BX Front tie down "D" rings / tow hooks for less than FIVE Dollars!

[BX25D Rookie]

About five years ago, I purchased a pair of "D" rings for the front of my BX 25 at Tractor Supply.
5000 pounds working load limit each, and galvanized finish.
I recall paying about $20 for a pair of them and the installation for the "D" rings was simple.

They have worked perfectly for strapping the BX 25 onto a trailer for transport, and when I buried the BX 25
in mud while bush hogging, a place for chains/tow straps for pulling the BX 25 out of the muddy field with a much larger farm tractor. I have zero complaints with the front "D" rings on the BX 25.

After acquiring a second (additional) BX 2370 tractor recently, I went to Tractor Supply for another pair of "D" rings. I couldn't find an identical item, and searched without finding anything I was happy with.
I spoke with a sales associate at the Tractor Supply store in my home town, and she mentioned that another
Tractor Supply store nearby (about 20 miles) had "D" rings in a clearance bin.

So off I went, and bought a blister pack at the second Tractor Supply store with six "D" rings in it.
Four light duty "D" rings, and two heavy duty "D" rings with a load rating of 5000 pounds.
I don't have a use for the four light duty "D" rings, they went on my shelf in my building where they will
likely be found after I'm dead and gone.

The price was further reduced at the register, and ended up at $4.04 out the door including tax.
They appear to be made just like the first set I got, but the new "D" rings are painted black instead of galvanized finish. For less than $5, I won't complain. Yes, made in China but it is what it is.

IMG_20250310_140729178_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20250310_140736477_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20250310_140754211_HDR~2 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

The "ends" of the actual "D" ring are welded, so it cannot be pulled out from under the strap.

IMG_20250310_141152636_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

No new/additional hardware is required, the factory "flange" nuts act as a flat washer and completely cover the
square holes in the strap. The hole spacing on the square holes in the strap aren't exactly the bolt spacing on the tractor, so the straps required about 1/16" of filing with a large round rat tail file to slightly
widen the hole spacing in the strap. I added several drops of blue Loctite when reassembling.

No drilling is required as you are using the existing bolts that attach the muffler support/front of hood support
at the front of the tractor on both sides.

IMG_20250310_143158629_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

 

[KKBL]

Nice find. Worth the 20 mile drive.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

I'm going to guess they mean the rings will fail at 5K#, not they're duty-rated at 5K. If the tractor is stuck in mud I'd think you could maybe hit 5K winching it out due to suction, so stand back out of cable whip range just in case one let's go is all I'm saying.

Good find for $5.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

Yes, whenever winching/getting towed out of mud with high loads on chains/straps/cables,
extra care needs to be taken to avoid any personal injury. Common sense.

When I got the BX 25 stuck in the muddy field while bush hogging, it had sunk in the mud
right up to the frame/skid plates. The BX 25 has Bro-Tek skid plates.

My Honda Pioneer side by side just spun the tires on hard ground when we tried pulling the BX 25 out of the mud.
The 85hp Massey Ferguson 4 x 4 farm tractor pulled the BX 25 out without even spinning a tire.

Nothing was bent, the "D" rings still looked like a "D" and the metal strap still looked like new.
I used a short chain to connect to both "D" rings, and nylon tow straps up to the Massey.
When I got the BX 25 home, it took at least an hour with a pressure washer to clean it up.
In my defense, it was the first time for that bush hogging location, and walking the location didn't
find all the damp/wet spots, the grass was 4 to 5 feet high. It hadn't been bush hogged for greater
than 20 years. The first time in a new field is always the worst.

Since the BX 2370 is only used as a lawn mower, (not equipped with a FEL, only a 60" mid mount deck)
I likely will only use the new set of "D" rings for strapping the machine to a trailer.
I think I have a photo of the BX 25 while it was stuck, I will look for it in the morning.
The "D" rings were invaluable that day!
For me, they are strong enough for a BX machine.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

You know that "sinking" feeling when a tractor's tires sink through the "turf" growing on top
of the underlying mud? Yep, I know that feeling! (note the single galvanized "D" ring visible)
The brush cutter mounted on the rear of the BX 25 is a Mahindra re-branded Kodiak unit, 4 foot.

No harm, no foul. The BX 25 ended up sitting in that remote field overnight, as by the time we had tried several methods of "self extraction" it was getting near sunset, and the owner of the Massey Ferguson who is my friend and neighbor at the recreational property decided that a fresh start in the morning would be a prudent idea.

The narrow woods road leading to the interior field where the bush hogging was taking place required some chain saw work for getting the significantly larger Massey Ferguson down the narrow woods road.
The Massey is at least triple/quadruple the size and weight of the Kubota BX and wouldn't fit between tree trunks in several locations.

I can see using a chain saw in the dark if you needed to extract a human being from the woods after dark,
but it just didn't make any sense to do that just to keep an inanimate object like a tractor from spending one overnight out in that remote field.

Once the BX 25 was home and pressure washed, no damage or visible indications from the
small episode in the muddy field. The "D" rings proved invaluable that day!

IMG_20230903_181313054_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

 

[Old Machinist]

I'm going to guess they mean the rings will fail at 5K#, not they're duty-rated at 5K. If the tractor is stuck in mud I'd think you could maybe hit 5K winching it out due to suction, so stand back out of cable whip range just in case one let's go is all I'm saying.

Good find for $5.

The package reads "load bearing capacity".

 

[McMXi]

I

When you're a welder and a pack rat and you refuse to get rid of anything made of steel, you can tell yourself that many upgrades and additions are "free". That's what I tell myself when I repurposed the D-rings off a front and rear bumper I'd made for the Jeep about 24 years ago.

The rear D-rings were welded to a section of box tubing that didn't lend itself well to being part of the installation on the M6060 front weight bracket, so it was a bit more work getting them off. The front D-rings were welded to a larger piece of suitable steel, hence the square plate that's welded to the grill guard.

I only use the D-rings to chain the tractors to a trailer, but I used them many, many times with a winch and snatch block pulling unprepared folks out of tricky situations on the many trails in Hawaii. I even did some recovery work for my friend with the Jeep and those D-rings. He owns a recovery business on Oahu and would sometimes call and ask for my help when he was unable to get his equipment into areas where a vehicle was stuck. So those D-rings are well tested and were made in the US decades ago with forged parts so I have little doubt of their durability. The D-ring is forged as a single piece so no welds to fail.

The bigger challenge is figuring out a system to chain the rear of the tractor to a trailer. I use the drawbar and a shackle, but I think I need to make up some kind of vertical support to go under the drawbar to prevent it from bending under load from the binders. Now that I think about it, maybe a jackstand under the drawbar would work.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

That's a nice looking "D" ring install, and obviously in a totally different tractor size/weight class.
I also stockpile virtually anything made from steel.
I've got a stick welder, oxy/acetylene, and a fully equipped machine shop at my home.

 

[McMXi]

That's a nice looking "D" ring install, and obviously in a totally different tractor size/weight class.
I also stockpile virtually anything made from steel.
I've got a stick welder, oxy/acetylene, and a fully equipped machine shop at my home.

Thanks! Yeah, I think for the most part hoarding steel is a blessing rather than a curse, but I will say it often takes longer to make things using steel from the scrap pile vs. new steel bought specifically for a project. I do enjoy turning $hit into sugar though.

Your D-rings look to be more than enough for the BX and it's a good and affordable upgrade for anyone interested in chaining their tractor to a trailer or pulling it or something else.

 

[Tim Horton]

Bolt on D rings is what I used on 2 tractor buckets.. One on the inside and one on top of the top lip of the bucket bolted back to back.. Right in front of the loader arms..

The D rings and a pair of 4' long trailer safety chains with hooks on each end were both rated for more than the loader would lift.. Like said, the whole set up with grade 8 bolts was less than $20

Worked well for me..