A handy backing plate for the non-ring end could be made from a second
D-ring bracket. Or just leave the ring in, giving an upper and a lower
ring. I don't know what for, but it could be done. The tricky part would
be to drill the two holes parallel to each other. I can't even picture
how that could be done.

-- RJS

On Wed, 2011-05-25 at 09:22 -0500, Jim Felder wrote:

> Yes, that's what I had in mind exactly as one of my possible
> solutions.
>
> Jimj
>
>
> On Wed, May 25, 2011 at 9:12 AM, Rocket J Squirrel
> <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>         Something like Gary Lee did for his hitch mount? He runs a
>         long 1/2''
>         drill bit straight down from the top of the bumper, through
>         the sheet
>         metal behind it, and out the bottom of the bumper, and
>         reinforces the
>         bolts with chunks of metal. See bottommost pictures at
>
>         <http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/rack/winch/winch.htm>
>
>
>
>         He uses four bolts to mount the 8000 lb winch, but a D-ring
>         mounts with
>         two. The pull would be at right angles to the mounting bolts,
>         but that's
>         also true with the winch.
>
>         I dunno, it's probably the best idea I've seen so for for
>         mounting a
>         couple D-rings up front.
>
>         -- RJS
>
>
>
>         On Wed, 2011-05-25 at 08:34 -0500, Jim Felder wrote:
>         > On a related, but not exactly on-topic subject... this is
>         related to the
>         > original post in that the vanagon bumper is too flimsy in
>         itself to attach
>         > anything to. It is a cosmetic skin that covers the part of
>         the body meant to
>         > take an impact (except in the rear, where there is no such
>         part). This is a
>         > lot different from the clamps that may dad made up years ago
>         to tow VWs
>         > with. They just grabbed the bumper, loooped some chain
>         through as a backup
>         > and off you went. Now we are dependent on other things.
>         >
>         > I went shopping and asking around when I tried to come up
>         with a vanagon tow
>         > bar. Turns out that the metal bumper is held on with two
>         puny screws that
>         > could not possibly tow the car if they were the fasteners
>         for a towbar. And
>         > there are no other choices that I know of except
>         >
>         > a) welding some larger fasteners alongside them in such a
>         way that they
>         > would be covered by the bumper in normal use, and that the
>         bumper could be
>         > removed should the car have to be towed. This idea obviated
>         the intended use
>         > of my tow bar, which was to bring home vanagons I might find
>         on cragslist or
>         > wherever. Another similar concept was just to drill a 3/4
>         inch hole through
>         > the "lip" behind the bumper on the front and fit the towbar
>         with a bracket
>         > that would attach to the lip with clevis pins. This would
>         allow me to tow a
>         > vanagon if I had access to a drill, the two holes being
>         fairly minor
>         > modifications although I admit I have never drilled such
>         holes in the
>         > particular spot on the vanagon.
>         >
>         > b) cutting the bumper and welding on some heavy brackets on
>         the underside
>         > that were mainly hidden from view by the bumper, which would
>         not have to be
>         > removed to use them. This method also offers the problem
>         that while it would
>         > work well on your personal vehicle, it would not help you
>         get any other
>         > non-modified vanagon home.
>         >
>         > So, I gave up. But still thinking about it, because if
>         you're going to tow
>         > or extract yourself, you need the same kind of strength. The
>         bumper simply
>         > won't do.
>         >
>         > Any other ideas? There is not even a place to put a D-ring
>         up front that I
>         > could find, that would actually work, without removing the
>         bumper to use it.
>         >
>         > Jim
>         >
>         > On Wed, May 25, 2011 at 7:44 AM, george jannini
>         <georgejoann@gmail.com>wrote:
>         >
>         > > >> "Approach angle"? "Off-roading"?...You have me confused
>         with someone
>         > > with more courage and more brains than I. <<
>         > >
>         > >    Ya's don't have to go off road to graunch yer air
>         dam... in
>         > > Atlanta, all you gotta do is tackle some of the steep
>         driveways we got
>         > > around here.
>         > >
>         > >  Mine's gotten all kind of torqued over the years...it's
>         an '89, and
>         > > this bus is low.  Too low.
>         > >
>         > > Geo/ATL
>         > >
>
>
>
>