8274 housing: Weld or replace?? (1 Viewer)

[Kaoscruizer]

Hi guys .. Hopefully those of you that have had a similar situation can help me out. I picked up this 8274 the other day. It is in pretty good shape with the exception of the mounting bracket busted off the lower housing. Can this be fixed or am I better off looking for a used lower housing?

I was thinking that I could have a welder add a 4 or 5 inch flat bar of aluminum across both mounting brackets. Both the gear side and the end plate mounting brackets would have to be done to keep everything square.

I really don't want to sink a ton of cash into this thing, but certainly need to address this little problem. Any ideas or input would be appreciated!

 

[Michael Hanson]

I would just get it welded. Mike

 

[Kaoscruizer]

Thanks Mike ... I just talked to a welding shop that said it would be about $65 and they won't guarantee it won't just bust off again after the repair. I see the odd 8274 up for sale as parts too .. maybe that is the way to go??

Is this a common issue on the 8274?

 

[canucksafari]

I've got three of them. Of the three, only one has no breaks in the housing. Of the other two, both have the clutch knob and plate busted and one has a cracked lower housing.

I've picked them all up as "parts winches" for less than $150 with the idea of building one or two good 8274s on the cheap. I think it is fairly common that people drop them.

I suggest you advertise that you are looking for a parts winch in local 4x4 forums. The last one I picked up off of a local 4x4 forum within two days of posting in their wanted section. Your other option is to see how much a new lower case will cost from Warn. Also, someone who specializes in welding alloy rims should be able to do a much better welding job then a shop that does a bit of everything.

 

[Kaoscruizer]

Thanks John .. that's the info I needed. I will continue to look for a parts winch. A new lower housing from Warn lists at $190. Not a bad price, but I just don't want to put that much money into it. I will also look into the a welder that specializes in wheel repair.

 

[flintknapper]

Thanks John .. that's the info I needed. I will continue to look for a parts winch. A new lower housing from Warn lists at $190. Not a bad price, but I just don't want to put that much money into it. I will also look into the a welder that specializes in wheel repair.

Heres you a lower case:

Warn 8274 Winch Lower Case #2 : eBay Motors (item 200467644213 end time May-09-10 19:00:00 PDT)

Better get on it quick.


Flint.

 

[Kaoscruizer]

Thanks Flint! .. much appreciated. I am on it!

 

[Kaoscruizer]

The fix ..

For those interested, here are some pics of the fix. I had some 6061 kicking around and thought that maybe I should have that broken corner beefed up a bit. I think it turned out well. Shouldn't have to worry about the mounts anymore. Did the same to the end drum mount as well so they matched up.