Let’s design a push bar with winch mount!

[BrettMaverick]

Engineers, Technicians, Mechanics or anyone with the ability and know how!!! Let’s community share and think of how we could design or mod existing push bars so that way we could create one for the Maverick!

I’ve tried to find an already designed product but seems to be nothing of the sort on the market so far.

So if not, let’s try to solve this problem together! My experience is I’ve spent 10 years working on Apache helicopters mechanical and electrical systems. Post that I spent another 8 working on assembling commercially manufactured jet engines for narrow body aircraft.

So let’s get this thread started? Who is in?

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[Moby]

Engineers, Technicians, Mechanics or anyone with the ability and know how!!! Let’s community share and think of how we could design or mod existing push bars so that way we could create one for the Maverick!

I’ve tried to find an already designed product but seems to be nothing of the sort on the market so far.

So if not, let’s try to solve this problem together! My experience is I’ve spent 10 years working on Apache helicopters mechanical and electrical systems. Post that I spent another 8 working on assembling commercially manufactured jet engines for narrow body aircraft.

So let’s get this thread started? Who is in?

I am in ,at least on the winch plate . I will be making one out of aluminum in the near future . I have an additional challenge as I will be doing it on an XL . If you have an FX4 I think much simpler ,and better starting point . You could simply remove the tow hooks and bolt on plates behind them . The tow hooks are tied back into the main subframe/crossmember . So that's my main challenge ,how to do this on a XL model . Thanks

 

[BrettMaverick]

I am in ,at least on the winch plate . I will be making one out of aluminum in the near future . I have an additional challenge as I will be doing it on an XL . If you have an FX4 I think much simpler ,and better starting point . You could simply remove the tow hooks and bolt on plates behind them . The tow hooks are tied back into the main subframe/crossmember . So that's my main challenge ,how to do this on a XL model . Thanks

i do have an fx4. Similarly that’s what my thought was as well with regards to the tow hooks.

 

[JBryant]

Sounds like you need to find a good Youtube video on how shops (or individuals) install a Blue Ox or Roadmaster assembly for flat towing behind a motor home and use that baseplate idea as a starting point. I know the remove part of the bumper assembly and install below. Once the underneath frame attachment is done, the rest of the project should fall in place.

 

[BrettMaverick]

Yes!!!!! Thank you for this!!!



This absolutely does look promising for installing a removable winch mount to the front

 

[Maverickman74]

Here is my winch and bumper solution on another unibody pickup. While I doubt it will handle the full 12,000lbs the winch is capable of, it has pulled a 3000lb bridge across a river, and recovered the 3500lb(plus 3-400lbs of gear/mods) out of stuck on a tree in a mud hole situations. No issues with stretching or flexing of the front "frame" metal. I bolted through the boxed front "frame". I also sleeved the bolts with with pipe, just as the steering box bracket does that mounts there. The winch mount itself is also bolt-on to the bump/push bar base frame. It is als. o fitted with a boat rope "moustache".

So the FX4/Tremor provides us with the same mounting area. A solid point on the front "frame" to mount and a passage through the bumper. Basically we need to pull the tow hooks and their mounting plate/brackets. Replicate them with thick enough material to mount a forward pipe. I personally would want to use no less than 1.75" x 3/16ths or 1/4" thickness. Then I would weld a thin and heavy gauge push bar base bumper to those 2 mounting horns. This would remain on the vehicle full time. It would have to have a vertical face of atleast 4-6" inches on it somewhat near to or just inside the frame horn mounts. That would have 4 or 6 threaded nut mounts inserted and welded into the face and bottom of it on 2 separate planes. Then I would have a winch cradle that would bolt to this push bumper base mount. It would be wise to use a winch with an integrated solenoid pack. I would also setup its power cables with a welding cable type quick connect couplers on the winch end aswell as mounted on the battery. The make a set of cables to be stowed(away from corrosion which is the number 1 cause of winch failure in my experience) with other recovery gear. Ideally this winch will use synthetic line for weight savings and the cradle will be as compact as possible. I dont think most Maverick owners will need a full time winch. So being easily bolt-on and not hard wired will be the best solution for keeping the necessary airflow to the radiator and intercooler during full time driving. I think it is possible to make this setup easily removable and compact enough to fit underneath the rear seat. If you plan on adventuring, simply drive to the trailhead, pull out your winch and bolt it on. Alternatively it could even be designed to use pins like you would find on tractor implements. I will be using steel when I eventually get to this. Probably a long time from now. Welding gas is too expensive in Hawaii so I just use flux cored and stick welding for all my projects. Aluminum would be a good option but will require extensive thickness increases in mounts. At that point it may be more worth it to build a whole bumper using both the bumper mounts and the tow hook mounts.

Like I said what I have done on my comanche is a basic rough concept of a winch and bumper on a unibody structure. I would limit the winch capacity to 8000lbs on a maverick simply because its structure isnt as time tested as a old jeep is at this point in time. With a snatch block a 8000lb winch should recover anything that wont pull a Maverick over a cliff with it. I will take some more pictures of my setup and post them tonight.

 

[fossil]

Here is my winch and bumper solution on another unibody pickup. While I doubt it will handle the full 12,000lbs the winch is capable of, it has pulled a 3000lb bridge across a river, and recovered the 3500lb(plus 3-400lbs of gear/mods) out of stuck on a tree in a mud hole situations. No issues with stretching or flexing of the front "frame" metal. I bolted through the boxed front "frame". I also sleeved the bolts with with pipe, just as the steering box bracket does that mounts there. The winch mount itself is also bolt-on to the bump/push bar base frame. It is als. o fitted with a boat rope "moustache".

So the FX4/Tremor provides us with the same mounting area. A solid point on the front "frame" to mount and a passage through the bumper. Basically we need to pull the tow hooks and their mounting plate/brackets. Replicate them with thick enough material to mount a forward pipe. I personally would want to use no less than 1.75" x 3/16ths or 1/4" thickness. Then I would weld a thin and heavy gauge push bar base bumper to those 2 mounting horns. This would remain on the vehicle full time. It would have to have a vertical face of atleast 4-6" inches on it somewhat near to or just inside the frame horn mounts. That would have 4 or 6 threaded nut mounts inserted and welded into the face and bottom of it on 2 separate planes. Then I would have a winch cradle that would bolt to this push bumper base mount. It would be wise to use a winch with an integrated solenoid pack. I would also setup its power cables with a welding cable type quick connect couplers on the winch end aswell as mounted on the battery. The make a set of cables to be stowed(away from corrosion which is the number 1 cause of winch failure in my experience) with other recovery gear. Ideally this winch will use synthetic line for weight savings and the cradle will be as compact as possible. I dont think most Maverick owners will need a full time winch. So being easily bolt-on and not hard wired will be the best solution for keeping the necessary airflow to the radiator and intercooler during full time driving. I think it is possible to make this setup easily removable and compact enough to fit underneath the rear seat. If you plan on adventuring, simply drive to the trailhead, pull out your winch and bolt it on. Alternatively it could even be designed to use pins like you would find on tractor implements. I will be using steel when I eventually get to this. Probably a long time from now. Welding gas is too expensive in Hawaii so I just use flux cored and stick welding for all my projects. Aluminum would be a good option but will require extensive thickness increases in mounts. At that point it may be more worth it to build a whole bumper using both the bumper mounts and the tow hook mounts.

 

[Maverickman74]

That looks more ATV rated. But yeah that would work as a cradle. It might stick out a lil farther than neccesary though which would increase the leverage load on the frame mounts. Unless you cutthe recevier slot into the bumper or intercooler opening. Also mine has a hitch receiver mounted below the winch for doubling the line back to it. That has come in hand many times. I even made road grader that was operated by the winch itself that mounted to it. I though about doing a hoist up there too but from using the grader with added weight I found that the frame horn mounts I made would only support about 500lbs of vertical load 3ft in front of the bumper before they started to bend. Thats where my concern about the line pull point being too far forward away from the tow hook mounting plane comes into play. Having the winch right up against the bumper will be best for leverage on the frame mounts. Recessed is even better but i dont really want to cut my bumper out untill its paid off.

 

[BrettMaverick]

I’m goin mg to probably remove the grill this coming up weekend in order to get a good view of all the components and mounting locations. The blue ox mounting bracket is actually ideal but if there is a simpler solution using the fx4 tow hook space I’d like to know. One thing about the tow hook is that the bar angles down at a 45’ degree is appears before exiting out of the front bumper, so that angle would have to be matched obviously.

would it be crazy to simply cut the tow hooks and drill/tap the hook to use as a mounting point?

 

[hurrah]

Engineers, Technicians, Mechanics or anyone with the ability and know how!!! Let’s community share and think of how we could design or mod existing push bars so that way we could create one for the Maverick!

I’ve tried to find an already designed product but seems to be nothing of the sort on the market so far.

So if not, let’s try to solve this problem together! My experience is I’ve spent 10 years working on Apache helicopters mechanical and electrical systems. Post that I spent another 8 working on assembling commercially manufactured jet engines for narrow body aircraft.

So let’s get this thread started? Who is in?

Been searching for a brush guard since I ordered mine with zero results. I live in deer hell and now that I have my Tremor I'm afraid to drive it after dark as its not a question of IF your going to hit a deer but rather where and when. Had the same problem for about a year after I bought my 2019 Ranger and finally Manik got geared up and produced one.

 

[BrettMaverick]

Been searching for a brush guard since I ordered mine with zero results. I live in deer hell and now that I have my Tremor I'm afraid to drive it after dark as its not a question of IF your going to hit a deer but rather where and when. Had the same problem for about a year after I bought my 2019 Ranger and finally Manik got geared up and produced one.

I’m using rural NC so I feel your pain lol.

theni Duran e companies got together and released coyotes to control the deer pop because there were so many accidents.

 

[Maverickman74]

I’m goin mg to probably remove the grill this coming up weekend in order to get a good view of all the components and mounting locations. The blue ox mounting bracket is actually ideal but if there is a simpler solution using the fx4 tow hook space I’d like to know. One thing about the tow hook is that the bar angles down at a 45’ degree is appears before exiting out of the front bumper, so that angle would have to be matched obviously.

would it be crazy to simply cut the tow hooks and drill/tap the hook to use as a mounting point?

You could do that for a push bar. But I wouldnt mount a winch like that. The hooks brackets are designed to be stable where they are tucked in close to the chassis. But putting a winch that is capable of lifting the entire vehicle off the ground, at a point that is sure to have the spool and fairlead atleast 8 to 10 inches forward of that without cutting out the bumper significantly risking damage and blockage to the intercooler, its simply too much leverage for what those hook brackets were designed for. For a grill guard push bumper I think they will be fine as long as you are going full demo derby with it. But for a winch you need more chunk. It might even be necessary to triangulate a lower support down to where the factory skid plate attaches. I promise today I will take a better pics and show yall the stuff on my comanche and the good and bad of it.

 

[Thunderhawk7000]

Has anyone found a way to do this??? Been wanting one since I bought my truck and haven't been able to find any online...

 

[Baloo]

Rough County makes something similar to what you are talking about, but for the Bronco Sport. I have wondered how much modifications would be needed for it to work on the Maverick. I have not reached out to them though.

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