Front bumper frame mount cracked

[landcrusher24]

If you weld it back and can somehow have a clevis nut made and installed with a long bolt, you should have less chance of this happening again if at all.

Yeah I am thinking if I can get a sleeve in the frame rail that’s my best bet. And after seeing the other mountings adding a lower part to the frame mount to hit the tow hook and bolt up as well.
The welders/fabricators might be happy but my wallet not so much!

 

[TeCKis300]

Unfortunately you can see the weld is only on the front side of where the tear is. (Aka the two parts don’t have a good divorce ) It’s the frame actually tearing off from the torque of the bumper ( clean edges) I could be wrong…
I like the lug in there.. not sure how much that helps the downward pressure but it looks like the lug hits from the front to that trick little receiver piece and gives some relief.
I am just worried if I just weld the edge it will tear again. That frame rail just isn’t that thick to put a front plate on there and I feel like having a sleeve in the frame is my only solution other than waiting to fail every time if I were to just re weld.

The cap over the tow hook is interesting and I could get on that train if it prevented this from happening but I am not sure that’s a total solution.
Maybe if it had a 1/4 steel piece above the hook so the downward pressure was caught on that but also might be moving the fatigue problem to another area.

I certainly agree this is not a great way to have the heavy ass bumper mounted.

Yes, the break is pretty typical of a weld fatigue type failure due to reoccurring stresses creating microcracks propogating into tears. Welds are often weakest in the heat affected zone (HAZ) where it's more brittle and susceptible to fractures from tensile and fatigue loads. It does need to be welded back, but will also need additional structural support with some of the methods these other products use.

I was debating whether to add additional supports to my HWM winch setup too. Mine weighs 75lbs more than stock but is tucked up tight and close minimizing cantilever, so I figure it would be okay. Still makes me go hrmmm.

 

[tbisaacs]

Total bummer OP. Unfortunately Viper has a reputation for being for being form over function. It sucks that you are dealing with this. I'd find another bumper if it were me. Relying on crashbar mounts is not sufficient.

how it started:

Builds - Odinskind's build thread

I previously owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel. There is a lot I liked about the Jeep but it was lacking in the reliability department. The diesel exhaust filtration system left me stranded more than once. Vehicle reliability is a must for my upcoming move to Mauritania. Therefore, I...

forum.ih8mud.com

how it went:

Cracked weld need advice

So I was doing routine maintenance on my 200 and decided to inspect my bumper. I unfortunately found that the factory weld between the frame and the stock bumper mount is cracked. The crack is on both sides and facing outwards. The weld is holding around the rest of the frame. I don't know how...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[tbisaacs]

Bogus viper "sliders" too Builds - Odinskind's build thread - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/odinskinds-build-thread.971682/page-2#post-10855477

 

[TeCKis300]

Thinking out loud, I think this might be a missing a product in the market. Perhaps someone with some wicked skills could make a nice billet reinforcement for the horns. Paging @turbo8

 

[tbisaacs]

Thinking out loud, I think this might be a missing a product in the market. Perhaps someone with some wicked skills could make a nice billet reinforcement for the horns. Paging @turbo8

Agree but question if you need them. Every other bumper manufacture has solved this problem by using a clevis bolt + tow hook bolts + frame horns to distribute load.

 

[TeCKis300]

Agree but question if you need them. Every other bumper manufacture has solved this problem by using a clevis bolt + tow hook bolts + frame horns to distribute load.

That's true. Though there's a niche of people running HWMs, and some other brands of bumpers like the OP here that doesn't have that?

 

[turbo8]

Thinking out loud, I think this might be a missing a product in the market. Perhaps someone with some wicked skills could make a nice billet reinforcement for the horns. Paging @turbo8

Good timing, since my bumper and crash bar are currently removed for something.

 

[grinchy]

I’m not unhappy with the tow point tie in on my current bumper. But I would like to add an additional frame tie in . . . I suppose if I had the FEA available from the bumper that would mollify the need, but I don’t, and I don’t think the bumper manufacturer did one, anyway.

 

[bloc]

Good timing, since my bumper and crash bar are currently removed for something.

“Something”

 

[NYC570]

Bringing back an old thread. I didn't know that E&E offroading actually started manufacturing the clevis nuts. I just bought the last 2 but I'm glad someone is making them in case someone needs to reinforce their bumper attachments.

 

[turbo8]

Bringing back an old thread. I didn't know that E&E offroading actually started manufacturing the clevis nuts. I just bought the last 2 but I'm glad someone is making them in case someone needs to reinforce their bumper attachments.

I forgot I made these, I have more.

 

[linuxgod]

I forgot I made these, I have more.

What’s the offset for the threads? From the photo it doesn’t look like it’s centered? Wondering if these would work with my (or most any) bumper if the mount is drilled or if only certain ones would work because of the location.

 

[turbo8]

What’s the offset for the threads? From the photo it doesn’t look like it’s centered? Wondering if these would work with my (or most any) bumper if the mount is drilled or if only certain ones would work because of the location.

These were based off measurements that @unclemat took. I think it was from a TJM nut.

 

[NYC570]

What’s the offset for the threads? From the photo it doesn’t look like it’s centered? Wondering if these would work with my (or most any) bumper if the mount is drilled or if only certain ones would work because of the location.

It's offset because it matches one of the holes on the frame plate.

 

[grinchy]

I didn’t know these were in production. Bought a couple to see if I can make them fit the Rival front I have.

 

[unclemat]

I didn’t know these were in production. Bought a couple to see if I can make them fit the Rival front I have.

That's my plan, too, but I have not even unwrapped my Rival bumper I bought months ago.... From eyeballing the pictures of the mount I think some surgery to it will be needed. But I think it will be worth doing. Cracked frame horns would be no fun.

 

[grinchy]

That's my plan, too, but I have not even unwrapped my Rival bumper I bought mobths ago.... From eyeballing the pictures of the mount I think some surgery to it will be needed. But I think it will be worth doing. Cracked frame horns would be no fun.

Just a hole to put the bolt thru into the we off-road mount.
Of course putting that hole in the right place is the trick.

 

[unclemat]

Just a hole to put the bolt thru into the we off-road mount.
Of course putting that hole in the right place is the trick.

Drilling the hole is the easy part. The issue I believe is that part of the mount will be in the way.

 

[Jetboy]

That's a very cool solution. Creative engineering! I built a hidden winch mount for my 5th gen 4R from scratch with no plans because it was new and there weren't aftermarket options yet. It has similar frame horns (probably lighter gauge metal?) so I made a plate type bracket that ties back to the side of the frame rail like many aftermarket ones do now. When I'm fabbing in sheet metal I tend to force everything into my procrustean bed of being some version of cut and formed steel sheet rather than thinking more broadly about other designs. This solution is better in its simplicity. Love seeing this kind of stuff.