So after i built my rear bumper ive been planning on building a front one to match. Ive looked at lots of designs and i wasnt a big fan of them. Or i liked them but i knew they would not match my rear style. So i figure out i didnt want one to fancy. Just plate, and built to hold a winch. So i set off on the cardboard template. I used a plastic card board so when i took the tape off it wouldnt peel, Also holds its structure better. More "rigid'. Also sorry for the pictures. There cell phone quality. But i will start taking some with the "real" camera.

 

Went down to the local place that sells steel and i bought a 3/16 4'x6' peice of steel. Coppied that template onto the peice and i gave it to my friend to burn. Then i came out with this.



I started to put this beast together. Is quite the project. Never faught angles, straighten metal and welded so carefully before.




Slowly coming along. Had to build a quick setup to hold this thing up. Talk about akward.

 

These are the most recent pictures. I dont have alot of time to work on this thing. Maybe 2 days a week after work. And its been super hot here latly so throwing sparks is not the funnest or safest. lol





And finally the winch plate. This it going to be braced alot better. And welded solid. Im not going to use the winch alot only for a little snow wheeling. And oh oh moments out hunting.




My objectives with this bumper is to weigh under 200lbs with the winch and be solid enough to hold another deer acident.

And yes i will have to notch the top cross bar about 3/4 an inch but i will brace it better then oem when that comes.

 

You don`t trust yourself enough to build it inside and then just bolt it to the truck. Remember you may want to remove this bumper so don`t make it to difficult

Your gonna need a real light winch to stay at your 200 pound weight

Looks nice and if you like it that is all that matters.:jessica:

 

I remove it everytime i work on it. Nothing is welded to the frame. I just let my blinkers dangle when i drive around. lol I only go a few miles thou.

Bumpers weighs about 80 lbs now. Got a few more things to tack on and go over the whole thing and weld it. The smittybuilt winch i want to use weighs 104lbs. I think.

 

Looks nice! It looks like a beefed up version of Warn's front bumper....



Are you gonna Make the front skid plate as part of the bumper or keep it separate?

 

This. A winch with wire rope can easily weight 100 lbs... Maybe try running synthetic rope to save some weight...

http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticl...nch/index.html

 

I think im going to make the skid plate be one complete differnet peice. I have been thinking on how i should make that. I also want to make a headache rack. I think i will make that next. But i just dont know how much additional weight i want to be carrying around.

I looked at warns design. I really like it. Buts its really pricey. Now looking at it it does look really similar.

Also i plan on getting the synthetic rope. Thats what i baught the fairlead for. Doing it for the weight, and for the looks. The only thing im worried about is if i have it hanging out of the bumper hooked to the shackles i dont know what the sun and rain will do to it over time.

 

Thanks for the comments guys!

 

I like Warn's design too. It's VERY pricey....$820 was the cheapest I saw, but I may end up eventually going that route. I'm not sure yet.

Can you post some pics of your rear bumper you built?

 

http://www.amsteelblue.com/

I've done a little research and maybe others can chime in with their thoughts too. Try these guys for your synthetic rope. I'm sure it's not gonna be cheap but you might as well get the right stuff. Supposedly this rope isn't affected by UV rays nearly as much as other brands.

 

 

I like the look of that rear bumper....looks strong. I'm not a big fan of reverse lights hanging below the bumper but I like that you put covers on them for protection.

 

Yea and there removable once i damage them. lol.

Hopefully tonight ill get some work done on the front.

Went and bought some lights to put in them, so this project may take longer then i was hopeing.

 

Haha, that happens with every project. Throw a couple D shackles on it and you're ready to go get stuck

 

a thimble on the end of the cable will negate the need to have it hooked to a shackle mount and prevent exposure.
http://www.toughstuffproducts.com/je...y_thimble.html

I was thinking about synthetic too for a winch line but after having gone through a Winch class put on by Warn over the weekend I will end up going with a wire winch line. Seems like the service life of synthetic and how it can be affected by the environment etc kind of out weighs the benefits..wire rope way cheaper to replace..

 

This. If your pulling cable every weekend, then ok, get the synthetic.. But if this is something that gets used less than 10 times a year.. the wire will last much longer.

 

Got the side braces tacked on. Was kinda tricky finding the angles, and guessing where to drill holes. I guessed great on 3 out of the 4 holes, and Both angles were less then a quarter off at the worst spot.



Some buger tacks. Lol i was welding mask and gloveless. Kinda just guessing and closing eyes then tacking.



This one is of the back, I was getting tired and i forgot to snap a picture when it was still sunny out so i snapped this in the garage.



I was kinda worried it wasnt braced enough but once its bolted down tight even with tacks it does not shake and is really really sturdy.

Im trying to figure out to make it so the Shacke tabs will be the strongest.

Thinking about cutting rectangle holes and welding the front of the tabs and the back to a peice of steel then weling that on the main front peice.

Any ideas?

 

Did a little bit of measuring and tacking. Here are a few updated pictures.

 

Keep it coming Tyler. Lookin good.