I’ve got the 1997 version of the Warn front bumper winch mount, and back then it was a lot less beefy than the one they sell today. The way it ties into the frame rail is kind of weird too, as it uses a big-U loop of metal to go around the plastic air dam under the front bumper, instead of connecting in a straight line to the frame rail (or frame rail front extension, or whatever you call it). In the picture below, the inner bolt head that’s circled is where the frame rail is.
Well, to my surprise, this worked well enough for 10 years of fairly light service (but still a few really good stucks), but one day this past summer I got stuck real good and the thing started to come loose. It popped out the bumper bolt as shown in the picture below, and the right side of the winch carrier separated from the body of the jeep by as much as 3-4 inches while it was under load. It really looked like the whole thing was going to tear off.
To complicate the issue a little bit, earlier that same day I used a hi-lift jack on the front right side of the winch carrier for the first time. I had purposely never before used the front bumper as a jack point, because the U-connector looked especially weak for an upward force as opposed to the winch’s horizontal force. However, on that day I apparently had an attack of CRS or Alzheimer’s or something, because I agreed to a buddy’s suggestion to use the hi-lift to quickly clear a different stuck situation instead of getting out the winch. I know the bolt didn’t pop out then, because that was a distinct and thrilling event in the later winching drama, but I hadn’t thought to examine the attachment points for possible damage after using the hi-lift. So. It might have been weakened by the hi-lift before the winch tore the bolt out.
So, what’s the best way to fix this and make it sturdier? And, 2nd question, is there any way to make it strong enough to be able to use the bumper as a jack point for the high lift, or is that just a no-no all around?
By the way, I don’t have any welding or fabricating capacity myself, so whatever I come up with, it needs to be simple enough to explain to a shop and easy enough that they won’t screw it up and won’t charge me too much.
Well, to my surprise, this worked well enough for 10 years of fairly light service (but still a few really good stucks), but one day this past summer I got stuck real good and the thing started to come loose. It popped out the bumper bolt as shown in the picture below, and the right side of the winch carrier separated from the body of the jeep by as much as 3-4 inches while it was under load. It really looked like the whole thing was going to tear off.
To complicate the issue a little bit, earlier that same day I used a hi-lift jack on the front right side of the winch carrier for the first time. I had purposely never before used the front bumper as a jack point, because the U-connector looked especially weak for an upward force as opposed to the winch’s horizontal force. However, on that day I apparently had an attack of CRS or Alzheimer’s or something, because I agreed to a buddy’s suggestion to use the hi-lift to quickly clear a different stuck situation instead of getting out the winch. I know the bolt didn’t pop out then, because that was a distinct and thrilling event in the later winching drama, but I hadn’t thought to examine the attachment points for possible damage after using the hi-lift. So. It might have been weakened by the hi-lift before the winch tore the bolt out.
So, what’s the best way to fix this and make it sturdier? And, 2nd question, is there any way to make it strong enough to be able to use the bumper as a jack point for the high lift, or is that just a no-no all around?
By the way, I don’t have any welding or fabricating capacity myself, so whatever I come up with, it needs to be simple enough to explain to a shop and easy enough that they won’t screw it up and won’t charge me too much.