Reinforcing the Front of the Frame for Winching

Has anyone here reinforced the front of their frame? It looks like Wheeler’s sells a weld-on kit for $120, but I’m pretty sure it’s meant for doing an SAS after cutting off the stock suspension mounts. I’m still running IFS and plan to keep it that way, but I have about 200lbs of bumper and winch on my front end and am thinking of volunteering for some offroad recovery type stuff where the winch will get a workout.

I have the frame tie-in plates that go with the Brute Force bumpers, but the frame seriously just looks weak to me. Has anyone here reinforced theirs? Have they done a lot of heavy winching without reinforcements?

 

Great question... just got my winch, so no experience there; however, I do believe that there is enough material there (the frame) to work with. Grade 8 bolts and good welds lead me to believe it will lift the whole truck and more. Winch will more likely give up before frame if you are using proper pulling technique-snatch blocks, doubling, straight pulling etc. My two cents, take it for what it is worth.

 

Yes the front frame is made for crunching not winching. I did mine a few years ago

Anthony's 2010 banworthy access cab mostly BS not much of a build thread

 

C4 sells a bolt on reinforcement kit that worked with the winch mount bumper I got from them. Easy to install and seems pretty sturdy.

 

There is a front reinforcement plate you can weld on. It is where the bumper mounts to the chassis. I have welded a few of them and it is substantially stronger than the OEM sheet metal in that area.

Kore used to make them but I have found it pretty hard to find any right now.

 

Thanks! This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I’m guessing you haven’t had any issues since? When I installed my Brute Force bumper with the tie-in brackets I drilled 3/4” holes in the frame and welded in .120” 3/4” OD DOM tube for the bolts so it doesn’t get pinched. I remember the frame being super thin and I kept getting burn-through. I considered welding 3/16” plate down the side towards the engine mounts.

I have a Warn to replace my Smittybilt winch, so I’ll probably do what you did when I pull the bumper off.

 

I haven't, prior to that the front bumper was starting to peel off the mounts even with the tie in brackets. That front frame horn is less than 1/8" thick and really not designed to support a tensile force of the magnitude that a winch puts on it.