[Transit_4x4_3.5_130]

Was the end result worth the time and cost of fabricating this winch carrier bumper vs. buying the Aluminess or Van Compass offerings?

The cost of the metal and some new tools I purchased pushed the cost to build it above what I would have spent to buy one new. When you add in the time, it has to bring you huge reward at the end to make up for the cost and the fact that the project took every bit of free time I had for over a month to design and build this thing from 1/4 plate steel. Currently designing the aluminum skid plate and a bull bar that bolts on.

Here are five weekends condensed into less than five minutes of video.

 

[Gallaher]

There is value in getting to do this kind of stuff. As a committed DIYer you should know it’s not all about saving money!

 

[Tijoe]

Fantastic job. I wish that I could have fabricated my custom front aluminum bumper assembly in only 4 minutes and 41 seconds. I wish I still had the energy to run around and fabricate all of the parts that fast.
Aren't DIY "labor of love" projects fun to complete?

 

[andyl]

Great work! What is the weight of bumper and winch?

 

[Transit_4x4_3.5_130]

Fantastic job. I wish that I could have fabricated my custom front aluminum bumper assembly in only 4 minutes and 41 seconds. I wish I still had the energy to run around and fabricate all of the parts that fast.
Aren't DIY "labor of love" projects fun to complete?

View attachment 185007

Thank you, yes it was fun and a labor of love. The satisfaction was worth the time investment at the end of the day! That bumper looks like a beast, do you have a build thread for the project?

 

[Transit_4x4_3.5_130]

Great work! What is the weight of bumper and winch?

Thank you, the bumper weighs around 70 lbs and the winch is 90 lbs or so. I was planning using a lighter 12k Zeak winch from Amazon that I had already purchased for $300, but during the build I coincidently and randomly met a cool local dude in OB with a Sportsmobile Transit who sold me his take-off Warn Zeon 12 for $500. Its in excellent condition and came with steel cable and a roller fairlead. I converted it to synthetic with a hawse style fairlead. It's much heavier than the Zeak, but I went with the Warn Zeon for the increased reliability, corrosion resistance and better looks.

 

[turbodave]

Warn Zeon 12 ? For $500 ?
I'm VERY jealous.
Dave

 

[Bjames36]

Awesome work

 

[gregoryx]

Really beautiful work! 👏

Thank you for sharing that video. Very cool to watch - great skills!

Did you weigh it before bolting it all back on? I'm curious about how much that came to?

Same question on yours, @Tijoe - that thing is a BEAST! What's it weigh?

 

[CaptainUnderpants]

Awesome job. I can only imagine how many times you measured and re-measured the fit to get it just right.

 

[Tijoe]

Really beautiful work! 👏

Thank you for sharing that video. Very cool to watch - great skills!

Did you weigh it before bolting it all back on? I'm curious about how much that came to?

Same question on yours, @Tijoe - that thing is a BEAST! What's it weigh?

I don't really know. Primarily 3/8" thick aluminum, Center main section was a "grunt" to carry and install, but was easy enough to carry, so not over 50 lbs. LH and RH side sections are probably 20 to 25 lbs each. But, I removed the bumper section, lower cross support and and the bumper cover, and all these parts all up to a lot of weight. I also made a full coverage lower skid plate that is 1/4" aluminum. I would guess at most a 50# weight adder to the front of the van.
The front receiver on my bumper fits a winch hitch mount. I purchased a Hobo Freight winch hitch mound and their 12K winch. (This winch sub assembly seems heavier than the bumper!) I can install the winch unit on either the front receiver of the trailer tow receiver. Now and again, I carry it inside the van, and it works as part of winter ballast, but otherwise gets in the way sitting inside the van.

• I 3-D modeled about 80% of the center module. The sides sections were primarily made via cardboard pieces.
• I looked into perhaps making, or having more of them fabricated, but it isn't worth the investment of my time, versus the material costs and how little profit potential making them as a side business. I doubt if a retail/custom endeavor would ever pay for the time to finish detailing the design, refine the design for manufacturability, and then contract to have the parts fabricated and welded in order to sell more of them. (I weld aluminum OK, but would never pretend that I weld aluminum good enough for a product one sells to the public.)

 

[kenryan]

Beautiful. Let us know when you go into full scale production.

 

[gregoryx]

I don't really know. Primarily 3/8" thick aluminum, Center main section was a "grunt" to carry and install, but was easy enough to carry, so not over 50 lbs. LH and RH side sections are probably 20 to 25 lbs each. But, I removed the bumper section, lower cross support and and the bumper cover, and all these parts all up to a lot of weight. I also made a full coverage lower skid plate that is 1/4" aluminum. I would guess at most a 50# weight adder to the front of the van.
The front receiver on my bumper fits a winch hitch mount. I purchased a Hobo Freight winch hitch mound and their 12K winch. (This winch sub assembly seems heavier than the bumper!) I can install the winch unit on either the front receiver of the trailer tow receiver. Now and again, I carry it inside the van, and it works as part of winter ballast, but otherwise gets in the way sitting inside the van.

• I 3-D modeled about 80% of the center module. The sides sections were primarily made via cardboard pieces.
• I looked into perhaps making, or having more of them fabricated, but it isn't worth the investment of my time, versus the material costs and how little profit potential making them as a side business. I doubt if a retail/custom endeavor would ever pay for the time to finish detailing the design, refine the design for manufacturability, and then contract to have the parts fabricated and welded in order to sell more of them. (I weld aluminum OK, but would never pretend that I weld aluminum good enough for a product one sells to the public.)

That is so awesome. I love how Mad Max / cop-car it looks. And if the net weight-gain is anywhere in the 100# range, that's fantastic. Bravo on the aluminum welding! My welding friends say it isn't that bad... but they've got many years of experience - I hear it's much harder to do well than steel. Bravo! 👏

 

[tmalcolm]

Was the end result worth the time and cost of fabricating this winch carrier bumper vs. buying the Aluminess or Van Compass offerings?

The cost of the metal and some new tools I purchased pushed the cost to build it above what I would have spent to buy one new. When you add in the time, it has to bring you huge reward at the end to make up for the cost and the fact that the project took every bit of free time I had for over a month to design and build this thing from 1/4 plate steel. Currently designing the aluminum skid plate and a bull bar that bolts on.

Here are five weekends condensed into less than five minutes of video.

Sweet!