Maximus 3 Tow Loops

[AnnDee4444]

Has Maximus really been "crickets" on all this?

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...w-loops-front-rear.31718/page-11#post-1897802

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[Powelligator]

I had no idea there was another thread on this. Still no word from Maximus though...

 

[Gaffer]

This is such a shame; I really liked the look of the Maximus-3 front tow hoops. Does anyone have any pictures of the Rockjock front towing plate installed?
Has Maximus really been "crickets" on all this?

 

[JKWMD]

Thanks for the picture; is there a cutout for the umbilical cord from the tow bar and for a break-away cable?

 

[Whaler27]

So, I've yet to get my jeep but have already purchased the Maximus-3 front tow hoops, a Roadmaster tow bar, the adapters to hook up the Roadmaster to the Maximus tow hoops, and also the new tie-rod; if I'm reading this thread correctly, this set-up will not work?

My gut-check, which has already been a disappointment, is that the addition of the tie rod is a solid fix, because it incorporates the only design element the original Maximus-3 solution was missing: a brace to resist the lateral/splitting force that wants to peel the tow loops outboard of the frame rails.

Calculating the splitting/peeling force involved is beyond my ability, but now that I’m aware that force is acting on these brackets I can see that all of the other time-tested designs have some type of brace to address it. All have a brace that connects right and left tow points and runs perpendicular to the direction of travel. If I can get ahold of Maximus-3 and retrofit their solution under the existing skid-plate with my existing winch, I’ll probably stay with Maximus-3.

If you tow a Wrangler with no braking system on the jeep, the forces on these brackets would be very high — a leveraged splitting/prying pressure every time the tow-vehicle brakes and the 5000 pound Jeep tries to slam into the tow vehicle. An overly sensitive brake system on the Jeep would over-brake as soon as the brakes on the coach were applied, so there would be no splitting force on those brackets unless the coach braking was more effective than the jeep’s brakes. I’m wondering if the worst damage is on Jeeps that have poor, or poorly tuned, tow-braking systems installed?

I’m running the Airforce-One air-activated system on my diesel-pusher coach and it seems to be in sync with the Jeep, so I’m hoping I have no damage, but I haven’t had a chance to pull off the skid plate, disassemble, and look.

 

[Gaffer]

Thanks for the picture; is there a cutout for the umbilical cord from the tow bar and for a break-away cable?

I don't see a hole for the wiring connector but you can use a hole saw to put one in where you like. A breakaway cable can be easily mounted and there is a place to connect your safety cables.

 

[JKWMD]

I don't see a hole for the wiring connector but you can use a hole saw to put one in where you like. A breakaway cable can be easily mounted and there is a place to connect your safety cables.

Nice!!
Thanks; exactly what I wanted to know.

 

[KDB]

@Maximus-3, Seeing that there appears to be safety concerns around the use of these tow loops is there any update on your end in regards to how all that have purchased these tow loops over the last 3 years should proceed going forward ?

 

[Gadgettr1]

@Maximus-3, Seeing that there appears to be safety concerns around the use of these tow loops is there any update on your end in regards to how all that have purchased these tow loops over the last 3 years should proceed going forward ?

Has anyone heard back from them on the subject yet? I've bought a bunch of Maxiums-3 parts for my 2020 JLUR and always thought they were well built products. VERY disappointed in the lack of reply from them!

 

[AnnDee4444]

The forum probably isn't the best place to get an answer from a vender. Has anyone tried calling them?

 

[KDB]

The forum probably isn't the best place to get an answer from a vender. Has anyone tried calling them?

I have not but I also think that this forum is the perfect place for them to respond. They are a vender that post on this forum quite frequently (until recently) and being transparent to all with how they plan top handle this unfortunate turn of events is better than one person stating "...well I talked to them and they said X" and another person talking them stating "...well I talked to them and they said Y"

Lets face it, issues pop up, mistakes happen and all but its how you address them that instills trust with your customers. In this case that would be the Jeep community (which they are a part of).

I am willing to buy more parts from them (e.g. tie rod assembly to fix this issue) now and in the future depending how they handle this. If not handled correctly (in my opinion) I will simply vote with my dollars being spent elsewhere going forward.

 

[AnnDee4444]

I have not but I also think that this forum is the perfect place for them to respond. They are a vender that post on this forum quite frequently (until recently) and being transparent to all with how they plan top handle this unfortunate turn of events is better than one person stating "...well I talked to them and they said X" and another person talking them stating "...well I talked to them and they said Y"

They're probably discussing it with their lawyers.

It's very easy to not post on a forum, but difficult for them to ignore your phone call.

 

[psouza]

I have been watching this thread for a while. In fact, it motivated me to join the board. I have been towing Jeeps for 20 years and have mashed and bent my share of hitches and other bits and pieces.

I want to add my point of view to the heap already presented.

First let’s clear up some definitions. The broken bits of light metal do not belong to the vehicle frame. The primary function is to serve as mounting for the front skid plate and possibly a few other items of no import here. They suffer because Jeep decided they should be mounted to the front part of the frame rails (which flex) and a section cross member which does not.

Prior versions of the JL were identical to the JK and no such structural cross contamination existed here. The frame was constructed to be crushable and was free to flex. The tow loop for this model JL was connected to the frame by fabricated double clamps and has proved to be trouble free.

This shortcut by Jeep induced the loop manufacturer to attach his product to the same place as previous versions that proved successful. Assuming (poor move) that Jeep was infallible, and could be trusted as before.

It would be difficult to foresee this structural conflict without specific training or previous experience.

What makes this example so appealing to the lynch mob mentality is ignorance of what broke. They should be more concerned of the evidence of poor / no maintenance and of that broken stud on the back of the OEM recovery hook. Unlikely to be over stressed by anything other than being over torqued!

From experience I know that the fasteners must be properly torqued and properly lock tited with RED locktite. Absolute necessity.

This will pass as no one has been hurt, nor likely to be. Will the company make it up to those who “suffered damage”? I doubt many did, and if they did, they should be able to verify proper maintenance. Their lawyers know best.

I drive aggressively in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky mountains and panic/abrupt braking is common daily. I do not flat tow on rough, or washboard roads. I have suffered no damage from the product.


Phil

 

[JeepinJason33]

I have been watching this thread for a while. In fact, it motivated me to join the board. I have been towing Jeeps for 20 years and have mashed and bent my share of hitches and other bits and pieces.

I want to add my point of view to the heap already presented.

First let’s clear up some definitions. The broken bits of light metal do not belong to the vehicle frame. The primary function is to serve as mounting for the front skid plate and possibly a few other items of no import here. They suffer because Jeep decided they should be mounted to the front part of the frame rails (which flex) and a section cross member which does not.

Prior versions of the JL were identical to the JK and no such structural cross contamination existed here. The frame was constructed to be crushable and was free to flex. The tow loop for this model JL was connected to the frame by fabricated double clamps and has proved to be trouble free.

This shortcut by Jeep induced the loop manufacturer to attach his product to the same place as previous versions that proved successful. Assuming (poor move) that Jeep was infallible, and could be trusted as before.

It would be difficult to foresee this structural conflict without specific training or previous experience.

What makes this example so appealing to the lynch mob mentality is ignorance of what broke. They should be more concerned of the evidence of poor / no maintenance and of that broken stud on the back of the OEM recovery hook. Unlikely to be over stressed by anything other than being over torqued!

From experience I know that the fasteners must be properly torqued and properly lock tited with RED locktite. Absolute necessity.

This will pass as no one has been hurt, nor likely to be. Will the company make it up to those who “suffered damage”? I doubt many did, and if they did, they should be able to verify proper maintenance. Their lawyers know best.

I drive aggressively in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky mountains and panic/abrupt braking is common daily. I do not flat tow on rough, or washboard roads. I have suffered no damage from the product.


Phil

Thank you for your thoughts and for joining. I don't think anyone would argue that this may have been hard to foresee from Maximus. You are correct, many of us have called this the frame. It is an extension of the frame and maybe should be called mounting point. Regardless, we have seen proof of cracking and getting damaged from proper installation and use according to the original application approved by Maximus. However, they claimed the R&D was done and they were safe for towing. I followed their instructions to the word on my installation. I also added Red Loctite and proper torque. In addition, checked the bolts with a torque wrench prior to each hookup. I even have a written check list I perform prior to hitting drive on the RV to include all the towing setup, doors are closed, landing gear is up, etc.

Keep in mind, I don't recall any torque specs, Loctite, or suggestion of checking bolts to ensure they are still torqued as part of the instruction manual. I certainly don't see it on the previous post of the cross bar on this thread.

With that said, I towed the JL (with properly installed braking system) from Denver to Moab and back, and then from Denver to Lake Havasu. RV never saw a dirt road nor a harsh take off or stop and my tow loops are bent. Hopefully the frame is not cracked. I don't think anyone here is looking to sue. I just want credit for the tow loops that I purchased as they are defective and replacement loops will not fix the problem. If my frame/part that is directly attached to the frame is cracked, I would also ask for repair costs for that.

From the pictures of the cracked frames/mounting points, this could have resulted in a disconnection from the RV and could cause significant damage to the vehicles and possibly other vehicles. The challenge here is that Maximus has clearly figured out this is a problem and is now trying to state they always had a fix for this and that anyone that installed this previously did it incorrectly. Neither are true. Instead, they should be recalling these and notifying all owners. While it is difficult to predict future problems like this on the frame, it is the manufactures responsibility to test out the equipment to ensure the frame/mounting point can handle the torque before selling it as safe to consumers. I have to think there are several buyers out there that are not reading this forum and maybe towing in much more severe conditions thinking they are fine.

 

[Whaler27]

Thank you for your thoughts and for joining. I don't think anyone would argue that this may have been hard to foresee from Maximus. You are correct, many of us have called this the frame. It is an extension of the frame and maybe should be called mounting point. Regardless, we have seen proof of cracking and getting damaged from proper installation and use according to the original application approved by Maximus. However, they claimed the R&D was done and they were safe for towing. I followed their instructions to the word on my installation. I also added Red Loctite and proper torque. In addition, checked the bolts with a torque wrench prior to each hookup. I even have a written check list I perform prior to hitting drive on the RV to include all the towing setup, doors are closed, landing gear is up, etc.

Keep in mind, I don't recall any torque specs, Loctite, or suggestion of checking bolts to ensure they are still torqued as part of the instruction manual. I certainly don't see it on the previous post of the cross bar on this thread.

With that said, I towed the JL (with properly installed braking system) from Denver to Moab and back, and then from Denver to Lake Havasu. RV never saw a dirt road nor a harsh take off or stop and my tow loops are bent. Hopefully the frame is not cracked. I don't think anyone here is looking to sue. I just want credit for the tow loops that I purchased as they are defective and replacement loops will not fix the problem. If my frame/part that is directly attached to the frame is cracked, I would also ask for repair costs for that.

From the pictures of the cracked frames/mounting points, this could have resulted in a disconnection from the RV and could cause significant damage to the vehicles and possibly other vehicles. The challenge here is that Maximus has clearly figured out this is a problem and is now trying to state they always had a fix for this and that anyone that installed this previously did it incorrectly. Neither are true. Instead, they should be recalling these and notifying all owners. While it is difficult to predict future problems like this on the frame, it is the manufactures responsibility to test out the equipment to ensure the frame/mounting point can handle the torque before selling it as safe to consumers. I have to think there are several buyers out there that are not reading this forum and maybe towing in much more severe conditions thinking they are fine.

X2
I bought an early set of the tow loops too. I followed the installation instructions. I also applied red thread-locker.

This isn’t a Jeep design problem. Maximus-3 designed and marketed this solution to fit the Jeep, not the other way around, and there are lots of solutions that work with the JL frame extensions as they are (apparently including the new Maximus-3 solution.)

It appears the splitting/prying force was recognized by every other tow system manufacturer, as all feature the perpendicular brace as part of the Jeep-end or the RV-end of the system. In retrospect I feel stupid for missing that, but then I’m not building and marketing towing components.

I PM’d Maximus-3. I wasn’t whining or asking for an apology or an admission. I just asked how I can get the tie-bar for a retrofit. Radio silence so far. (I’m not excited about this solution, as it eliminates the easy stow-ability of the Roadmaster package left on the RV, but it seems we’re stuck with a fugly cross-member on the Jeep or the RV. At least the Maximus-3 solution, if available, will leave the Jeep clean when it’s not being towed.

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