Will this D-ring bumper work for flat towing?

Jaime313

Jaime313

TJ Enthusiast
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Oct 14, 2018
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Los angeles, Ca
Good afternoon Jeepers, I am trying to plan ahead for a future flat tow. I'm looking for a small winch bumper for the trails but still usable for a D-ring flat tow. I'm leaning towards the Poison Spyder BFH with the brawler hoop and considering the Dirtworx winch bumper too. But I think the PS looks better.
If any of you flat tow with the D ring adaptors. Are these D ring mounts angled to high to safely flat tow? I'm assuming the welds are front and rear but I've never seen the bumper in person. Appreciate any assistance or recommendation for other bumper recommendations. Thanks


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I flat tow mine with the Roadmaster adapters on my D-rings. Just make sure the D-ring mounts are at least 3/4" thick and welded inside and outside.
 
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Depending on what your tow vehicle is, the D-rings on the Poison Spyder may be too high to be practical. I use an F350 to tow my jeep which has D-rings at about the same height as the bumper in your bottom picture. I have to use a 6-inch rise hitch adapter to get the towbar level within the 3 inch window they recommend. I have a Roadmaster tow bar with the adaptors you show above.
 
TurboTJ said:
Depending on what your tow vehicle is, the D-rings on the Poison Spyder may be too high to be practical. I use an F350 to tow my jeep which has D-rings at about the same height as the bumper in your bottom picture. I have to use a 6-inch rise hitch adapter to get the towbar level within the 3 inch window they recommend. I have a Roadmaster tow bar with the adaptors you show above.
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That's what I wondered about the angle of the D rings. I want the PS bumper but its too bad they didn't mount the D's on the face. Currently no Tow vehicle but that may change very soon and I don't wanna keep going through bumpers. This year we will be experimenting with the Van type RV and a Camper cabover with slides. Thanks for the feedback.
 
The main thing is to have the tow bar as level as possible. If you brake hard you don't want it to shoot up which I think would be worse than down but either way not good. Brakes are going to be your other concern. It took some hooking up and figuring before I got mine right which will be hard until you get a tow vehicle.
 
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The goal is a good minimalist winch bumper that can be used to tow in the future without sacrificing approach angle.
 
I would go with a bumper that has the D rings inline with the Jeep frame. That way any sudden stop should keep the bar from trying to get the Jeep to lift in the front.

This is from decades of towing various equipment and wagons on the farm. I am no expert on flat towing, but I am very familiar with towing something that wants to lift or dive when the drawbar is out of alignment with the tow vehicle (tractor or truck).
 
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Goatman said:
I would go with a bumper that has the D rings inline with the Jeep frame. That way any sudden stop should keep the bar from trying to get the Jeep to lift in the front.

This is from decades of towing various equipment and wagons on the farm. I am no expert on flat towing, but I am very familiar with towing something that wants to lift or dive when the drawbar is out of alignment with the tow vehicle (tractor or truck).
Click to expand...
Thank you for weighing in, I had a feeling that they were too aggressive for flat towing comfortably. Question for you, why do some Front winch bumpers have a 2” tow receiver ? Other than a recovery point, or maybe a basket although I’ve never seen a jeep with a basket in front...
 
Jaime313 said:
Question for you, why do some Front winch bumpers have a 2” tow receiver ? Other than a recovery point, or maybe a basket although I’ve never seen a jeep with a basket in front...
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Yes, basket or hitch hauler. Bike rack too if you are pulling a trailer or have a rack in back. I have a buddy who uses a rack front and back to haul the family gear a few blocks to the beach. He does say though that if the front rack is empty he cant see it and has hit gas pumps etc with it.
 
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PSC BFH D-ring mounts are not weld through, only surface welded. You could inquire about a special option, no would be the worst. And yes would only cost $?
I drug my TJ to MT. behind a Moho once but, it had an 8" rise receiver and was still 4" lower than the TJ with an ARB bumper. My best option was to buy a 14' car trailer, that way I had brakes on both axles.
And did not have to worry about disconnecting the rear DS, in my case.
 
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Jaime313 said:
That's what I wondered about the angle of the D rings. I want the PS bumper but its too bad they didn't mount the D's on the face. Currently no Tow vehicle but that may change very soon and I don't wanna keep going through bumpers. This year we will be experimenting with the Van type RV and a Camper cabover with slides. Thanks for the feedback.
Click to expand...


I have a Eurovan for sale lol
 
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Rock Hard 4x4 sells bumpers that have mounting spots for flat tow brackets that fit Reese, Haul Master, and Blue Ox tow brackets. The brackets are lower on the bumper than the shackle mounts and are removable.
 
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Goatman said:
I would go with a bumper that has the D rings inline with the Jeep frame. That way any sudden stop should keep the bar from trying to get the Jeep to lift in the front.

This is from decades of towing various equipment and wagons on the farm. I am no expert on flat towing, but I am very familiar with towing something that wants to lift or dive when the drawbar is out of alignment with the tow vehicle (tractor or truck).
Click to expand...
Thank you for the input. I just had a bad feeling about them being too high and someone had experience and knew better.

LowRange said:
I run the Rock Jock set up and then I just remove it when I reach my destination if I will be wheeling. Expensive, and a bit of work, but I wanted to flat tow and I don't want anything minimizing my approach angle. Trailer soon hopefully.
https://www.rockjock4x4.com/CE-9033TJ
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I saw that set up and then considered the Aluminum Savvy bumper But don't want to take them off and on. But still not a definite No though, Thanks

bobthetj03 said:
I went the minimalist route. 3/16" thick, and ready to go for a winch. 3/4" thick thru welded D-ring mounts. I've been flat towing behind our RV with no issues.
View attachment 134292
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Very nice Bumper! I'm considering something like that. Maybe Dirtworx can build something like that for me. Was considering a hoop for the winch but I like it better without.

alittleoff said:
PSC BFH D-ring mounts are not weld through, only surface welded. You could inquire about a special option, no would be the worst. And yes would only cost $?
I drug my TJ to MT. behind a Moho once but, it had an 8" rise receiver and was still 4" lower than the TJ with an ARB bumper. My best option was to buy a 14' car trailer, that way I had brakes on both axles.
And did have to worry about disconnecting the rear DS, in my case.
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Jerry told me to check if they were welded through. Thank you, so not only are they too high but they're also not welded on both sides. If you call Poison Spyder now, it goes straight to 4WP. Sucks.
 
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bobthetj03 said:
I replaced the clevis's from my Roadmaster Falcon II tow bar with these,
http://www.hitchsource.com/roadmaster-ring-bumper-adapter-34-thick-p-36784.htmlView attachment 134300
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This year were gonna rent a Van RV and maybe a Truck Camper the following year. The goal is to buy one shortly after to se what we like and have the ability to flat tow. I don't have the space for a big RV so a 22' will be the biggest in my driveway. Like I said, this is sometime down the road but trying to do the opposite of most of my Jeep Mods and plan ahead lol

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Those dang cab over campers are almost as expensive as a used Class C motorhome! Our RV is a 25' Class C.
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We call it the "Cozy Coach". With the two of us and a large dog, things get cozy quick, lol!
 
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