Fron bumper design-need your input (1 Viewer)

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NCFJ

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I am working on a front bumper design for the 60/62 series. One issue I keep butting up against is that in order to fit a winch in/on the bumper it has to stick out from the front of the rig farther than I would really like.

This design has to appeal to the masses as it will be a marketed bumper. Here is where your input comes in………………

If the lower valance below the grill is cut out in the center along with the lower 2 or three horizontal ribs of the grill to the outline of the winch , the winch can be pushed back 3” making the overall bumper stick out 3” less giving better approach angle and an overall better look.

So the question is, would you cut your lower valance and part of the grill to have the bumper stick out 3” less, or would you rather the bumper stick out farther and maintain the integrity of the valance and grill?
 
I wouldn't cut up my front end to fit a winch bumper. Personal preference.

I'm sure your bumper is going to be really slick though.
 
The 3 inches you gain would not overcome the negative impact of cutting the front end. If I were to install a winch bumper, I would want to take it off without leaving a trace. That way I could move it to another vehicle.
 
The 3 inches you gain would not overcome the negative impact of cutting the front end. If I were to install a winch bumper, I would want to take it off without leaving a trace. That way I could move it to another vehicle.


x2

winch can be mounted above frame to increase AoA

winch is going to stick out no matter

may2009024.jpg


i got the biggest winch of everybody and i mounted high for clearance.
 
I wouldn't cut up my front end to fit a winch bumper. Personal preference.

I'm sure your bumper is going to be really slick though.

x2, hope to see some pics soon...
 
I just have a small Warn Winch, but believe it or not, there's still place for a bigger one, although my bumper is not really sticking out. I have the relays placed under the right battery platform though to save some space. As far as I can remember, a Warn 8000 something fits in there.
Pic 4.jpg
HJ60 92.jpg
HJ60 93.jpg
 
I bolted my winch on to the front crossmember, I had to build some metal onto it because the crossmember is narrower than the winch's bolt holes.

Then I built a bumper around that. Gives me pretty good approach angle.

Not a direct answer to your question, but may give you a way to get better clearance without notching the front.

Cody.
 
I would happily chop up my grill and valence to build my own bumper, but I don't think I would buy one that requires that sort of trimming.
 
Someone here (but I can't remember who) mounted his winch angled down a couple degrees so it would fit tighter to the valence. Maybe that's another idea worth considering.
 
Thanks much for the input guys. I am going to build one without cutting anything, then maybe for my own personal bumper I'll cut the valance and part of the grill as I really want to tuck my bumper in close.
 
I actually ran into this problem when I had my front bumper fabbed. I got the winch and it was too close to the grille to properly fit, so we put the winch in, and redrilled holes so that it's as close as possible to the grille without touching.

Before (cant really see how close to the grille it is, but its tucked up there)
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After (from today, pretty good pic of how close the winch is.)
PIC_0063.jpg
 
even if you tuck it in you'll still have the shackles which will probably hang more often

IMG_2965.jpg


You're best approach will always be more lift. S/R's will also give you a safer and better approach

IMG_3947.jpg


IMG_3861rs.jpg


I'm not sure what gains you'll get by shaving the bumper. Especially if it sacrifices front end protection
 
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Could you drill 2 sets of mounting holes to allow it to be mounted "standard" and 3" closer? That way you would have 1 design that would please both sides.

If I really liked the design of the bumper I would have no problem cutting the front to make it fit. I'm planning to fab my own because all the premade ones stick out too far.
 
I was able to shave 1 3/8" off the original position that I started with. I just personally like bumpers that first, function well and second have some form to them. That is why I can't stan ARB bumpers, they all look the same and none seem to "fit" the vehicle they are mounted on.

Unfortunately the 60/62 series does not lend itself well to a tucked in bumper. I am going to build the "for sale bumper" as tight as I can without any cutting. For myself, I will most likely do some cutting, may even totally remove the valance and cut off the bottom of the front fenders along the bottom grill line. Very common on Jeep Cherokee bumpers and it looks good and performs well.
 
Someone here (but I can't remember who) mounted his winch angled down a couple degrees so it would fit tighter to the valence. Maybe that's another idea worth considering.

I did something like this. I built a winch mounting plate that fit between the frame rails and angled foot pads such that the top of the winch is rotated forward. This allowed me to pull the winch in tighter to the front valence. The design particulars are probably winch specific, so this may not work for a production bumper. Here's my post with some pic's:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/77311-front-bumper-project.html#post910808
 
of course.. the more lift the higher the bumper is off the ground.
A bumper 12" off the ground always hits before the bumper 24"
off the ground

not to be petty, but I'd venture to say that less lift is still going to serve you better on the trail. I would not solve a shallow approach angle with more lift. rather have my bumper hit than my roof.

to each their own. :beer:
 
not to be petty, but I'd venture to say that less lift is still going to serve you better on the trail. I would not solve a shallow approach angle with more lift. rather have my bumper hit than my roof.

to each their own. :beer:

You must have trees where you're from. I'm in Az. The trees we did have are currently burning to the ground. Most the trails out here require more ground clearance than roof clearance.

DSC00106.jpg


out to get the mail
 

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