by geeves » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:03 pm
Basic towbar should bolt to the bumper bracket bolt holes in the chassis and this will support standard trailers ok but not heavy duty. Most tow bars also pick up the 2 square brackets on the bottom of the chassis that originally had the factory tow hook attached but be aware the captive nuts in these are only m10 so dont rely on these on there own (my bighorn towbar attached to both these points and has recovery hooks attached as well It has proved to be indestructible although I did bend a hook and the upright part of the bar when I dropped it on a large rock I have snatched a 4 ton tipper truck fully loaded with clay and towed a Hiace van with a 15 foot caravan on the back up Ngaranga Gorge (low ratio 3rd was the highest gear I could get)) To go all the way there are 4 more bolt holes in the centre of the rear crossmember under the plastic cover between the chrome bumper sections Add these in and you have 8 10mm bolts and 2 12mm bolts holding the towbar on and it will be strong enough to tow anything a 3.1 diesel can move
Dont rely on the 4 bolts in the centre on there own for a towbar. Pajeros are done this way but the Mu crossmember will crack from the twisting
Sanding your knuckles before starting work can help. That way you cant skin them