In the past Ive always used a tow hook to loop my recovery strap onto when trying to retrieve a stuck vehicle. My new jeep has the mopar offroad bumper which includes a mounting point for d-rings which I plan to install soon.

So my question is, when using the d-rings for recovery... Do i unhook the d-rings from the bumper and put the strap in the d-ring then reattach to the bumper? Or is it ok to hook two d-rings together (one attached to the bumper and the other to the strap)?

Also is there an advantage to d-rings vs. a tow hook? I have the mopar offroad front bumper w/ front tow hooks mounted but was thinking about removing the crush cans and plastic caps so that i can use a d-ring mount there as well. Am I better off keeping the hooks? Or are the d-rings a better option than two hooks?

 

May not be the best person to answer this question, but the best of my understanding, everything I read about D-Rings mentioned to not hook 2 D-rings together. Your first statement would be right - unhook from the bumper, through the strap and attach it back to the bumper. If I'm wrong on this, I'm sure someone'll correct me

On the tow hook vs. D-Ring, if you were trying to pull someone out, you'd use the tow hook; if someone was pulling you out, they'd want to hook up to the D-Ring. Other than that, I'm sure you could use either.

 

I have always used the strap directly to the D ring. Not doubling up the D rings...

The D ring will always be safe than a hook, as the strap / hook cannot slip out and snap back at you or your jeep. Closed ended recovery straps with D rings are always safest for that reason.

 

you gotta un-hook the d-ring anyway so just use the one. i'm curious as to why 2 d-rings are bad. isn't it like two big chain links.

 

D rings are constructed to pull in a direction perpendicular to the attaching pin. As soon as you start to pull at any angle off that axis, you start to lessen the safe load of the D ring. If you put two D rings together, you could possibly pull sideways on one of them, greatly diminishing the strength of the D ring.

 

I figured that was probably the way to go, just making sure.

Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated.

 

The less metal you have attached to each other the better, for safety reasons. A tow hook will do the job, but it is nice to have a closed end to ensure no slippage.

 

Do you guys leave your d-rings attached all the time? Or do you just attach them when offroad then take them off during the rest of the time?

 

All the time. I guess it might depend where you live.

 

I like hooks for quick and easy cold weather recovery. I don't have to take the gloves off to hook up a strap! One big advantage to d-rings is that you can use them as jacking points with a hi-lift jack. Just flip them up, insert the jack foot and use it as a solid mounting surface. Todays bodies have so many angles it can be hard to find a secure place to jack from.