Damage while using winch on improperly installed Rough Country High Mount

[Felix808]

I do apologize for crying wolf and causing concern. I was sure my bumper was also tweaked, I remembered more gap between the body and wings. I think my RC mount is still salvageable too but I'm not putting it back on until I get the LOD brackets, might as well go all in.

Do we need to change your name to "Spacer"

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[fdchief]

I do apologize for crying wolf and causing concern. I was sure my bumper was also tweaked, I remembered more gap between the body and wings. I think my RC mount is still salvageable too but I'm not putting it back on until I get the LOD brackets, might as well go all in.

Crying wolf or not you still opened up the eyes of a few of us. as soon as i began following this thread i ordered the LOD brackets. even though your frame horns seem to be ok, you enlightened me to a possible weak point. I use my winch a lot especially in the winter and want to make sure i can rely on it. The LOD brackets for the price point are a great insurance policy in my book. Nowwwwww taking everything off to install them does not sound like a good time.

 

[redone17]

Yep, I have to say I've been very impressed with rhe engineering, fit and finish of my RC hidden mount, V2 I think. Seems like they thought of everything.

There that makes up for some of the badmouthing.

I gotta say, they really took a turn for the worse with the later versions. They just sent me a replacement skid from V6 and it's UGLY. The cutout for the fairlead is all angular, misshapen and super shoddy welds. I am going to suck it up and clean and repaint my V2 before I install that hot mess.

 

[emulous74]

So I read through the whole thread and my impression before I started reading is Rough Country is like Harbor Freight of the 4wd world. Don't get me wrong, it has it's place and I have bought products from them. But there is no way for the price that they can research and test like the more expensive companies like Warn, AEV, ARB etc. I'm not saying those companies don't build to a price as well, but they seem to take their time developing products and are probably afraid of getting sued.

Check out this AEV winch bumper on my Bison:

I know AEV worked with GM to develop it, but Warn worked with Ford to develop theirs.

So my biggest problem is I don't know enough about engineering to look at these kind of products and tell if they are safe and not going to damage my vehicle.

But I want to thank everyone for their input here, I learned a lot and gained a lot of respect for many here and the OP, who is man enough to admit his mistake in public and concerned that he called wolf. Don't worry about it, this is probably the most educational thread in this forum.

I've been thinking about the RC Hidden Winch, and they main things that stopped me was the shitty to no access to the free spool clutch, that and I love the ARB Summit Bumper, but just can't afford it at this time. Either way the LOD brackets look like nice insurance.

 

[Tex]

I gotta say, they really took a turn for the worse with the later versions. They just sent me a replacement skid from V6 and it's UGLY. The cutout for the fairlead is all angular, misshapen and super shoddy welds. I am going to suck it up and clean and repaint my V2 before I install that hot mess.

Yep, mine had the same appearance. I cleaned up some of the welds and slag on there before I installed my fairlead. What I really don't like is that there's no room for a conventional fairlead in there, only the RC, and it's certainly not the nicest fairlead I've seen. Very abrupt chamfering and none on the backside (though it's not 100% necessary on the back as long as your line is well centered). What I'd like to have is the Yankum grooved fairlead and I toyed with the idea of just getting longer bolts and using the RC fairlead as a spacer so it would fit...but I think that would really put the yankum fairlead in peril and unprotected on the rocks. I'm not super happy with it, but it's still one of the best options currently for a Bronco in my opinion.

I've been thinking about the RC Hidden Winch, and they main things that stopped me was the shitty to no access to the free spool clutch, that and I love the ARB Summit Bumper, but just can't afford it at this time. Either way the LOD brackets look like nice insurance.

It's really not that big of a deal to power spool it out, especially with a wireless controller. The Apex 12K unspools fairly quickly under power, and a lot of hidden winches have to be power spooled out in other vehicles too. Warn makes a winch with a wireless actuator for the clutch, presumably geared toward hidden winch mounts, so if it would fit in the RC tray that would be the ideal setup aside from cost. There are benefits to a hidden winch, such as keeping your winch and line cleaner, less UV damage with synthetic line, better clearance angles in some cases, more protected from trail damage, lower CG and better weight distribution, etc. which can outweigh the negatives of being able to reach the clutch lever depending on how important all that is to you.

Personally, if you're still on the fence, I'd wait and see what Lobo does with their hidden winch setup before making a decision. It looks real promising, especially if combined with a high mount intercooler.

 

[shawn6107]

**********EDIT*********
OK....so this is highly embarrassing and I feel like a total idiot but I need to come clean. At least some good discussion became of it and my Bronco is undamaged. I still believe after seeing the DV8 bumper video, this scare, and how Ford does it from the factory, that LOD plates or similar are wise.

I got it dissembled and it turns out this is 100% on me.

I left out some very crucial parts.

*********************

Nope, don't like that. The whole bumper and mount is pitched forward. There used to be 1/4" clearance between these wires and the grill.

I'm going to have to shim it back out and add some kind of reinforcement.

I did the same thing a few weeks back during a 30 degree pull but I had the spacers in. I changed bumpers from the capable to the HD mod after that and mine is still slightly pitched down. I haven’t had time to tear into it again to see what I can do to fix it. I will be looking into those LOD Brackets though.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I did the same thing a few weeks back during a 30 degree pull but I had the spacers in. I changed bumpers from the capable to the HD mod after that and mine is still slightly pitched down. I haven’t had time to tear into it again to see what I can do to fix it. I will be looking into those LOD Brackets though.

The plot thickens!

 

[‘21OBX]

How thick are they? They look like only 1/8 or 3/16.

3/16 ya made me go get a tape measure lol. I’m not even sure why I still have them. Just one of those maybe someday scrap parts.

Yeah, good catch, I was going off the photo posted here.

However, on this bracket, it certainly appears to be a through bolt based on the nut and threads on the other side:

So, four bolts in single shear or two bolts in double shear? That's kind of a question without a good answer. I don't think you'd be compressing the frame rails all that much even with two bolts, especially with the bumper bolts wanting to keep the bracket straight. It would take a lot of force to deform the crumple zone in the frame rails, given that's not the weak plane (it should be just as strong as a non-crumple zone in that direction) and the bracket would be spreading so much of that pressure out already.




Thing is, no matter which method you use to reinforce your winch to prevent bending the frame ends, it's going to affect how the chassis deforms during an impact. Whether you weld and reinforce the crumple zones or build a sub-frame that ties into the front crossmember and other areas of the frame to bypass the crumple zones, the effect will be the same in that it won't deform as well as it would from the factory. Even the hidden winch I have that doesn't affect that part of the frame is going to negatively affect deformation, simply because there's more crap there and it's going to push into the front crossmember when the crumple zones do their job. It's a compromise we have to make when altering any offroad vehicle, all just depends on what you're comfortable with.

that’s the reason ford is supposed to reprogram the airbag timing when they install the ford performance setup.

 

[‘21OBX]

Were you able to use the factory main bumper mount bolts with the RC high winch mount and the LoD brackets? They look like they might be too short? I have the RC high winch mount installed as well.

I believe so (it’s been almost a year) but I also trimmed/split the ford thin bracket with the weld nuts. That way I didn’t have to get a wrench in the back side of the bumper when tightening.

 

[Rspayde]

Just kidding happens to the best of us. Good luck with the repair!

 

[jehines3]

So I read through the whole thread and my impression before I started reading is Rough Country is like Harbor Freight of the 4wd world. Don't get me wrong, it has it's place and I have bought products from them. But there is no way for the price that they can research and test like the more expensive companies like Warn, AEV, ARB etc. I'm not saying those companies don't build to a price as well, but they seem to take their time developing products and are probably afraid of getting sued.


I've been thinking about the RC Hidden Winch, and they main things that stopped me was the shitty to no access to the free spool clutch, that and I love the ARB Summit Bumper, but just can't afford it at this time. Either way the LOD brackets look like nice insurance.

I've used a few RC parts on builds. Build quality is pretty good, the steel is heavy and the powder coating is good. It is a pretty solid value proposition for items that are flogged on and potentially disposable if using a shitty spotter.

I liked the shape of their step sliders and jumped in and I am very happy with them. They deflect rocks from the rocker panels and I can step on them. Could I rest the entire rig on them, maybe, but that's not how I wheel. They seem like they'd take some abuse, and I'm sure the state of Maryland Mud won't damage them. You rock guys are just plain crazy, so I could see where you want the best armor at all ends of the vehicle. It's the beauty of the 4x4 industry, there are options for everyone at nearly all price points.

My view would likely be different if I lived out west.

 

[Mudlight]

I believe so (it’s been almost a year) but I also trimmed/split the ford thin bracket with the weld nuts. That way I didn’t have to get a wrench in the back side of the bumper when tightening.

Is trimming of the Ford bracket necessary? I was planning on using it.

 

[Tricky Dick]

that's great news!
@Tricky Dick let me know if you need any frame measurements. I can verify for you

Let's dig into this a bit more. Do you have an angle finder? I would like to know how many degrees difference you have at these 4 points.

 

[EL in NH]

Man when I first read this, I read it as "do you have an angle grinder" blink blink blink

 

[da_jokker]

Take a look at the install instructions for the brackets. You'll have to take the bumper off as the bolts don't extend through the frame tube. Four bolts per frame tube with the nuts inside if that makes sense.

Well that's out then. Bumper was a PITA to install... Not because it was hard, just that it was super heavy especially with the winch having to be mounted first.

And of course it is all wired up now so I don't even know if I pull it out far enough to unhook the winch.

Thanks for the heads up!

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