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Fabricating winch mount for front bumper

dandecicco

NAXJA Forum User
OK. After sifting throught all of the posts on bumpers and bumper fab I have come up with this idea. I don’t have drawings yet as I need to sit down with a pencil and paper and start to do preliminary drawings and sizes. Could I get some of your opinions on this? Bank account is to be untouched as I am going to build with materials lying around my garage. Thanks

Make extended brackets to lengthen the stock bumper mount
(like the c4x4 bumper brackets)

Weld in square tubing between stock mount and new extended bumper brackets


Bolt winch onto square tubing and tow hooks


Reattach bumper to extended brackets (cut as needed for top of winch and fairlead)
 
all i could possibly say, bein a noob, is to make sure that everything is braced and tied in to the unibody"frame" well, so if ya get a semi sideways jerk from your winch it wont tweak the frame, or jerk it off the front end.


Kris
 
Here's what I did:

I wanted to build without buying as well, so this explains why it is SEVERELY overbuilt:

used 5/16" 4X5 angle with the hole pattern transferred over from the factory bumper brackets. Bolted them in place, picking up the 3 bumper bolts.

Cut the winch plate to fit between those plates: 31" or so, as I recall.

Welded the 1/4" winch plate to the 5/16" angles, on both sides to make sure I got excellent penetration <was using an AC225, on a 30 amp circuit, so I couldn't set it to "melt through a battleship"> Took my time with the welds so as not to trip the protection circuit in my welder.

Cut from the front of the winch plate down, at a 45 degree angle back toward the Jeep. Welded a piece of 1/4" plate here, with two holes drilled to allow me to access the mount bolts.

Welded a piece of 3X5X 1/4" angle back at an angle toward the body on each side of this. Welded plates from the lower corner of the front bash plate under the winch up to the tip of the angle as well. Came out looking very much like Jeff Ayers' bumper on MadXJ, with some ARB influences as well. I think I have $20 into the whole thing.

Yes it is heavy. Yes, it pulls my front end down about 2". No, I don't see anything breaking it, nor do I care about the loss of lift as I'm going to go to leafs anyway, and the front spring hanger will locate off of the angle.
 
burntkat said:
used 5/16" 4X5 angle with the hole pattern transferred over from the factory bumper brackets. Bolted them in place, picking up the 3 bumper bolts

Maybe I lost you somewhere, but are those six bolts all that are holding this monster to the jeep?

I intend to do something very similar (maybe not quite so heavy!) but figured I had to tie into more points than the stock six...

Robert
 
I think there is a good way to do this, possibly without relocating the stock bumper. Go to www.rigidco.com and look at their bulhead reinforcing plate. It's a plate that runs accross the front of the bulkhead, bolting to the 8 front bulkhead holes and to their side plates. Using 1/4" thick plate across the front bulkhead like their brace does should give you enough strength to mount a winch to it. the combination of eight grade 8 bolts + the four winch mounting bolts through the 1/4" plate should spread out the force over the factory bulkhead enough for any winch. I'm almost positive there is enough room behind the OEM bumper to fit a winch, but measure yourself to be sure. All you would have to do is cut a hole in the bumper and mount a fairlead.
 
kid4lyf said:
but measure yourself to be sure.


tape-measure.jpg


I knew you'd come around

:laugh:
 
Beezil said:
tape-measure.jpg


I knew you'd come around

:laugh:

That's just for NAXJA. On JU I still expect to be given the info.
 
Technically, yes-- however, I also installed the ORGS SBS System, so it's actually tied into the entire front frame section.

It's been severely tested out, and has not failed nor cracked. No worries!

I_1BADXJ_I said:
Maybe I lost you somewhere, but are those six bolts all that are holding this monster to the jeep?

I intend to do something very similar (maybe not quite so heavy!) but figured I had to tie into more points than the stock six...

Robert
 
yup, a friend of mine did exactly this with his XJ- until he bent the bumper trying to use it as an anchor <WTF was he thinking!?>

A lot is gonna depend onthe actual winch in question.

kid4lyf said:
I think there is a good way to do this, possibly without relocating the stock bumper. Go to www.rigidco.com and look at their bulhead reinforcing plate. It's a plate that runs accross the front of the bulkhead, bolting to the 8 front bulkhead holes and to their side plates. Using 1/4" thick plate across the front bulkhead like their brace does should give you enough strength to mount a winch to it. the combination of eight grade 8 bolts + the four winch mounting bolts through the 1/4" plate should spread out the force over the factory bulkhead enough for any winch. I'm almost positive there is enough room behind the OEM bumper to fit a winch, but measure yourself to be sure. All you would have to do is cut a hole in the bumper and mount a fairlead.
 
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