Deformed frame with winch...

I did a double line pull to get a 3500 dually dodge ram out of a ditch in the snow and deformed the frame endcaps where the bumper attaches. The bumper tipped forward because the center line of the winch line is above all the mounting points.

I want to add additional support from the top of the bumper to the frame or rock sliders, so that a hard winch pull does not cause this again. Has anyone done this? Any thought?

I fixed the bent frame endcaps by replacing the thin factory metal with 1/4 inch plate. (and because the thread is worthless without pictures...)

from this:


to this:

 

Can’t really help but I’m curious what bumper you had if you are wiling to share. Glad to see you got it fixed and I would have done the same if for nothing more than the grin while pulling a 3500 out of a hole!

 

The bumper is made by relentless fabrication. I love it and highly recommend thier products!

 

Any thoughts on reinforcement, so this doesn't happen again?

Maybe a cable (or 5/8 rod) through the grill to the top inside of the shock tower?

 

I take it you have a welder? If so I would capture that body mount either mounted to the vertical face(welded or bolted) or flat stock under the body mount isolator. Usually I do both when building bumpers on crawlers that will be pulling their whole weight over a ledge.

Then I would fab up a shallow U and weld it between both front horns and then try to tie the winch mount into it.

 

I do have a welder, and a mill, and a lathe, and many other tools....I love tools.

Tying to the body mount with flat stock is a good idea, I will look at that tonight. Thanks.

 

Spanning across the frame rails with a cradle would get you the most bang for your buck. Tie those two frame horn plates you made together. Those, BTW, look like good work, nice job. Then like @Pickeledpigsfeet says, gusset back to the body mounts.

That's kind of like how an ARB works on a 2nd gen Taco, FJ Cruiser, etc. There's a subframe that bolts to the truck to reinforce and tie the frame together and then the bumper with the winch in it hangs from it. That's part of the reason they protrude so far, there's some structure behind there.

 

The connection between the horns is important. The relentless bumper has a built in beef between the two frame horn connection points. Both horn end caps were bent forward the about same amount. With the bumper bolted on attached they are pretty well tied together. The bumper is way more stout than the ARB, IMHO.

This was caused by me stalling out a warn 8000 winch on a double line pull on the first wrap of the winch drum while connected to a stuck in a ditch, buried to the frame, dodge ram 3500 dually. It was WAY more than I should have been trying to pull....but I love to push the limits.