OEM brush guard bolts interfere with recovery points

[pixlpush]

I have a 2025 Badlands Sasquatch with the OEM brush guard. I'm Prepping recovery gear for a road trip and noticed the front recovery point bolts (where the OEM brush guard mounts) stick out farther than necessary. The factory bolts are M10 x 1.5 x 65mm, and the extra length can interfere with soft shackles or potentially damage them under load.

I picked up another set, cut them down to 55mm top, 50mm bottom, and smoothed the ends before reinstalling. I realize it's recomended to have 2-3 threads extend past the nut but in this case that's going to be an issue and I'll add some threadlocker. Much cleaner setup and less chance of contact with the shackles. I might even try some M10 accorn/cap nuts.

I’m also working on some 3D-printed inserts to help keep soft shackles centered and off the bolt ends. Testing a TPU version next (aiming for hockey-puck firmness). I’ll share the .stl file once it’s sorted out.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

The soft shackles are remarkably tough. Having the ends rounded will help even more.

 

[jkernitzki]

I'm not sure why they saw the need for such a long bolt. It is a bit silly.

For printing, PC or ABS may offer the best durability, but I'm sure a dense TPU would be fine. Don't waste time or money on any CF variants, they're more marketing than performance. For exterior applications like this, I'd lean towards ABS, but it's not like they're hard or expensive to print spare sets in whatever material you choose.

I might suggest adding a radius to the inner and outer edges; that might help with chafing and enhance the print's longevity (less chance of edge tearout)

 

[pixlpush]

I'm not sure why they saw the need for such a long bolt. It is a bit silly.

For printing, PC or ABS may offer the best durability, but I'm sure a dense TPU would be fine. Don't waste time or money on any CF variants, they're more marketing than performance. For exterior applications like this, I'd lean towards ABS, but it's not like they're hard or expensive to print spare sets in whatever material you choose.

I might suggest adding a radius to the inner and outer edges; that might help with chafing and enhance the print's longevity (less chance of edge tearout)

Thanks for the material suggestions. I’m only planning on using the inserts when I’m using the soft shackles so they’ll spend most of their time in the recovery bag.

Good idea on the edge radius too planning on adding that once I nail the size. The castings of the recovery points are a millimeter or two different left to right because of different amounts of flashing.

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