Damage while using winch on improperly installed Rough Country High Mount

[Rick Astley]

The CAD work is done and I'm super stoked, the TrickPlates are going to be bombproof. If I submit the files now there's a chance the prototype shows up before I leave for Moab but I don't want them sitting around a week if they miss me.

The question is before I can commit to a batch, what is the ultimate reinforcement kit worth to you? As it stands now $250 a set is a possibility - raw material costs alone are killing me.

Don't forget to patent your work.

It's a bracket with holes, so you should cast the net wide and let the entire metal fab industry pay you royalties. If you include threaded holes (please do!), then you could potentially patent the world!

As always, a reasonable price will be determined by materials used, hardware provided and the time it would take to fabricate for ones self.

Since I just had the first spinal surgery of what looks to be a 3-pack, i'm down for not fabricating things nor lifting >10lbs for the next 3-6 months.

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[GloNDark]

The CAD work is done and I'm super stoked, the TrickPlates are going to be bombproof. If I submit the files now there's a chance the prototype shows up before I leave for Moab but I don't want them sitting around a week if they miss me.

The question is before I can commit to a batch, what is the ultimate reinforcement kit worth to you? As it stands now $250 a set is a possibility - raw material costs alone are killing me.

I'd be in for set as well. Been wanting to do some reinforcing of the factory frame mounts since I put my Maxlider bumper on.

 

[swooshdave]

Don't forget to patent your work.

Have you paid for a patent before?

 

[Tricky Dick]

Have you paid for a patent before?

I do believe he is poking fun at another Bronco vendor...

Shifting gears to the here and now, finished modifying the LOD plates. I reused the hoops cut off the outer plates as crumple spacers on the inner plates, welded so they stay put. The hole you drill is halfway onto a crumple bulge so I could only use half a spacer. I'm leaving the outer plates unbraced since the inners do most of the work and these are just temporary anyway. I may not even install the outers.

 

[Deleted User 5719102]

Shifting gears to the here and now, finished modifying the LOD plates. I reused the hoops cut off the outer plates as crumple spacers on the inner plates, welded so they stay put. The hole you drill is halfway onto a crumple bulge so I could only use half a spacer. I'm leaving the outer plates unbraced since the inners do most of the work and these are just temporary anyway. I may not even install the outers.

Just FYI, If it were me welding those pieces together, I would bevel the mating surfaces to be welded. It give better penetration, heat dispersion and stronger welds instead of top welds.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Just FYI, If it were me welding those pieces together, I would bevel the mating surfaces to be welded. It give better penetration, heat dispersion and stronger welds instead of top welds.

The gusset sets 1/8" proud of the bracket leaving a valley for the weld.

 

[Rick Astley]

Just FYI, If it were me welding those pieces together, I would bevel the mating surfaces to be welded. It give better penetration, heat dispersion and stronger welds instead of top welds.

This is why ladies prefer welders.

100% penetration, 100% of the time!

 

[Tricky Dick]

Fun discovery. Even with a steel bash plate it's whole life the intercooler got smacked.

 

[MillerAndCheeto]

I do believe he is poking fun at another Bronco vendor...

Shifting gears to the here and now, finished modifying the LOD plates. I reused the hoops cut off the outer plates as crumple spacers on the inner plates, welded so they stay put. The hole you drill is halfway onto a crumple bulge so I could only use half a spacer. I'm leaving the outer plates unbraced since the inners do most of the work and these are just temporary anyway. I may not even install the outers.

Interesting discovery about the crumple bulge. Good to know.

I looked over the Bronco-Warn install manual and they include a small spacer for exactly what you fab'd up. I wonder what LoD expects consumers to do? They seem to have missed this detail in their design?

 

[Rick Astley]

Fun discovery. Even with a steel bash plate it's whole life the intercooler got smacked.

If it holds water, it will hold air. Those aluminum radiators bend a lot better than the old brass core ones do. She should be fine.

 

[Tex]

Anything that bolts to the factory horns should bold up with the plates. I wanted to do away with futzing around with nuts, so there's three 1/2" nut plates.

The problem with my RC bumper (and assuming yours as well @Grumpy) is that they used a plate with three bolts welded in place facing rearward because there's not enough room to access the bolt heads, instead you install the plate on the bumper and use that to mount on the frame with nuts on the back side. If the nuts on your plate are welded (or threaded internally), I'd have to remove the nuts or drill out the thread so I can put nuts on the back side. Basically, your plate with fixed threads will work great for any bumper that mounts up like OEM, except for bumpers like the RC that use a bolt plate due to limited front access.

I guess you could pull a few off the "assembly line" before nuts get welded to them for those of us with welded bolt plates. It would be awesome if there was enough real estate around the hole for a Grade 8/10.9 locking flange nut or Nord-lock washer...but then there's the other issue...the welded bolts are just barely long enough without a washer behind them to show some thread after torque. Adding some thickness with a bracket is going to make those bolts too short, which means I'll have to make a new plate with longer bolts.

Buy hey, maybe while the rear plate is being beefed up the front can be beefed up too

 

[Deleted User 5719102]

The problem with my RC bumper (and assuming yours as well @Grumpy) is that they used a plate with three bolts welded in place facing rearward because there's not enough room to access the bolt heads, instead you install the plate on the bumper and use that to mount on the frame with nuts on the back side. If the nuts on your plate are welded (or threaded internally), I'd have to remove the nuts or drill out the thread so I can put nuts on the back side. Basically, your plate with fixed threads will work great for any bumper that mounts up like OEM, except for bumpers like the RC that use a bolt plate due to limited front access.
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[Tricky Dick]

I wonder what LoD expects consumers to do?

According to the instructions, nothing. So I installed the outer plates as directed and predictably, they bowed around the bump.

 

[BroncoAZ]

Anything that bolts to the factory horns should bold up with the plates. I wanted to do away with futzing around with nuts, so there's three 1/2" nut plates.

It is designed to be 100% bolt on, but can be welded as well if desired. The only DIY part will probably be painting, I'm leaning towards providing them in raw steel.

The brackets themselves are 1/4", which is still a lot of beef, but the nut plates are 1/2".

Do you think there is anything to be gained from making the top sections wrap over the frame and key together? I’m very likely in for a set regardless of which winch setup I settle on.

 

[Tricky Dick]

Do you think there is anything to be gained from making the top sections wrap over the frame and key together? I’m very likely in for a set regardless of which winch setup I settle on.

Possibly, but installation would be a bear if even possible if you still have crash bar brackets. It's tricky enough feeding the LOD plates in.

The modified LOD installation was a success and my bumper sits square again. Unfortunately the bolts are now too short to hold the RC mount so I have to source some longer ones tomorrow. None of the included hardware is locking anyway so I can switch to nylocks while I'm at it.

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