huntsonora

I recently purchased a 93 reg cab 4x4 that I will use for hunting down in Mexico. I will flat tow the truck from my home in CO down to Mexico and back and was wondering if anybody has fabbed a tow bar to fit their ARB bumper.

Would love to hear opinions or see pictures

Thanks

Discombobulated

Hmmmmm well I would imagine it depends on how the ARB mounts I personally have never seen nor installed/owned one but I figure they are pretty stout. Tow bars from what I have seen are frame mounted and made for the frame I wouldn't imagine anyone will take the liability to tell you yes it will work, sure it might BUT is it rated and tested in the labs I would say not but if you do this post some pics anyway

huntsonora

You may be right. I'm just looking for ideas. The truck I bought looks very similar to the one in your avatar and I haven't even picked it up yet. I picked up the ARB bumper yesterday and so I can't visualize what I need to do yet

ThatGuy1295

I have an ARB bumper, Id say its definitely not going to come loose or break. But the way those mounts are designed id say their could be some flex occurring if your actually towing with it. Might not be a big deal, but any movement is typically bad as it causes stress and wears on things. Not to mention the mounts could fatigue over time if they are indeed flexing. Don't get me wrong I love my ARB but its a crash rated/dot approved bumper. Its got flex mounts that are designed to give out on impact. Ever see a tow package with a crumple zone?

ThatGuy1295

I would personally reinforce the ---- out of it if I were going to tow it a lot.

Discombobulated

You might find a 4 wheel rv shop if one exists in your area see how the tow bars mount I'm sure someone on here can post some pics of how/where the Arb's mount. Now that I think about It I used to deliver parts for a truck shop the tow bars were pretty crazy lots involved per the spec of the vehicle and they were pretty heavy duty with stabilizer bars and such, does this truck have an ARB already?? Or are you going to put one on?

I want to say they mount just like a front mounted hitch but with the stabilizer bars and safety stuff, I have seen some on new vehicles where they cut slots out of the front bumper to mount it anyway I'm just babbling now

bob200587

I don't think you should flat tow a 4x4 at all much less trying to rig some "bubba'd" towing apparatus up to an ARB. It's probably not going to be street legal either.

You should be able to find a million uses for a trailer that can haul the truck. Just do it right.

huntsonora

People flat tow rigs all the time and it's no problem towing a 4x4 if it's done correctly. As for rigging a "bubba'd" towing apparatus you have obviously missed the boat here. I am asking if this has been done. I would never "bubba rig" anything. There are tow bars that are sold specifically for the purpose of flat towing vehicles. I am merely looking for a way to mount it

The trailer idea is nice in theory but it's a real headache when taking it to Mexico. It requires additional paperwork and then there is the trouble of finding a place to leave a trailer where it's not going to get stolen as I cannot get a trailer in to these ranches I lease. If I flat tow the Toyota from my home in Colorado I can have one of my guides drive my Toyota across the border and it's really simple.

There is a reason I will be flat towing so offering up opinions like "do it right and get a trailer" are pretty much pointless. Thanks for your input

Discombobulated

Where are you at in colorado?? If you want to bypass the ARB and just do a standard mount I can send you my sisters way at the accessory shop she works at but if you must have the ARB this I would imagine will be up to you to figure out due to the customizing to make it work. PM me if you want to get some pricing on the part and install I can give you her info.

huntsonora

PM sent, Thank you!

huntsonora

Also, there are a lot of instances where guys have done this with their Jeeps and their ARB bumpers but I havent found anything with Toyota yet.

I will post up what I end up doing just so one guy knows its not "bubba'd" and there may be guys that want to do this in the future

Stuwy123

iTrader: (1)

The ARB bumpers for the ifs trucks 86-95 do not have a crumple zone. They are hard mounted directly to the frame and crossmember. The 95-onwards do have crumple zones.
I don't see a problem with attaching a tow bar to the ARB bumper.

As for flat towing a Toyota, you can't do it without taking out the rear driveshaft (or front and rear, search for that one). The transfer case has an oil slinger that doesn't work when flat towing.

huntsonora

Good to know about the crumple zone! Thank you!

I plan on just taking out the 4 bolts at the rear of the driveshaft and securing it under the truck. I'll have to see what works best but flat towing these trucks wont hurt them if its done correctly

Thanks again for the info on the ARB

huntsonora

Quick update if anybody is wanting to do something like this.

I ordered a Blue Ox Adventurer tow bar because it is narrow enough to fit my ARB bumper. I also ordered the Blue Ox BX88230 Duncan type brackets to use on my bumper. It works like a charm! Took an hour to install and that included fabbing a metal plate on the back of my ARB that essentially more evenly distributes the pull on the bumper.

I'll get pics up later today

buel09

Where are the pics LOL