Just serves as a mounting point for the skid plate. Np205 has tapped holes on the side too, pretty sure they're used as mounting points if you run a divorced case. One could fab something up from the side to the cross member but it's already pretty solid the way it is.
Mounts are one and the same for tranny/transfer... bolt up to the adaptor between the trans and transfer. But yes, I do have two cross members. One for the mounts and another behind the transfer case(Skid plate in between).
Replaced body mounts and transfer case mounts on both the 76 and 77, removed the rusted out bumper and receiver hitch on the 76, new door strikers on both. Next on the list is to replace bearings in the 77 and put a new clutch in the 76.