Making progress on the custom winch bumper. Have spend about a month thinking and using Sketchup to make a winch bumper. Along the ever so wonderful cardboard bumper plans. I started using cardboard to get a general idea of what I want to make. Then I switched to using Sketchup, less cardboard cuts!!!











First bumper mount design was a no go.

 

The bumper mount final design. 2 mounting bolts are pressed in grade 10.9 wheel studs. Still need to drill a hole in the frame for one of the mounting points which is a regular bolt.













Finished truck bed coating.

 

The center area of the bumper is almost finished. Still need to drill to mount the winch fairlead and weld on the shackle tabs.

 

Subscribed! Looks good so far

 

subd

 

Here's a pic from an older first draft of the bumper design done with Sketchup. I'm going to test the final design plain in cardboard this weekend. I'll post some pics up when I get it all cut and taped up.

 

Answer some question I've gotten about the build so far. Be it on this forum or one of the others. All the mounting brackets and the complete center section is 1/4 steel, A36 flats and plate steel. The welder you see in the back ground is the Harbor Freight 90 Amp welder, great machine for tack welds. The other machine I've been using is their 170 Amp model to do the stitch welding. All the welds have been made with Lincoln flux core wire. I've been out of gas for about 2+ weeks and because of my current work schedule can't make it to Airgas to change out tanks. I broke a sledge testing some of my test weld pieces to get the machine set just right for the flux wire.

 

What do you think the final weight will end up being? Any plans for a bull nose or extra tubing on top?

 

Weight no clue. I'm done using 1/4 steel. Everything else is going to be 3/16. A square foot of 1/4 is 10 pounds and 3/16 is 7.50 pounds.

 

Was to cold to work outside on the bumper. So I worked on the pocket steps for the rear bumper and the frame mount for the spare battery.