Your front winch bumper....

[MonLand]

I am preparing my long (or short?) winter nights..... I have no seen a bumper I like so far, so I am seriously considering making one or at least building a wish list of what I want it to look it/features it offers.

In that preparation, I looking for feedback:
- What do you like/not like about your front winch bumper?
- If you had to do it again, what would you do different?
- What feature would you make sure your bumper has?
- What feature would you likely drop?
- How heavy is it? (metal thickness if probably enough)
- Do you have any good picture of the overall bumper? Frame attachment?

Here is what I am thinking at the moment:
- trailer hitch attachment to be able to move my winch to the back, but most importantly, remove it from the truck when I am not wheeling (seems like I have to get used to it as the babies take much more time than I ever planned for).
- not overbuilt (i.e. 1.5x the strengh of the stock bumper seems enough, after than weight might become an issue)
- does not make the approach angle worst than the stock bumper
- is well attached to the frame so that pulling with the winch will never be an issue (I think the stock bumper could hold the load, so that should not be an issue)
- protects the front wings by sticking out by two inches

Any feedback is welcome.

[shawnpalmer]

Well, I like my Bearmach sold by DAP. It looks stock, and doesn't weigh too much, but it is strong. It is the best one if you are looking for a stock look for your front end. The OEM winch bumper is really hard to find. It is like the ARB without the huge overhang, built in brushguard and weight. Just my thoughts.

[JFD]

Well, I like my Bearmach sold by DAP. It looks stock, and doesn't weigh too much, but it is strong. It is the best one if you are looking for a stock look for your front end. The OEM winch bumper is really hard to find. It is like the ARB without the huge overhang, built in brushguard and weight. Just my thoughts.

Same thing for me, Bearmach sold by DAP.
It's a GREAT design, as simple as possible
Two things only, the coating is not very good
and it's not so light (60 pounds I thing).

[Stmpede]

I really liked Oxcart13's Rockware bumper. It is similar to the stock one, but not as close as the bearmach. His doesn't have the brush guard on it which I really liked because I never liked the forward tilt to the SG and Rockwares I had seen. Apparently with rockware you can pretty much have anything you want done to it, so if you want the guard but don't like the tilt like me you can have them make one to suit you. My thought was to go without the guard and install the factory one over it just like the orig. bumper that way you can take it off, or replace it, or switch to an A-bar...it just gives you a lot more versatility and I think the design of his is great! I'm sure if you contact him he could shoot you a pic of it if you're interested.

[shawnpalmer]

I change out as well, sometimes I put on the factory brushguard, but right now I have the A-Bar on.
It lets you change up the look very easily.

[Cube II]

Here's how I started

homemade bumper (http://www.d-90.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5389)
(don't mind the friendly chit-chat which follows)

and how it looks now (switched to an 8274 and had to change/redesign the cradle)