Haven't found many write up's on this, But I'm in the market for a tire carrier and I'm thinking about the Rock Brawler 2 because of the simplicity of getting in and out of the truck without having to unlatch the carrier and then the tailgate as I am in and out of my trunk multiple times a day and usually with my hands full.

That being said, I wanted to see if anyone on here has personally towed with their integrated hitch? I completely understand that it's not "tow rated" and we all know it's because it's not cost effective for PS. But I've read on a post that Dusty believed it to be much stronger than the OEM hitch.

Has anyone towed with it? If so, How heavy? Any issues? How many mounting points are there from the bumper to the frame? Would love to hear some stories before I make my final decision.

Thanks in advance!!

 

I'm interested in this as well. I haven't used it for towing because it clearly states that it is a recovery point only. It would be nice to know if I could pull a small trailer with it.

 

Bump!

Anyone towing with this?

Any of the PS guys able to shed some light on this?

 

I have towed approx 3000# with mine, no issues. 3 mounting bolts on each frame rail and 4 bolts on the cross member mount. So, 10 mounting bolts instead of the factory 4. Keep in mind you will need a longer drop hitch depending on your lift.

 

It doesn't have a tow rating because it has not been tested and they most likely don't have an AWS approved process. Arguably, one could look and say there is x/x" metal welded to x/x" metal and assume it is good. I think the receiver itself is plenty strong and the bumper itself is not coming off. However, I question the thickness of metal the receiver is welded to as well as the welding process used. I don't have the bumper in front of me, but it would help a lot to know the thickness of metal and how it is attached. If they are welding thick to thin, I doubt the can get enough fusion on the thick metal and the thin would be a weak point.

 

The bumper and the trusses for the receiver are brake-formed 3/16" plate steel. I am not a welder but looks like mig and a roll of dimes on all connection points. Is that enough info to make an assessment?

 

For the square tube the ball mount slides into, 3/16" works for light duty towing. That part should be fine. Welding that to a flat piece of 3/16" steel is not going to get it though. If there is some internal support in that area on the inside, that helps. And there should at least be some gussets on the outside. Ideally, you'd weld the square tube to 1/4" plate. Again, without actually looking at the bumper, the info I have tells me that it is a weak design for towing much over 1000lbs.

The second concern would be the welds themselves. I know there have been non-structural weld failures on PSC products (and other manufacturers - not knocking them, just saying it has happened). There is not a ton of weld surface there, so the welds need to be good. Looking good and being good are very different. Grab a Reese ball mount and look at the welds on it. They don't look all that pretty, but they are very strong (flux-core). Most of the general fab welding they do isn't critical. There is a ton of weld surface. If the welder is good and know what he is doing, he will make the needed adjustments to lay strong welds. I'd say it is pretty tough to get total fusion on a structural weld that is on 3/16". It's a touch balance between cold lapping, under-cutting, and burning through.

Just saw the picture. The outside looks gusseted appropriately. Ideally, there is some internal support on the inside of the bumper as 3/16" would be flexy, flexy.

 

For what's it's worth, I have an LoD bumper with a receiver and I wouldn't even consider towing much more than 500 lbs with it. I doubt I will ever put a ball mount in there.

 

Thanks, Invest2m4, I'll just stick to PSC's recommendation. Don't want to take a chance of a disaster happening.

 

Thanks for the insight, If I do buy ill have to take a good look at it and head over to one of my buddies fab shop and add whatever welds to it we deem necessary.

Just wanted to get some opinions before I jump on a $1400 bumper and always have a doubt in the back of my minds.

If anyone else would like to share some info or personal experiences, I'd really appreciate it!