Any SoCal members fab'd their own winch bumper?

I picked up a used 8274 last nite and am thinking about building a bumper around that beast.
I've looked at some home-fab bumper posts here and on other sites, but it would help to hear what gave you trouble, what you'd do different and why.

This will most likely be a winter project that I can start after PVD in November. I'm also considering taking the easy way out by swapping it to one of my CJ or Landcrusher buddies for a low-profile 8k or 9k Warn and buying a bumper.

Go to the MADXJ site, they have a nice easy to build winch bumper. I copied their design. Works good, just ask the ford ranger that rolled into it.

Here's a bumper I built for my '98XJ and the Warn 8274.


Hman333 built one too and did a bit better job of picts and stuff than I did.
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?p=536602#post536602

jonboy said:

I picked up a used 8274 last nite and am thinking about building a bumper around that beast.
I've looked at some home-fab bumper posts here and on other sites, but it would help to hear what gave you trouble, what you'd do different and why...

Click to expand...

No problems with overheating on the trail or highway on the 100% days we had last month. I would've made the angle of the lower part flatter, more like 25-30% instead of the 45%. Or maybe made it flat all the way like Hmann333 did but I like the angled look. If I build another bumper like it I'll have a local shop bend up the main part of the "wings" so all I have to do is cut them to fit around the winch and center mounting plate. Bending would keep the break lines more radiused which I like, makes the build faster, and decreases the number of cuts and welds in 1/4" steel.

I'm assuming that you have fab experience so good luck and happy building.
dn

That's a sharp lookin bumper, Doug, great job :clap:

I have some 8.5 x 8.5 x .25 angle that I'm thinking of using for the front mount/winch box, tying that to the frame mounts with 4" or 6" x.25 angle and make the frame mounts with 6x.25 so they reinforce the steering box/front uniframe area too. I do like the clean look of yours, but I'm thinking about just having tube "wings" to keep it as lightweight as possible. Something like Rusty's design here, but w/o that stinger. Not sure if that 8" front mount for the 8274 will look right with a tube bumper tho.