Club 80-90 Forums

OEM is always best. Discuss.

I'll have the left hand one please, Ian.

Are they the short irons (two bolts?) or the longer ones with the additional bolt(s)?

Best in what respect Ian?

I guess you're getting into proper engineering territory that few on here are qualified enough to comment on ie sheer strength of welding, eyes on OE bracket, sheer on chassis bolts etc etc etc.

If they do the the job and cost no money and already fitted so in terms of cost are best in regards to price. Also two of them so less need for bridles or from winch strops slipping for any side on recovery or any recovery not from directly behind the rear. Twin points also give the ability to attach to the rear twice so for example it could be pulled twice listening the load on a direct line pull. Snatch blocks wouldn't need to be used allowing the full length of winch line. (Although DONT forget pulling strength varies over the drum ie last wound row pulls more than first row from a fully wound out cale). Could also be used to secure a vehicle ie winch spooled out from one side whilst being pulled bu another. List is endless.

IF you have a fully laden truck on max axle weights loom at the worst case scenario. It has four flat tyres , in thick mud and being recovered up a steep slope with a seized gearbox, your 3t plus van suddenly weighs A LOT more than 3t in pulling terms.

End of the day, they do the job and cost nothing for 99.999999999% of syncro users. How many bods on here do anything other than green laning that would warrant anything else?

Sure there will be some that like the idea of magnetising their vans and driving head first into a 4x4 store and seeing what sticks to it

Never thought to look!
(dashes outside between deluges)
4 x chassis & 4 x bumper bolts and only one M8 broken off...
I can look into getting a batch of the loops bent up for welding to Westy towbars if there is sufficient demand? Would have to be an individual return service, I have a local contact for heavy welding whose work is beyond reproach (structural steel and theme park ride repairs)
No question of weld failures.

I have had an idea for bolt-on eyes that should clear exhausts etc, provided they are a suitable grade steel and heat treated they will be immune to deformation i.e. leaf-spring hard.

If you dont have a tow bar.. then bumper irons are prob it.. look like the pair that came off my 2wd caravelle..

or.. if you have a westy (or poss other) tow bar.. then as I already said In the other thread and a prev one way back in june when I installed mine.. I could poss offer the installation service if people wanted it.. Aidan has asked me to install them..
The tow bar is drilled through and the "U" bolt is welded at the back and front.. mine has a large spreader plate too, but I will make a smaller style as I think my prototype was too much.. its high tensile steel 20mm diameter and from a 44 ton artic so it aint gonna break before the tow bar is ripped out of the chassis I would imagine ..

And I think one of Jeds Hi-Lift brackets would work well under them too..

I could be up for a pair of those fitting. I have a Syncro towbar and currently have to wrap a rope around the ball. Not good

Thankfully I have only had to do it twice

Ian, I'd be interested in two pairs of the westie loops if the price is right.

syncroandy wrote:Ian, I'd be interested in two pairs of the westie loops if the price is right.

me too for the camper (early westy) bar that is

I don't know what these are, not having a Westy tow bar, or even taken my rear bumper off, ever. Can someone educate me?

Rear recovery eyes

New postby silverbullet » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:42 pm
OEM is always best. Discuss.
Image

They are not recovery eyes.

They are towing loops.

Recovery and towing....very different things.....

So what did Westfalia have in mind when they decided that a tow hitch was all that was required?
Use a trailer or towing frame (not sure that they even existed in the 80's)
Might I ask what you consider to be a good example of a proper recovery point then?
If I'm getting it all wrong then please set me straight so i don't wate my time getting quotes in for parts that aren't up to the task.

So what did Westfalia have in mind when they decided that a tow hitch was all that was required?

Towing.

Might I ask what you consider to be a good example of a proper recovery point then?

I'm not professing to be an expert here, i'm just saying that is a towing eye. It was designed by VW as a towing eye and therefore IS a towing eye. Nothing else.

I dont think VW / Steyr Puch had recovery points on the agenda when the Syncro came about! Now doesn't that tell you something!

Ah ha....
Time to put a positive spin on things. I will take the worst of these Towing Loop equipped bumper irons and knock up a support bracket that will allow me to put them under a controlled tensile load i.e. under a garage press, to see what tonnage results in a permanent deformation.
I suggest that anything over 1mm counts as a fail at that given load.
Of course, its only as strong as the gauge of steel making up the rear chassis rails that it's bolted to anyway.

I am interested in a pair of these. At the moment they seem to be the best solution available, and probably as good as I will ever need.

Ian, do you have any ideas on cost, turn around time ect?