SH (MY'09+) Forester Recovery Points

[carljwnc]

Seems like I've seen it come up in a couple of threads lately, so I thought I'd have a good look.

First off, all this is looking at a 2010 so I don't know if there might be differences in the other years, but I suspect not. There are two 'Tie Down' loops under the front bumper. They certainly look more stout than what is on the SG ('03-'08) Foresters. Also, they are tucked under the bumper far enough that when you attach a strap to them the strap/shackle WILL interfere with the bumper. Obviously they are meant to pull down not forward. You could trim the bumper around them, or live with the damage done.

Next off, in the spare tire compartment, there is a long eye bolt. There is also two pop out covers on the bumpers, one on the front, one on the rear. This is where the eye bolt screws in.

Rear bumper, sorry for the crappy pics, but it's early in the morning, is still a little dark, and I'm not quite awake.

Front bumper.

I have know idea what the load limits are, the owners manual might say something, but I haven't looked. I'd say they are mostly designed for pulling the car out of a small ditch rather than full on high center recovery, but that's all we've pretty much had anyway. Oh, and I saw no under car tie down points at the back, I think the addition of the dual exhaust took care of that.

Anyway, my Sunday morning FYI $0.02.:ebiggrin:

 

[taza]

I have know idea what the load limits are, the owners manual might say something, but I haven't looked. I'd say they are mostly designed for pulling the car out of a small ditch rather than full on high center recovery, but that's all we've pretty much had anyway. Oh, and I saw no under car tie down points at the back, I think the addition of the dual exhaust took care of that.

Anyway, my Sunday morning FYI $0.02.:ebiggrin:

I wouldn't even trust it to hold my washing line up (a heavy line of course) let alone a snatch. I think the damage to the car if broken let alone sending a flying missile from that could cause the sh*t to hit the fan! Personally I would use the two tie down/recovery points rather than that but thats me. I could live with the bumper having a few scratches if it ment someone wasn't killed or ripping the whole front bumper off.

My 2 cents worth.

Taza

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Carl

If that's the kind of steel I think it is, and the body mounting point is equally strong, it looks to me that you could probably lift the vehicle in a dead lift with that.

The fine pitch on the thread looks like some rather exceptionally high tensile steel bolts I have seen on a laboratory pressure chamber designed to take over 10,000 psi, many years ago ...

 

[carljwnc]

I wouldn't even trust it to hold my washing line up (a heavy line of course) let alone a snatch. I think the damage to the car if broken let alone sending a flying missile from that could cause the sh*t to hit the fan! Personally I would use the two tie down/recovery points rather than that but thats me. I could live with the bumper having a few scratches if it ment someone wasn't killed or ripping the whole front bumper off.

My 2 cents worth.

Taza

Well the eye bolt is pretty stout, has a good amount of thread on it, and it is designed for recovering a stuck car. Personally, if I was recovering from the front, I'd be more inclined to use the tie down points with a distribution strap. If one or both of the tie downs were buried and inaccessible, I would say its nice to have the option of the eye bolt. I had a peek at the owners manual, and the SH's do have rear tie down points, but they are located in front of the wheels and would be useless for recovery purposes.

 

[carljwnc]

Gidday Carl

If that's the kind of steel I think it is, and the body mounting point is equally strong, it looks to me that you could probably lift the vehicle in a dead lift with that.

The fine pitch on the thread looks like some rather exceptionally high tensile steel bolts I have seen on a laboratory pressure chamber designed to take over 10,000 psi, many years ago ...

What exactly kind of steel it is I can't say but it is very high quality (I know, I work with the stuff all day:iconwink , thread is an M16x1.5 and 25mm long, with the main shaft being a 20.25mm diameter. Should do what it's designed for. I'll have a look later at where it bolts into the car. I do think your on the right track.:ebiggrin:

 

[taza]

What exactly kind of steel it is I can't say but it is very high quality (I know, I work with the stuff all day:iconwink , thread is an M16x1.5 and 25mm long, with the main shaft being a 20.25mm diameter. Should do what it's designed for. I'll have a look later at where it bolts into the car. I do think your on the right track.:ebiggrin:

My rear tow bar is bent and thats 12-14mm thick(maybe thicker) so just imagine snatching with that screw in eyelet.......

 

[Ratbag]

G'day again Carl & Taza

What exactly kind of steel it is I can't say but it is very high quality (I know, I work with the stuff all day:iconwink , thread is an M16x1.5 and 25mm long, with the main shaft being a 20.25mm diameter. Should do what it's designed for. I'll have a look later at where it bolts into the car. I do think your on the right track.:ebiggrin:

With those specs and what looks to be a very high tensile strength alloy steel, it probably has a breaking strain of many tons. SWL should be easily 2 tons.

Most workshop hoists I have seen have nothing like this sort of steel, or with those dimensions.

My rear tow bar is bent and thats 12-14mm thick(maybe thicker) so just imagine snatching with that screw in eyelet.......

Tow bars are made from common, garden variety steel Taza. Low tensile, and relatively weak, but malleable and easy to work, shape and drill. That's why they have such huge thickness and width for a relatively low load capacity.

There are a huge number of grades of steel, without even contemplating the minefield of the huge range of stainless steels. Last time I looked (about 35 years ago ... ), there were something like 250 to 2000 different specialist welding rods for SS. Which is why most of us brazed it using Oxy gear, because you have to use the correct rod for the type of stainless being welded ... and identification was always a problem.

Anyway, Carl will find out what it is and report back when he does. Then we shall see if it is up to snuff, or not.

 

[taza]

G'day again Carl & Taza

With those specs and what looks to be a very high tensile strength alloy steel, it probably has a breaking strain of many tons. SWL should be easily 2 tons.

Most workshop hoists I have seen have nothing like this sort of steel, or with those dimensions.

Tow bars are made from common, garden variety steel Taza. Low tensile, and relatively weak, but malleable and easy to work, shape and drill. That's why they have such huge thickness and width for a relatively low load capacity.

There are a huge number of grades of steel, without even contemplating the minefield of the huge range of stainless steels. Last time I looked (about 35 years ago ... ), there were something like 250 to 2000 different specialist welding rods for SS. Which is why most of us brazed it using Oxy gear, because you have to use the correct rod for the type of stainless being welded ... and identification was always a problem.

Anyway, Carl will find out what it is and report back when he does. Then we shall see if it is up to snuff, or not.

I know there's different grades of steel but I am still suprised it bent the towbar,yet in comparrison that little thing wouldn't break or bent. I really want to hire a new SH Forester and put it through some hardcore paces. See if its upto the task *Which I highly doubt with what i have in mind*

 

[sjm]

First off, all this is looking at a 2010 so I don't know if there might be differences in the other years, but I suspect not.

2011 is the same, but I have a towbar at the rear, and use that rather than the bolt.

 

[Smokebelch]

I always screw that tow point into the front bumper of my Forester before I go offroad. I've been pulled out of the sh*t twice this way with no problems. When I first bought the car I called Subaru Australia to confirm the towing/snatch situation. They confirmed that the car cannot be snatched as there is no rated recovery point and suggested using that screw in tow hook.

I've never been towed from the rear tow point. How do you use the towbar to be recovered? Obviously not using the towball. Is the towball pin strong enough to attach a tow rope?

 

[Ratbag]

Gidday SB

I always screw that tow point into the front bumper of my Forester before I go offroad. I've been pulled out of the sh*t twice this way with no problems. When I first bought the car I called Subaru Australia to confirm the towing/snatch situation. They confirmed that the car cannot be snatched as there is no rated recovery point and suggested using that screw in tow hook.

I've never been towed from the rear tow point. How do you use the towbar to be recovered? Obviously not using the towball. Is the towball pin strong enough to attach a tow rope?

Do you have an OEM tow bar?

If so, does it have a removable, square tube tongue mount?

If it has the latter, you remove the tongue and put the snatch or whatever into the box section and put the tongue pin back in and secure it properly.

This will either be strong enough, or you will rip the back off your car ... :iconwink:.

Tow bars tend to be very strongly mounted to the structure of the vehicle these days, unlike some of the crap I saw in my youth.

Alternatively, you may be able to attach a rated shackle through the tow ball mounting hole after removing the tow ball, and then attach your snatch strap/winch/tow rope to that rated shackle.

 

[Smokebelch]

Thanks for that. Yes I have the oem removeable towball. I read something recently (I think on subaruforester.org) that advised not using the towbar pin as it could bend and jam in the slot.

 

[Ratbag]

G'day again SB

Thanks for that. Yes I have the oem removeable towball. I read something recently (I think on subaruforester.org) that advised not using the towbar pin as it could bend and jam in the slot.

I doubt that could happen.
The tongue pin is seriously strong. I suspect (but don't actually know ... ) that there is one pin for all of these types of bars. That means that the pin has to be able to take the load put on it and the ball bar by up to around a 5 tonne trailer in all situations without damage.

IF this is the case, it is more than unlikely that it will be deformed by snatching a 1.5 tonne vehicle using it as the anchoring point.

Actually, the same goes for using the tow ball. The problem with using the tow ball is one of attachment security rather than its strength, IMHO. The ball on my car is rated to 5,000 lbs - i.e. 2.2 tonnes; as is the trailer hitch.

Personally, I would have zero problems using the ball, but I would be looping the snatch around the bar and using the ball as stop, rather than just attaching the snatch to it.
I would never use the ball itself as an attachment point. The ball isn't likely to break (see working loads above ... ), but the snatch could very easily slide off it and become a guillotine as it does so, causing serious injury or death to anyone silly enough to be within its reach ...

The only real problem I see with this method is that the snatch may be damaged or cut by the edges of the tow ball tongue. What I am saying is that there would be no force applied to the tow ball itself, the snatch load would be in shear on the bolt through the tow ball tongue, not on the ball. This bolt is enormously strong in shear strength, regardless of the material from which it is made.

My tow balls are both tightened with an 18" shifting spanner using my feet braced against the bar for leverage. I estimate this to be a torque of around 150~200 ft. lbs. That tow ball bolt is very seriously strong ...

 

[Smokebelch]

Very true. I did see a modified tow bar tongue that has a shackle fixed to it. Probably overkill for our little Foresters but a nice idea anyway

 

[Ratbag]

Very true. I did see a modified tow bar tongue that has a shackle fixed to it. Probably overkill for our little Foresters but a nice idea anyway

This has one advantage in that it puts the force applied to the tow ball bar retaining pin in shear, rather than applying it to just the middle of the pin.
However, the designs I have seen for these usually have a non-locking recovery hook attached. IMO, this kind of attachment point is even more dangerous than using the tow ball as an attachment point, for the same reason ...
I think that a properly rated bow shackle through the ball bolt hole would be every bit as strong and provide a far more secure attachment point.

Of course and obviously, one needs to be able to remove the tow ball from the bar. In my own case, this means that I have to be able to undo a BIG nut done up to around 150~200 ft. lbs. ... i.e. Don't forget to bring along my 18" shifter ... or I am well and truly snorked! :rotfl:

 

[Kevin]

Thanks for that. Yes I have the oem removeable towball. I read something recently (I think on subaruforester.org) that advised not using the towbar pin as it could bend and jam in the slot.

I've never seen that happen; I've used just the pin for many recoveries off my SubaXtreme rear bar.

 

[taza]

Most of the time I use the tow bar (ie remove the ball from the tounge) and put the D shackel through. This could be while it is slightly bent how ever. I have also used the pin that holds the tounge in and haven't had any issues.

I snatch a Hilux out of deep mud using just the pin. I was pulling for 2-3 wheels spinning in the dirt for a good few minutes with 2 hard snatches. Seemed to get them out in the end.

 

[carljwnc]

Anyway, Carl will find out what it is and report back when he does. Then we shall see if it is up to snuff, or not.

I actually don't have any way of finding out what kind of steel it is. What I will do is look at some of the lifting eye bolts we have at work with the same or similar thread and see what they are rated at. That should give a good indication of what kind of load it can take.

 

[mr turbo]

Thanks for that. Yes I have the oem removeable towball. I read something recently (I think on subaruforester.org) that advised not using the towbar pin as it could bend and jam in the slot.

I've never seen that happen; I've used just the pin for many recoveries off my SubaXtreme rear bar.

I'll 2nd what Kevin said, as I too have performed quite a few recoveries the same way. And yes I also have the SubaXtreme rear bar on my Forry

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[NachaLuva]

I doubt that could happen.
The tongue pin is seriously strong. I suspect (but don't actually know ... ) that there is one pin for all of these types of bars. That means that the pin has to be able to take the load put on it and the ball bar by up to around a 5 tonne trailer in all situations without damage.

IF this is the case, it is more than unlikely that it will be deformed by snatching a 1.5 tonne vehicle using it as the anchoring point.

+1. Even though I am an offroad beginner, I have seen on many shows that using the least number of compnents is the way to go. More components equals more things to break and go flying. So using the pin directly onto the snatch strap makes a lot of sense.

Actually, the same goes for using the tow ball. The problem with using the tow ball is one of attachment security rather than its strength, IMHO. The ball on my car is rated to 5,000 lbs - i.e. 2.2 tonnes; as is the trailer hitch.

Personally, I would have zero problems using the ball, but I would be looping the snatch around the bar and using the ball as stop, rather than just attaching the snatch to it.
I would never use the ball itself as an attachment point. The ball isn't likely to break (see working loads above ... ), but the snatch could very easily slide off it and become a guillotine as it does so, causing serious injury or death to anyone silly enough to be within its reach ...

Have to agree here. Never use the tow ball as an anchor point. If it is rated to 2.2T, that could EASILY be exceeded in a snatch. If it does snap, the consequences are extreme. A tow ball flying through the air at ballistic speed in the direction of the pull...ie, straight through the windscreen. It would easily pass right through the windscreen and the drivers skull. Not a risk to be taken under any circumstances.

This in fact has been known to happen, although with bigger vehicles than ours. Still, not a risk to be taken under any circumstances.