock back close to its nominal static sag. It shouldn't reduce compression travel but should increase rebound travel (droop).

FWIW we abuse the crap out of ours off-road as well and the shock mount relocation has stood up to it.

Reactions: 5

Transit_4x4_3.5_130

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jun 24, 2021

OldMadBrit said:
I have a Quigley and did the shock mount mod. From what I could see, it doesn't impact articulation - so much as restore it. Quigley add a 2" lift block but keep the stock upper shock mount in the same place, so the shock runs nominally 2" extended. This nominally compromise rebound travel, with reduced static sag. Relocating the lower shock mount upwards by 1-1/2" restores the shock back close to its nominal static sag. It shouldn't reduce compression travel but should increase rebound travel (droop).

FWIW we abuse the crap out of ours off-road as well and the shock mount relocation has stood up to it.

That is awesome to hear! I am definitely wanting to do a shock mount relocation after learning that. Do the lift blocks get totaly eliminated with the install?

greenvan

· #17 · Jun 24, 2021

Transit_4x4_3.5_130 said:
That is awesome to hear! I am definitely wanting to do a shock mount relocation after learning that. Do the lift blocks get totaly eliminated with the install?

No? why would you do that? Also if your worried about articulation, remove the bump stop spacers.

I bought 2 large "soft shackles" for the build i just finished, showed the customer were to loop on the subframe. also included a receiver hitch shackle bar.

OldMadBrit

· #18 · Jun 24, 2021 (Edited)

Transit_4x4_3.5_130 said:
That is awesome to hear! I am definitely wanting to do a shock mount relocation after learning that. Do the lift blocks get totaly eliminated with the install?

No not at all. All it involves is sawing off the bottom of the OEM rear shock mounts and relocating the bottom shock bolts upwards by 1 1/2" with the VC brackets. This reduces the risk of the rear shocks snagging a rock or a rut. Everything else stays the same - apart from restoring rear axle articulation back to OEM. The lift blocks are not touched. It took me about 2 hours and 1/2 of that was me staring at it lol.

Reactions: 1

1x1_Speed_Craig

· #19 · Jun 24, 2021

greenvan said:
No? why would you do that? Also if your worried about articulation, remove the bump stop spacers.

I bought 2 large "soft shackles" for the build i just finished, showed the customer were to loop on the subframe. also included a receiver hitch shackle bar.

What length soft shackles (brand?), and do you, by chance, have a picture of where you loop it? I'm assuming right around the center area of the subframe. My only question with the soft shackle (or short strap) route is that my subframe has a lot of somewhat sharp weld spatter on the surface.

Reactions: 1

Boondox

· #20 · Jun 25, 2021

That counts as rock crawling for a Transit! If you are anywhere near Portland OR, Quadvan does a nice front receiver with tow hooks. We just had them put one on when we did the 4WD conversion.

Reactions: 2

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