corax

I figure it was time for a new project and with some of the organizations I'm trying to get involved with a winch bumper is in order. I modeled the base of it off Robinhood4x4's bumper build - I really dig his multi-mount functionality. That takes care of the center part / winch mount, I still had to decide on what I want to do with the wings. Excuse the poor google Sketch Up renderings, but this is what I started with in my mind. I could have easily built another tube bumper, something like this

and mocked up to a 2nd gen pickup since I couldn't find a pre-made 4runner model (ignore the factory bumper)


Or I was thinking of making a tube bumper and then fiberglassing between the tubes to make front storage compartments. The finished product would look something like this, the lateral lines off the center section would be tube - the 2 lowest tubes being 1.5" and the 2 upper ones just 1"

I couldn't get the planes to fill in on the bumper quite right, but hopefully this'll give some kind of idea what it'd look like covered


I decided against the front storage idea partly because I started to realize the compartments would be small and difficult to seal - I could see the PNW turning them into a mold & mildew experiment.

This is where I started. I picked up a 1/4 plate remnant and made the center part of the bumper. Here it is all laid out and ready to get cut


After a few hours with the Sawzall, grinder and HF Welder (just to tack it together). I took it to work and use their welder to burn the final welds in - every gusset and plate is welded on both sides. I also added the center gussets once the receiver box was fully welded in. I'll also add mounting bolts in the center of the crossmember (which is already reinforced with Front Range Offroad's 1/4" plate frame brace
)

Here's the center section all finished up. I decided to angle the inner gussets to help with any side loads I might generate. Luckily, the receiver cradle only tightened up about 1/32" after I was done welding so there was minimal grinding needed to get the receiver tube to slide in again.




A little bit more progress. The main bars were bent and tacked into place well enough to transport it into work so I can finish weld them (and heat bend the far passenger side about 1" up to match the other side).


BTW, I also figured out a simple solution for the "dimples" that my HF bender leaves in pipe. Here's an example from my old bumper - see the dimple just above the turn signal?


The fix was simple - I got a threaded pipe nipple big enough to fit over the 1.5" sch 40, cut in in half length wise and placed between the pipe and rollers. Now when I'm bending, the pressure isn't localized and there are no more dimples


One more project down and mostly finished - I still want to bend up some headlight guards out of 1" pipe, but that can wait awhile. The white paint is Rustoleum oil based white metal primer, after it dries for a few days it'll get a healthy coat of black oil based paint. And yes, I need to make a stop by Fastenal for some 12mm x 1.25 bolts to fill the other mounting holes.


As with any project, it evolved and changed a bit while it was being put together. For example, once I get a winch, removal will have to be from the front - I don't think there's enough space between the top hoop and the grill to lift it straight up, so I had to change the top hoop a bit to make sure there was enough room to slide the winch forward.


I also decided to attach the top hoop to the lower lateral tube instead of the main tube. This allowed me to lean it forward a bit more than if it was welded to the main tube.


I didn't primer the lower half of the lateral tube because I need to heat it up to get the bolt holes at the bottom to line up again (welding the hoop onto the lower tube caused it to shift a little. BTW, like the parking light? That was just radiant heat from the tube when I heated it up to fine tune the bend. By the time I saw what was happening it was already too late.

jbtvt

Nice looking lines, beefy looking plate, very cool! Trust you've got some heavy duty locking pins in mind to keep the winch theft proof when it's on the vehicle. I've lost some hitch accessories by slacking in that department in the past.

RBX

I like the concept, I like better the idea of being able to leave the winch home when I won't be needing it.

revenantdead

the only thing i see missing is shackle holes. btw, this might be the first tube bumper i actually like.

corax

Yep, regular 5/8" hitch pins - 1 locking, 1 not locking. The only issue was finding a locking pin long enough to fit through the receiver and 1 pieces of 1/4" plate. Ironically HF had one that fit the bill perfectly and, at less than $10, was a great match for my budget.

Even better than having locking hitch pins

I'm still looking for a bolt on shackle mount that will fit below the receiver box. If I can find one, it'll anchor the middle of the center section to the front cross-member and bolt through just over 1/2" of steel. The problem is that the ones I've found so far are too tall to work in the space I have. I guess I could get a pair and put one on either side with only the bottom bolts going through the cross-member and the top bolt just through the winch plate. Something like this:


I could also drill holes in the outer winch plate gussets and weld a bit of plate on either side to make it wider where the shackle goes through - kinda like the shackle mount on Addicted Offroad's winch plate:

Swimmerboy2112

iTrader: (2)

Great work as usual.

revenantdead

IMO the only problem with bolting on a shackle mount is that it's bolts. welding in that circumstance is going to make that stronger.
the other thing would be adding two bars from the upper bar to the hoop.

corax

Funny you should say that about connecting the hoop and main tube - when I was finishing it up today I was going to lay the hoop against the main tube and weld them together. As it turns out, that would have only left me with 7" from the top of the deck to the bottom of the hoop and that was just a bit too tight to be able to slide a winch through. So I had to pivot the hoop back a little bit to widen the hole. I was thinking of welding a big nut between the 2 tubes and linking them that way, but when I get the 1" tube for the headlight guards I may notch a short piece to link it all together.

Regarding the weld-on vs. bolt-on shackle mount, I'll kindly disagree. A lot of it has to do with welding skill and while it would probably hold, I just wouldn't 100% trust a shackle mount welded to 1/4" plate. The bolt on mount shown above uses (4) 1/2 bolts, each of which has a tensile strength greater than the mount is even rated for (over 17k lbs for a grade 5 1/2"-20 bolt. Also, I have a 1/4" reinforcement welded to the cross member + the 1/4" steel that the winch plate is made from for it all to bolt through . . . if I can find a bolt on mount which will work, that is. I may end up going with a weld on mount anyway with plug welds from the back as well as the regular welds around the front side.

revenantdead

I'm very happy to see you've done your homework. there have been a few builds on here that really scared the pants off of me. one in particular, a young guy that cut up a brush guard and tried to make a stinger out of it...

jbtvt

haha, yeah I remember that one. Yotatech does seem to attract a wide variety of skill levels... and the occasional lack thereof.

corax

While I've been a bit busy working on my '85 Celica "nothing pretty" rallycross project, I finally got around to bending up the headlight guards so I thought I'd update this thread. I have one month to get a few more things in order before Olympus Rally in Washington state, so the 'runner will be getting a bit of love in the coming weeks

bone collector

Well done!! i really like it!!

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

That is VERY beef/VERY original! Love it, man... nice work!

RBX

Yes, very original. Always look forward to your updates.

corax

Unfortunately, I've been slacking on updates recently - still have a few to post. I've almost convinced myself that I'm done modding it and just want to drive it now - the latest iteration is as a rally sweep/recovery vehicle

this is from the Oregon Trail Rally
[img][/img

racerflea

I didn't like the light hoops but the rest of it is incredible!!!

westjohns yota

i loved the light hoops man!!! whered they goo??

corax

*edit: just realized I already posted up these pics a few months back

RBX

Looks amazing. Think we could get a profile / 3/4 shot?
Thanks

corax

tell me if these help: https://www.yotatech.com/51991777-post356.html