My Tow Bar Mount Solution

First, I was going to pay the money for a set of genuine M715 tow bar adaptor feet. I waited and waited several months and none ever seemed to come up for sale. Then, I decided to build my own. That idea lasted as long as my cut off saw motor. Finally, I realize I was surrounded by M35 parts left over from the Gasser build.

I didn't want to cut up any of the good and probably going to be used on something else M35 front shackle mounts. The M35 rear shackle mounts though are smaller and will fit on top of a M715 bumper. The only down side is the rear M35 mounts have a 7/8" hole in them. I didn't want to bushing it down to 3/4 which would have been the easiest and fastest way to do this. Instead, I bored them out to 1 inch figuring if I had to have them on a M35 again, they would still work as a safety chain holder.

My front M715 bumper is actually a converted piece of 6" channel iron. Very thick and strong compared to a stock M715 front bumper. I used the top frame to bumper bolt as one of the bolts for the shackle and drilled another. Here is how it came out right after I drilled them. Those are 1" tow bar feet on the mounts in the pictures. I painted the mounts last night and should have them on the truck tonight in final form.

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/9...shackleyw3.jpg

http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/9...shackleyg8.jpg

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/1...shacklevf6.jpg

I can tell by the huge number of replies to this that people are just jumping all over each other to do this. That is all right, we all like something different. Never the less, here they are painted and installed with recovery hooks installed.

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/9563/img0007ow7.jpg

Tim, you got any extra of those T brackets? Also, In the second pic, there looks to be a large gap between the TB foot and the mount. Does it wiggle back and forth?

Talk to Sermis about the T brackets along with the cable they attach too.

Yes, the tow bar mounts do slide side to side but they don't wiggle if that makes sense. About the same as what they do on my M35.

I can't tell. Do you 2 bolts in the brackets or 3 (one behind)?

Just 2 5/8" bolts. I figure they will be strong enough to flat tow the thing since a M35 is 2.5 times as heavy and only has 4 1/2" bolts on its mount.

I couldn't figure out a way to make that 3rd one mount without cutting up the valence or welding a plate to the top of the bumper and having the thing stick out an inch or so past the front of the bumper.

Nice inventive solution Barrman!!