Before you Buy: F150 Tow Hook Upgrades!

Posted by Jason Locke on 3/6/2022 to

The stock tow hooks on your F150 are fine...they're fine. They do what they were designed to do, which is to serve as a pretty basic attachment point for general pulling and recovery needs, but F150s that are heading out on the trail may need something a little more handy than the factory tow hooks. The good news is that there's more than a few F150 tow hook upgrades that give your truck more capability and utility so that you can get you or your buddies out of trouble out in the wilderness. And heck, if all else fails, you can grab an aftermarket front bumper that gives you even more recovery capability, but before we get there, there's now some budget-friendly tow hook options that can see your F150 build through some unhappy bad times in the dirt or on the street in practically no time at all.

2009-2020 F150 Mishimoto Borne Off-Road Billet Tow Hooks

For a direct replacement for your tow hooks that provides more capability than the stock tow hooks, Mishimoto's Borne Off-Road F150 Tow Hooks give your F150 a larger and more prominent place to tie off to when you need to pull or get pulled out of trouble off-road. All of the Mishimoto Borne Off-Road to hooks have a larger, squared off eye with knurled surfaces that provide a bigger and stickier area for your choice of tow strap or recovery rope. The Mishimoto Tow Hooks are longer than stock, which helps give you some more room away from your bumper than the factory tow hooks. Each of the Mishimoto F150 Tow Hooks are 1.40" thick and are made from CNC machined 6061-T6 billet aluminum and are available in several different finishes, including natural aluminum, black powder coat, blue powder coat, red powder coat, and gold powder coat so that you can find the perfect look for your F150 build. While the Mishimoto Borne Off-Road Tow Hooks are on the pricey side, they come closest to preserving the look, feel, and function of the stock tow hooks.

F150 Rough Country Tow Hook Shackle Conversion

If the stock tow hooks just don't cut it anymore, then maybe it's time to ditch them for something better. The Rough Country Tow Hook Shackle Conversion Brackets delete your F150's stock tow hooks and replace them with a 3/4" shackle mount that's capable of accepting just about any 3/4" D-ring, recovery hook, or soft shackle so that you get nearly limitless options when it comes to off-road pulling and recovery. Rough Country also offers a version that comes with brackets, D-rings, and isolators so that you get everything you need right out of the box. The Rough Country Tow Hook Shackle brackets are made out of heavy-duty steel with a black powder coat finish that install directly to the OEM tow hook locations using the factory hardware, making them an easy way to get improved recovery capability out of your F150 build.

F150 Front Bumpers

Even the best aftermarket tow hook upgrades or shackle conversions may not be good enough for your specific F150 build. If that's the case, then jumping up to a full front bumper may be your best bet. While fare more expensive than a more basic tow hook upgrade, 2009-2014 F150 Front Bumpers, 2015-2017 F150 Front Bumpers, 2018-2020 F150 Front Bumpers, and 2021-2022 F150 Front Bumpers add both protection and usually more recovery options (especially bumpers with winch mounts) than just tow hooks alone. Bumpers like the Hammerhead Low Profile, Fab Fours Premium, Fab Fours Matrix, Warn Ascent, Road Armor Stealth, Iron Cross winch, and ADD Stealth Fighter Bumpers all come with front clevis mounts that can accept a variety of D-ring, recovery hook, or soft shackle. Along with additional front protection, many of these bumpers comes with mounts for all sorts of off-road lighting so that you can hit the trails after dark.

The stock tow hooks just aren't enough for anyone who wants to really use their F150 on an off-road adventure. The good news is that there's plenty of upgrade opportunity so that you use just about any recovery gear and recovery straps without a bunch of hassles and be able to get at different angles that can get you out of tough spots in the wilderness. What tow hook upgrades would you use? Do you think the stock tow hooks are fine? Let us know below!

F150 Tow Hook Upgrades:

Before you Buy: F150 Tow Hook Upgrades!

2009-2020 F150 Mishimoto Borne Off-Road Billet Tow Hooks

F150 Rough Country Tow Hook Shackle Conversion

F150 Front Bumpers

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