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Old 01-23-2018, 09:45 PM   #54
jocko
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Godley, TX
Posts: 17,922
Re: New replica tow hooks!

I don't think the issue is as much whether they are less strong or more strong than factory hooks - the issue I have is that they ARE different (one way or the other) yet they are made specifically and on purpose to be indistinguishable from GM hooks (aside from the bogus bend) to include part number. So in the future the third hand buyer will think he has the safety of GM factory hooks. And he might have even more, or he might have much less. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the $50 hooks that more than meet the actual need have been fully proven to actually be that strong. They're just inexpensive because they're not a rare part. Whether originality is important to a specific truck owner is a matter of personal preference and the intended use of the truck. But all that aside, misrepresentation of a GM part (and its inherent strength with the engineering behind it to give you the warm fuzzy that it's "probably pretty strong because GM for dang sure protected itself against liability") is just flat wrong. Given the various reasons we like trucks, I'm not sure there's gonna be a long line of folks to buy hooks with, at the very least, unknown strength. If the background engineering proof were present to claim a certain strength level, then many folks would probably accept these as a substitute that's "good enough" in the looks department. Until that time when the engineering data is shared, the part number is removed, and they are proven to be more than just cosmetic, they are a huge risk to an uninformed buyer that thinks any tow hook "must" be strong if it's being sold to the public"... The seller is taking a pretty big risk too. If they are indeed strong, then the info to prove a product should be included - otherwise, it might as well be plastic.
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