placement for towbar mounting brackets?

I have to transport my 2A about 110 miles from my parents house to my house. My plan is to mount a tow bar on the front of the 2A and tow it with my Cherokee or Liberty. I was wondering where I should mount the tow bar brackets on the bumper? I'm assuming you want it to mount close to the frame, but should I mount on the outside of the frame or inside?

Also, my plan is to disconnect the driveshafts. I'm going to top off the fluids in the differentials. I'll probably put some bungi cords around the shifters. Anything else I should do?

 

mine are just slightly to the outside of the frame
no worries
if you've got locking hubs, you can leave the front shaft alone
just make sure the hubs are in free
make sure the tires and tire pressures are okay for the trip

 

Be sure to tape the bearing cups really good or you will be buying and installing a new universal joint.

 

and if you have a locking column, make sure it is unlocked.

 

Hey guys, I've been searching, but there are too many topics on flat towing to find an answer. When mounting a towbar, should I somehow tie it into the frame or reinforce the bumper somehow? My bumper is only held on with a few small bolts. It doesn't seem like a good idea to mount it directly to my bumper, but I also can't see an easy way to mount it to the frame.

 

I mounted mine directly on top of the bumper, using the hole that bolts to the frame, and another that sits next to it. Drilled the outer holes through the bottom of the bumper, both holes go all the way through.

Didn't want to ruin my bumper with brackets on the front. Been towed about 400 total miles so far, works fine. All hardware grade 8. (ignore the fact that I'm climbing a stump, only pic I have on hand.)

 

Mall rated! Thanks for the insight fellas!

 

My brackets are bolted right on the stock bumper at the frame horns-1 bolt is inside the frame rail & 1 is outside.

 

Mine are inside


I really do not think it matters a lot and generally, you will just mount them for whatever the tow bar spacing is.

If this is a one time deal, I have a 3x3x1/4 angle iron that I welded a set of tow bar ears to and use it for towing Jeeps by just clamping it over the bumper using four short sections of drilled 1.5x1/4 wall square tube and long grade five 1/2" bolts. If you do something like this, make sure your safety chains fasten to the actual bumper or frame.

No need to disconnect driveshafts for a 100 mile tow. Just make sure transfercase is in neutral and transmission is IN GEAR-preferably first. You don't want the trans mainshaft moving because it will not be getting lubed but the transfercase mainshaft will be lubed as normal. I have flat towed 500 miles like this with no problems.

 

Also, for 110 miles, T case in neutral, trans in neutral, skip the bungees, unlock hubs, leave steering wheel free.

Towed my 5 almost 400 miles total so far, with no problems this way. Just don't try to backup.

 

I can't say this enough or strong enough. Transfer case in neutral and TRANSMISSION IN GEAR. For the reason Duffer said and I've posted since 2002. If you don't and burn up your transmission I will be happy to sell you parts at double the going rate for ignoring this advice that has been posted time, and time, and time, and time, and time again.
I've had to throw away more transmissions than most people here have owned because of NOT following this advise.
You've been warned, you're on your own


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I avoided mounting to the bumper and made my own front tow shackles out of 1/2" plate steel.
Triangular shaped with the forward hole for the tow bar. Haven't used them yet.

 

I am not a big fan of doing a shackle mount for a towbar. Shackle bushings get enough stress when you are off roading and my thought is a towbar is adding a huge amount of angular stress not accounted for in the design of either shackles/bushings or frame brackets/hangers. At best, it is going to wear the bushings out a lot sooner than would be normal.

 

I just bolted mine to the front bumper and never had a problem.

 

here is mine

 

Need some recommendations. Here is what I've got to work with. The big beefy tow bar is what I used to use when I had the stock bumper and heavy duty welded brackets. When I replaced the bumper I had D rings installed and, not thinking about it at the time of order, realized after the fact that their location interferes with tow bar location. Thinking about trying the lighter tow bar on bottom that has more adjustability in it, and install a temp bushing in each D- mount whenever I tow. Think it would work? Trying use the D-mounts on account of they are ridiculously strong 1" bars that run about a foot back and bolted into the frame with 6 grade 8 bolts; the frame would rip before the mounts do, and don't really want to booger up the bumper.

 

I went and picked up some pilot bushings, then had them turned down to fit the D-mounts. Bought a pair of receiver hitch pins that slide through the middle. Going to make a pair of brackets out of some spare shackles that will attach to the lighter draw bar.