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Jeep Cherokee (XJ) DIY Front Tow Hook BracketAfter seeing a request for a Cherokee (XJ) how-to article on building your own front tow hook bracket, Dan Brama has stepped up to the plate and written not only a how-to article, but he has also drawn a template!
There is absolutely no guarantee that this template and its directions will fit your XJ perfectly. Holes may have to move slightly. All XJ's are different for reasons I cannot explain. Use 3/16" plate and 1/2" grade 5 or better bolts. Make sure your tow hook has a load rating on it that is appropriate for use as a tow hook on a 3500 lb vehicle. Factory bumper and brackets need to be removed. It will fit back on, but might require a hammer since the spacing will now be a little wider. Fender support bracket needs to be removed. It won't fit back on. you could probably bend it and drill another hole to bolt it on if you wanted to. This will fit the passenger's side only. Technically, you could do it on the driver's side but you'd require longer steering box bolts. Holes numbered 1 are the factory bumper mounting bracket holes. One has a nut welded inside the frame rail. It's metric and you'll need to find a longer one. I think the other two are fairly small bolts. Change them to something a little bigger. Hole numbered 2 is the factory tow hook frame tie-in hole. You'll need a carriage bolt going through from the outside to prevent hitting the swaybar. This is the only hole that's sleeved and goes all the way through the frame. Holes numbered 3 are the mounting locations for the tow hook. The tow hook should be below the factory bumper at this angle. Double check before drilling them. Back these bolt holes with 2" x 2" angle iron and drill two more holes up into the bottom of the frame rail. The rest of the bolt holes will need the bolts fed in from the inside of the frame, with hardened washers on the inside. There's an access hole at the front once you remove the bumper. If there isn't an access hole, drill one. Use 1/2" x 1" bolts and hardened flat washers. If the 1/2" bolts won't fit in the holes, drill the holes bigger. On the back side of the tow hook, tie it into the bottom of the frame with 2" x 2" angle iron. If there's a lip that sticks down from the front cross member, flatten it with a hammer. Use the one existing hole in the bottom of the frame rail and drill another one further forward to go through the double thickness of the cross member and the frame rail. Weld triangular gussets into the angle iron if you have the ability. - Dan 
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