1 st gen winch mounting - your help

[nachi]

Hey all.. I've got a winch on it's way for a 1st gen bighorn and have been thinking about how to mount it.

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I've done a basic sketch of how I think it will mount but wouldn't mind seeing some other ideas before I get too far into it.

winch_mount.JPG

If you've got some pics or links which may help it'll be appreciated.
I'm planning on using a bit of I beam, as theres some laying around at work.. gussets, cut drill some holes & bolt it up..
The idea at the moment is to use the original front bumper but try to mount the winch behind it .. or something..
I don't have the winch yet and it might end up taking up more room than I expect but thought I chuck this out and see what ya think...
cheers

[geeves]

A couple of pics of my setup

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This is made of 60mm angle iron and has worked well. It also serves as part of the tow hook mount but this causes a couple of hiccups. First it cant use the std bumper but if this had been thought about better it might of been possible to mount the winch another 60mm further back. The bumper would still require major cutting or remounting. Second this does not use the factory mounting holes. The 2 brackets on the front of the chassis are c section. We tack welded 2 nuts to a plate then tack welded these into the top of the C section.The tow hook bolts through the angle iron and chassis to these nuts. Then welded a plate to the side of the c section making it a box. A third bolt attaches to this so three bolts on each side hold the winch and hooks to the car with the tow hooks on a 10mm thick sandwich. Unfortunately my wof mechanic at the time took one look and said " youve welded your chassis you need certification"
If I was doing it again I would mount further back ,tube the 2 tow hook holes through top and bottom of the c section instead of welding and have the frame bolt to the original bumper bolt holes as well which would give 2 12mm and 2 10mm bolts on each side

[nachi]

Hey Greeves, thanks for the snaps of your setup.. I'll make sure I take a few snaps to post when I'm doing mine..
I'll be trying not to weld to the chassis to save getting a cert.. (cheers).. but might end up cutting a bit of panel in front of the radiator to get it all tucked back a bit. Might have to change the bumper mounts.. not sure yet...
Looking at mounting hooks on either side of the winch bracket.. could this be an issue? (winch bracket sides of 8mm, plus gussets)
I was surprised how solid the original bumper was when I took it off.. thats when I thought I might as well use it.. pity the corners aren't steel as well eh. Easy enough to beef them up from behind though.
I'd say I'll end up trimming it here and there but will try to keep it looking original-ish.
Looking forward to next week when I've got something better than air to work with
Cheers

[geeves]

From memory the bumper mounting bolts are captive 10mm only so in themselves are not enough for the tow hook. You will need at least 1 12mm bolt as well to get enough strength. Remember to mount the hooks as close as you can to the chassis mounts and use 8.8 bolts

[nachi]

Drool.....

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Good build quality... & extras to boot.. very happy chap.
Now I just have to get my arse into gear and mount it
More pics to come as I go.

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First thing is to rotate the clutch handle housing and electrical end to suit vertical mounting..
Now wheres my imperial allen keys?... bugger.. they got pinched a couple a months ago and not replaced yet..
Not a good start..

[mudslinger]

i have winch bar but no winch yet....could i borrow it til u get mounting sorted lol

if ya need ideas ya more than welcome to come check my bar out

[muzila]

You don't need to shift the electrical end but if you can rotate the clutch it would be easyer for you.

Just check that the clutch housing isn't keyd into the body of the winch like mine is stopping the rotate.

Also depending on how you make your bar make sure you have room to twist the handle to engage and disengage the clutch.

Mine wouldn't have moved in my ARB bullbar due to the shape of the handle if I was able to rotate the clutch housing.

If you want to look at bullbar I have mine of the MU atm and the winch out of it. Just yell out.

[nachi]

haha mudslinger..
Will think about that offer

Hey muzila, have to wait until I get some imperial allen keys tomorrow to find out about the key.. fingers crossed.

I've got an idea how I want to mount it without touching the chassis.. (aside from two 12mm holes).

I'll tack it up and see how it works. Looks like it will but you never really know until you get there eh.
With a bit of luck I'll get the original bumper back on too.. looks like it will be a bit tight.. will see though.. might work.

If I get stuck I might just do that.. cheers

just need to grab a couple of mtrs of 250x6mm plate to work with.

[nachi]

A couple of progress pics...
I took the afternoon off and got the urge to do some work..

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its morphing into something.. keeps changing as I go.

side.JPG

Not mounting vertical at the moment.. didn't have some tools!
Wont take much at a later date.

front.JPG

but you get the idea...

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but I will still have to step the bumper 50mm or so to get it to fit..

A few gussets here and there.. couple more mounting brackets.. holes to drill etc.
Should have the prep done by lunch tomorrow.. then welding.
Maybe wire it Sunday.. will see.

Thoughts.. comments, allwelcomed.. this is the first winch mount I've made...
cheers

[muzila]

That looks nice and tidy so far. Are you going to make it into a bumper of form your original bumper around the winch?

[geeves]

If your welding is as good as your cutting your onto it. It might be worth making a plate for each side that the front and back bolts go through just to stiffen things a little more.
Any flex between the front and back can break the mounting points on the winch. Side to side is not normally an issue

[nachi]

Hi muzila.. yep, trying to get as much behind the original bumper as poss.. will have to cut a section and step it out.. and up a little.
Might try to hinge the top section to give protection but still allow access. Trying to keep it kind of looking right..
Will beef it up some also.. just the winch this weekend tho.. got to have it ready for next weekend..

Mind you I do change my mind often enough, I might end up making a bar after-all... who knows
cheers

[nachi]

Hi geeves.. yep got something planned for that.. thanks..
putting stiffener across the baseplate.. one across the back and a cross underneath the winch.. plenty.
A bit more to go.. very early progress pics but am enjoying it...

Will have to see about the welding.. Ancient welder and I've only got a 10amp supply..
don't even know if it works!

cheers

[chrisfnq]

if you make it as sweet as it is starting to look you might have to go into production for all of us that are jealous of you already..lol..
is looking great..keep the pics coming..will be interesting to see how you finish the bumper.
chris

[nachi]

ok.. didn't get much done on the weekend after all.. made good progress over the past couple of nights..

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welded and mounted.. will have to see if it holds together..

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picked up on existing 10mm bolt on the stoned guard.. and gusseted
also added another 10mm bolt to the body mount point.. and gusseted.

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had to shorten this bracket by 6mm to get a good fit

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kept the approach angle ok.. I'm sure I will find something to crunch into

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pokes out a bit more with the fairlead on... might look at changing this..
see how it goes first though.

with a bit of luck I'll have it wired up for the weekend...
wouldn't mind the relays under the bonnet.. need to find a short notice sparkie in chch..

All going good.. I'll see if I can rip the front off it on the weekend.. pics included

[geeves]

Looks good. Might be worth drilling a 10mm hole in each corner of the main plate to allow drainage. Nothing fancy required in the wiring up but do use at least the cable size specified in the winch manual. Larger if you can

[nachi]

Hey geeves.. yea i forgot about the drain holes.. bugger..

I got it running about a half hour ago.. all looks good..

Ended up wiring it up mounted on the winch with the wire provided.. all too easy.

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Only had to modify the mounting brackets to get it to sit further forward..
saved me cutting more clearance ..

I'll probably rewire it at a later date.. do a dual battery set-up at the same time.
Might try it loaded up tomorrow if I find the time... go find some mud.

Then all it needs is a splash of paint... and some dirt on it. :)

Now.. looking at this bumper... hmmm.. where to start

[geeves]

Now for the bad news. Ive just seen your tow hook. These are cast and sometimes drilled to close to the edge to be safe but worst of all they are held on by 10mm bolts. The bolts on mine when I first got it had a 20 degree bend in them. Not a bad bend in high tensile bolts but the next pull would of hurt someone.
Sorry I didnt notice this earlier
Hopefully there is enough room to mount a standard hook on the gusset below the mount or through the pan that the winch is on. Try and get it as close as you can to the mounting points. The good hooks come from Repco or BNT or Cookes

[nachi]

Hey good spotting there geeves.. thanks for the heads up.
I'll have a shifty at that tomorrow... might just do away with it anyway..
I got a couple of tow-hooks the other week.. might get another..

10000lbs_bushman_towhook.jpg

I'm also planning on removing the rear bumper and mounting a hook or two back there..
Almost leaning away from modifying the original bumper now.. would be a cool project, but.. will see
cheers eh

EDIT:

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[muzila]

Thats a great job there nachi. Its looks nice and strong and well finished.
Now just wait for the orders to start rolling in lol.