Tow bar delete

Hi Team. I'm chasing up some idea for rear recovery points. I am seeking the experience and knowledge of the members here to work through the pros and cons of having no tow bar.
Currently my GU doesn't have a tow bar. I won't be towing, ever. To save on the expense of buying and fitting a tow bar I'm considering fitting some front recovery points to the rear and running a bridle for recoveries.
The pros would be weight savings and potentially departure angles.
A con would obviously be no ability to tow, which is not necessarily a con for me.

I ask if anyone has or is currently rolling wothout a tow bar please let me know your thoughts or experiences. This includes any ideas on those recovery points mentioned above.

Cheers

P.s. I'm not a weight weenie nor do i think they patrol is by any means a light vehicle. I do however have a philosophy of lightening as much as possible without compromising safety or utility.
I welcome your thoughts!!

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Hi Mate,

to be honest, for the ease of fitment and availability i would be looking for a second hand tow bar on Facebook marketplace or ebay. you will find one for a song. regardless of the need to tow, the towbar attaches to your chassis and is balanced so a Steel Bridle by design. If you are going to fit a rear recovery point then you are Going to bolt t to the tow bar mounting point anyway and will need 2, one on each side. so the only part you are deleting is the bar across the back that bridles the two together.

The tow bar provides rear protection across the back. if you dont want to tow then down wire it up. just bolt it up and use as a rear recovery point.

You can get a recovery point that bolts to the upper rear in lieu of the factory loop above the rear step but the tow bar wins for me.

2nd hand towbar is a win win great protection dropping off ledges.
get a bridle made up to share the load,
There are two types of towbars for the GU one rated at 2500kg the
other at 3500kg.
Dont be tempted to use those rear shipping tie down points... they will fail

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nazgul

Hi Team. I'm chasing up some idea for rear recovery points. I am seeking the experience and knowledge of the members here to work through the pros and cons of having no tow bar.
Currently my GU doesn't have a tow bar. I won't be towing, ever. To save on the expense of buying and fitting a tow bar I'm considering fitting some front recovery points to the rear and running a bridle for recoveries.
The pros would be weight savings and potentially departure angles.
A con would obviously be no ability to tow, which is not necessarily a con for me.

I ask if anyone has or is currently rolling wothout a tow bar please let me know your thoughts or experiences. This includes any ideas on those recovery points mentioned above.

Cheers

P.s. I'm not a weight weenie nor do i think they patrol is by any means a light vehicle. I do however have a philosophy of lightening as much as possible without compromising safety or utility.
I welcome your thoughts!!

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

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Hi mate, as you are New i assume that you started the second thread because you could not find this one again. lol. i have quoted you here to send you a notification so you can find it again. Unlike Facebook, there is no need to post the same thread in numerous "Rooms" or places, it comes up on the "Whats New " list and everyone will see it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MudRunnerTD

Hi mate, as you are New i assume that you started the second thread because you could not find this one again. lol. i have quoted you here to send you a notification so you can find it again. Unlike Facebook, there is no need to post the same thread in numerous "Rooms" or places, it comes up on the "Whats New " list and everyone will see it.

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Haha, legend. Thanks mate.

Yep pretty new. Thanks for keeping an eye on me lol

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Yeah you blokes are dead right about the protection and ease of use. Having a look around I have found a cheap bar to fit up. I still want to do some experimentation with out the bar too.

I'm putting it on a diet and more or less removing unecessary things and then building it back up with minimum requirements. So weight savings where possible are always sought after.

Threedogs, spot-on those tie down points above the rear step aren't to be trusted. I've removed mine.

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You could get an engineering shop to over design something.
But why would you when the "Safest" option is a towbar,
and safety is the name of the game ALWAYS

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nazgul

Yeah you blokes are dead right about the protection and ease of use. Having a look around I have found a cheap bar to fit up. I still want to do some experimentation with out the bar too.

I'm putting it on a diet and more or less removing unecessary things and then building it back up with minimum requirements. So weight savings where possible are always sought after.

Threedogs, spot-on those tie down points above the rear step aren't to be trusted. I've removed mine.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

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for the sake of 5 kilo's, I would not be touching or modifying the towbar, you are basically being a 2nd manufacturer, and would need to get it tested and certified, in case something goes pear shaped - like your recovery
if you could modify it to be better and lighter but still as structurally as strong, dont you think the manufacturers would have already thought of that - to save money and increase profit?
unless you are getting a falcon tow bar and modifying it to fit a patrol - which would be stupid to say the least, there would be no sane reason to "cut it up for weight" you would be just compromising its structural integrity and making it dangerous

are you an Engineer?
can you certify the towbar once modified?

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Originally Posted by Bigcol

for the sake of 5 kilo's, I would not be touching or modifying the towbar, you are basically being a 2nd manufacturer, and would need to get it tested and certified, in case something goes pear shaped - like your recovery
if you could modify it to be better and lighter but still as structurally as strong, dont you think the manufacturers would have already thought of that - to save money and increase profit?
unless you are getting a falcon tow bar and modifying it to fit a patrol - which would be stupid to say the least, there would be no sane reason to "cut it up for weight" you would be just compromising its structural integrity and making it dangerous

are you an Engineer?
can you certify the towbar once modified?

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Nah not modifying a tow bar, cutting one up or otherwise. Just considering not installing one at all.
Savings are a little than 5kg though.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nazgul

Yeah you blokes are dead right about the protection and ease of use. Having a look around I have found a cheap bar to fit up. I still want to do some experimentation with out the bar too.

I'm putting it on a diet and more or less removing unecessary things and then building it back up with minimum requirements. So weight savings where possible are always sought after.

Threedogs, spot-on those tie down points above the rear step aren't to be trusted. I've removed mine.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nazgul

Nah not modifying a tow bar, cutting one up or otherwise. Just considering not installing one at all.
Savings are a little than 5kg though.

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pretty sure thats exactly what you posted


is your GU a DX - ST or TI
all Gu's have a MAX of 3050kgs
depending on which variant you have will depend on if you have 450kgs to play with, 500kgs to play with or 750kgs to play with

the DX weighs less than an ST or a TI, so has a greater payload capacity

@Bigcol ah yep I see what you're pointing out. Comms error. Sorry for the confusion.
I mean the car is on a diet, not the. Not messing around with engineered items.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nazgul

@Bigcol ah yep I see what you're pointing out. Comms error. Sorry for the confusion.
I mean the car is on a diet, not the. Not messing around with engineered items.

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in that case, ditch it and buy a DX version of your Patrol, thats the lightest you will get
no electric windows - around 50kgs
no carpet - around 50-70kgs
no sound proofing - floor, roof or engine fire wall - 20-50kgs
no back seats - 150 - 200kgs
no bull bar - 300kgs
no spotlights - 20kgs

many ways to make a patrol skinny - but easiest is to get a DX

I thought most recoveries were via the winch these days,
Much safer, easier to control, and gentle on everything.
Just saying.
I did make these to replace that rear loop, plus another that had a hook.
What sort of 4x4ing are you planning to get stuck doing lol