Recovery points on a 3rd gen

I’m researching proper off-road recovery techniques and have discovered that most vehicles’ OEM recovery hooks are not strong enough for vehicle recovery, especially if they are buried in the mud. I tried to find the pound ratings for my 2021 SR5 front tow hooks but could not find specs anywhere. I suspect they are not adequate anyway. Most OEMs engineer them to handle the vehicle weight, but for recovery you should have at least 3x that.

Are there decent aftermarket recovery points for the third gen tundras? I tried to search the ARB site, for instance, and I don’t find anything. Seems like most third party recovery points/hooks are for Tacomas or are for esthetics. I’d prefer just high weight rated recovery points, as I am looking to use them for practical purposes, not for looks.

For context, here is the video that started me down this rabbit hole: https://youtu.be/vbQtni7rpEI

thanks in advance!

 

Call Factor 55 next week and talk to them about your concerns. The video you posted is a marketing video for ARB. That’s why legally every sentence he says has to say “may” or “could” or “possibly” etc.

 

There is also good info in the "recovery and gear" subforum here.

 

I always thought the front OEM tow hooks bolted onto the frame were relatively strong and more than adequate. But after seeing that video, now I’m not so sure. The replacement mounts welded onto aftermarket bumpers kind of concern me, though, especially if mounted higher.

Anyway, please let us know if you find any decent front recovery points for the Tundra.

 

Of course it “could” or “may” fail. Anything can. But until there is data showing large amounts of stock recovery points failing, this is just another sales technique. Like I said, call factor 55. They have the actual data and numbers. Not internet speculations.

I did find this link listing recovery deaths in Australia.

https://www.4wdingaustralia.com/4x4/4wd-recovery-deaths-in-australia/

 

Yeah, anything can fail. Seems those unfortunate incidents in OZ were mostly due to negligence such as using "X" brand strap on a hitch ball which is a huge no-no. In almost six years here I haven't seen a single post of our front tow "hooks" failing. As you know they are pretty stout and so are the mounting bolts to the frame. CF55 makes some solid fasteners for sure but all recovery stuff is only as good as the weakest link.

 

There are several good articles that can be found with this link. Factor 55 is a great source.

 

Thanks for all your replies. I do understand that there might not be many anecdotes of front recovery hooks failing. But I am planning on using my tundra as a legitimate off-roading vehicle and would like to assure I can be recovered even when I’m in some extreme situations. I think the Tacoma tends to end up in these situations in much higher numbers, which might lead to an apparent “false negative” on points of critical failure when you are really pushing the OEM equipment. Though I will be happy if I discover that it is sufficient! I’ll keep you all posted

 

Thanks for the link! On of the articles on this site covers what I’ve been finding on many other four wheeling sites, namely that factory recovery points are rarely rated for snatch type recoveries:

https://www.4wdingaustralia.com/4x4/20-things-you-should-never-do-in-a-4wd-recovery/
(Point number 7)

 

Ya no worries. The Aussies have written the manual on this stuff. Have you seen any of Ronny Dahl’s videos on YouTube about recovery and winching? If not here is a great one.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=97XqNX3yFTk

 

Loop both front tow hooks together and use a legit kinetic tow rope and I dont think you will have a problem with the factory hooks. If you dont feel comfortable with that, loop both lower control arms. Also dont bury the truck when you get stuck and if you do, dig it out first.

You can have the strongest tow point imaginable and still have problems if you are doing the recovery wrong.

Step one, buy a kinetic rope and spend $150 for a good one.

 

Great info. Doing a search for kinetic tow ropes/straps results in a wide variety of makes and brands, none of which are near $150. What kinetic rope do you have or recommend?

 

https://www.tacticalrecoveryequipment.com/

Or Factor 55.

 

I have used bubba ropes in the past. I have seen others using yankum ropes too. I would buy a 7/8" or 1" rope.
https://www.bubbarope.com/jeeps-and-trucks
https://yankum.com/kinetic-recover-ropes/

They stretch when you pull them. Puts less stress on both vehicles. Less stress on the tow points, drivetrain, doesn't tear up the trail as much as using a chain or a solid tow strap getting both vehicles stuck.

You can see how they work in this video. The tow vehicle throws a bunch of weight into the rope and the rope stretches doing all the work. Note the toyota let off the gas so it didnt also get stuck. It doesn't have enough traction to pull the chevy out of the sand, it barely has enough traction to pull itself.


I recommend watching this channel on youtube. It will teach you a lot more about recovery than anybody else I can think of. I believe he uses a 7/8" rope for just about everything.
https://www.youtube.com/c/MattsOffRoadRecovery/videos

 

yes, I actually started on this crazy rabbit hole when I began watching his recovery videos! They’re great

 

Thanks. Interesting video. I’ve been involved in only half a dozen or so off-road recoveries in my life. So my experience is very limited. I know enough not to use chains or tow straps. I’ve always used the flat recovery straps and had never heard of kinetic ropes til now, but I admit I haven’t seen, much less done, a recovery in over 10 years.

As for tow points, I’ve always used the front factory hooks or a rear receiver hitch. But none of those involved a vehicle that was really badly sunk in mud or sand.

 

I’m not going to tag them to answer here because they’ve weighed in on so many other recovery threads— but you may want to check the threads by the SGU and Bastrds on here. They’ve gotten in and out of all sorts of stucks; I’ve never heard of problems with the OEM recovery points. Most have rock sliders which add a lot of flexibility for recovery, in addition to protecting rocket panels and lifting using hi-lift jacks. Search the forum for osidepunker, PapaSmurf, KevinK, joonbug, 831Tun to start— their build threads and various recovery threads across this forum + Instagram.

These are all western U.S. guys but lots of experience, including sinking a very heavy 2nd gen into deep mud. Not because they don’t drive well, but because they drive more than most of us. As far as gear goes, everyone carries snap straps. I also carry Bubba rope, and there’s usually at least one winch in the group.

 

I’ll second the suggestion on Matt’s Off-road Recovery YouTube channel. Great thing about Matt is he isn’t afraid to share/explain some things he does wrong.

 

You just recommended all the crazy one's

 

Yes. Because they can teach us how to get out of messes, from experience.

 

They are also good at impromptu sheet metal work too...........

 

Was that @ColoradoTJ that drive 14 hours to recover his friend which turned into everything but a dead body on the roof rack?

Anyways, we have very experienced guys here recovering this exact model truck in weird situations. Nobody here is too holy and know it all that they won’t try to help or get you the best possible answers or links to said answers.

 

I think it was to recover a jeep with his jeep.... but I've been known to be wrong before! But still experience with recovery.

 

Mount a good winch with 5/8" grade 8 hardware to the frame and use a block to double the cable capacity. Say a Ramsey 8k single line pull or similar. Make a mount with 3/8 plate and angle welded with 7018 rod. If done right you should achieve your goal. The downside is the weight will require suspension mods which will also add even more weigjt which will give more traction but also cause more sinking and a faster sinking rate. Good luck! Personally, I would use a 4Runner for serious wheeling.

 

***ANSWER***

The standard recovery hooks are NOT rated. Neither are the TRD recovery points. They were engineered to be used to recover the Tundra in general towing situations, but not necessarily off-road, sunk in mud situations. The rep from Toyota I spoke to on the phone actually suggested that I use an aftermarket product for this use case.

I’ve been researching this for about a week. I’ve talked to multiple Toyota reps and multiple service department employees at my dealership. They had a hard time researching this as well.

 

@Spvrtan can probably tell you something about his use of tow hooks. I don't think he's big into the mud scene, but I'm sure he's had experience getting over obstacles

 

So I can't find a company that makes a rated recovery point for a Tundra. I wonder if I will have to resort to bull bars or a steel bumper to get rated recovery points. Any thoughts?