Damage while using winch on improperly installed Rough Country High Mount

[redone17]

Well, the RC hidden mount has four basic tie-in points...the lower frame rails where the recovery points are located, and then the front crossmember where the steering rack and a-arms are bolted on. The recovery points are in a single shear arrangement, while the crossmember points are in straight tension which is the strongest configuration for a bolt. Indirectly, it also ties into the RC front bumper via bash plate, but that wouldn't account for a whole lot of additional strength. One could also tie into the winch tray with a skid plate bolted to the crossmember and other points to really strengthen the mount itself where it probably needs it the most. When you use the winch, the bottom of that tray where the winch is bolted to is trying to pull forward, and all of the tie-in points are located above the winch line, so it's putting a bending moment on that tray. If you bolt a skid plate to that tray, and then bolt the skid plate to the bottom of the front crossmember and other places further back, then that skid plate will be able to eliminate that bending moment on the tray.

As it is, I think it's plenty strong enough, and it would take some serious effort to see any detrimental effects to it by winching...you're more likely to shear off the winch mounting bolts holding it to the tray as opposed to damaging the tray itself. It's never a bad idea to over-engineer stuff though.

Well, this is interesting and somewhat topical - I was getting the skid plate replaced under warranty due to…you guessed it…rust and RC just informed me that the parts FORD 2021 BRONCO WINCH SKID V2 BUMPER FILLER PANEL have been discontinued (this is after they sent a set and the box showed up empty from FedEx).

It looks like they’re up to V6 and it’s gonna have to be a new install because “the design is completely different”.

I’ll report back on what’s changed.

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[MillerAndCheeto]

It's inevitable with any open box section, even if it's not perceptible. Getting those bolts to stay torqued would be a battle as well.

I'm going to make an attempt to pull the winch and bumper off tonight after work and assess the situation. My brackets are scheduled to ship Friday.

Hard to tell from the limited instructions online - but is mounting the LoD brackets a bumper-off job? Unclipping the wiring harness when taking off the bumper was probably the most difficult part of the whole RC High Mount install. My hands are still cut the f* up!

 

[Justb211]

The factory bumpers do not seem to be built sturdy enough that would be able to withstand winch pulls repeatedly. Even with Jeeps any one who plans on using a winch for the most part always replaced the stock front bumper with a more sturdy one or adds reinforcement to the stock bumper. I've looked over the modular bumper on mine and if I was going to put a winch on it, I would also change the bumper.

 

[chtucker]

The factory bumpers do not seem to be built sturdy enough that would be able to withstand winch pulls repeatedly. Even with Jeeps any one who plans on using a winch for the most part always replaced the stock front bumper with a more sturdy one or adds reinforcement to the stock bumper. I've looked over the modular bumper on mine and if I was going to put a winch on it, I would also change the bumper.

The winches are not mounting to the bumper, they are mounting in front of it. With most winch bumpers they are doing the same thing... mounting to the frame horns.

Warn
Factory FPP/Warn
Havoc off road
and LOD (optional) brackets

are the only ones that I know of that strengthen the mount. Any aftermarket bumper that doesn't have a different mounting/brackets will do the same thing as the RC mount.

 

[MillerAndCheeto]

The winches are not mounting to the bumper, they are mounting in front of it. With most winch bumpers they are doing the same thing... mounting to the frame horns.

Warn
Factory FPP/Warn
Havoc off road
and LOD (optional) brackets

are the only ones that I know of that strengthen the mount. Any aftermarket bumper that doesn't have a different mounting/brackets will do the same thing as the RC mount.

I am now quite concerned and disappointed with this new RC mount I just installed. Quite disappointed that the factory winch option has all the added frame brackets, but the aftermarket products do not, and it seems they all failed in this aspect as you've pointed out. Unfortunately this just shows that most aftermarket manufacturers cater to the mall crawlers for looks vs true function.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Hard to tell from the limited instructions online - but is mounting the LoD brackets a bumper-off job? Unclipping the wiring harness when taking off the bumper was probably the most difficult part of the whole RC High Mount install. My hands are still cut the f* up!

It appears you need to reach inside the frame from the front, so yes.

The factory bumpers do not seem to be built sturdy enough that would be able to withstand winch pulls repeatedly. Even with Jeeps any one who plans on using a winch for the most part always replaced the stock front bumper with a more sturdy one or adds reinforcement to the stock bumper. I've looked over the modular bumper on mine and if I was going to put a winch on it, I would also change the bumper.

None of the bolt on mounts that I'm aware of rely on the bumper strength at all. The forces are transferred directly into the frame horns - which just so happen to also be underbuilt.

 

[Sitruc_btb]

That's gnarly. I have the RC high mount as well. Thanks for sharing.

 

[chtucker]

I am now quite concerned and disappointed with this new RC mount I just installed. Quite disappointed that the factory winch option has all the added frame brackets, but the aftermarket products do not, and it seems they all failed in this aspect as you've pointed out. Unfortunately this just shows that most aftermarket manufacturers cater to the mall crawlers for looks vs true function.

Just going to say that I read a lot installation manuals and watched some videos before I built my mount. I inquired with a winch plate manufacturer who has been mentioned here... and they specifically said it wasn't an issue and that the Ford frame horns are more substantial the the Jeep.

 

[Justb211]

It appears you need to reach inside the frame from the front, so yes.


None of the bolt on mounts that I'm aware of rely on the bumper strength at all. The forces are transferred directly into the frame horns - which just so happen to also be underbuilt.

My past build with a jeep required an aftermarket bumper and also some reinforcement to the front. I was looking at my bronco the other day thinking of what I would want to change then had a flash back to my previous build and thought to myself that I don't want to jump down that rabbit hole again. LOL

 

[Tex]

My past build with a jeep required an aftermarket bumper and also some reinforcement to the front. I was looking at my bronco the other day thinking of what I would want to change then had a flash back to my previous build and thought to myself that I don't want to jump down that rabbit hole again. LOL

My Jeep didn't even have fully boxed frame rails up front
That was a fun project

 

[swooshdave]

I am now quite concerned and disappointed with this new RC mount I just installed. Quite disappointed that the factory winch option has all the added frame brackets, but the aftermarket products do not, and it seems they all failed in this aspect as you've pointed out. Unfortunately this just shows that most aftermarket manufacturers cater to the mall crawlers for looks vs true function.

More importantly it shows which aftermarket manufacturers actually have engineers and that actually test their product. It doesn't shock me at all the RC is lacking, they are building to a price point.

 

[Tricky Dick]

the Ford frame horns are more substantial the the Jeep.

Does Jeep use gum wrappers?

 

[Tex]

Does Jeep use gum wrappers?

Don't be silly they use soup cans

 

[Justb211]

My Jeep didn't even have fully boxed frame rails up front
That was a fun project

That must of bin a fun time. My last jeep was just for daily driving, then light trail riding and somehow wound up caged and at the start line of KOH. When my wife got her bronco 2 months ago, I was looking at it and all she said was NO not gonna happen. A couple weeks later she found a Braptor at a local dealer I was at buying clips and next thing it wound up in my driveway. Ill wait a year or so before I even think about building it.

 

[Bikeric]

I took this pic because I have a JKS high clearance kit to put on and I needed to see how close it would be to my proposed winch mount bracket. The JKS kit goes to about the 4 1/2 inch mark in the pic, just after the second ridge/dimple back.

I know welding plates to this will not be a good thing if I get in a crash but I would rather have the peace of mind when I am in the woods using my winch to get me home than worry about how much damage it will do if I wreck the Bronc. That is just me. The Bronc is not a DD'er for me I have my F-150 for that.

I also considered utilizing the JKS kit to tie into for reinforcement, but then I remembered it just bolts on with 2 bolts from below. All it is designed to do is support that front body mount vertically. If you are tied in and start pulling on it with a winch you might see your whole front clip get yanked off. As someone else already pointed out, it does not sit flush to the side of the frame, but a good welder could fill the 1/4" gap (not me).

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