I am building a front bumper for my 72 blazer. I will be putting a warn 8274 on it. I am wondering about the mount strength. I will be building the mount out of 1/4 inch plate steel. Will that be heavy enough? (I sure hope so, because I already bought it:laughing: :laughing: ) Also, I am attaching it to the frame with 4 grade 8 1/2" bolts per side. Will that be enough to hold it? I will be putting three bolts through the side of the frame, and one on top.

hard to tell about strength with no pics or anything, but 1/4 plate and grade 8 hardware sound about right.

just remember that straight on pulls are fairly uncommon and not that hard on a mount. usually, (unless you carry a pullpal) the pull is off to the side at a weird angle, and thats where i've seen bumpers simply tear off the frame horns and hit the dirt.

so think about side loading on your design as well as straight ahead pulls.

yea sounds like plenty if it is braced well enough

its all in the shape of it. mines 1/4 inch with a 8274, no problems.

I'm in the process of building it right now. I will put some pics up today or tomorrow and maybe get some critques.

my friend kept putting his blazer into big ditches with the help of Johnnie Walker or Jack to the point where I had to section the place where the steering box mounts and wrap it on both sides of the "C" shaped framerails, then put a plate over that to box it. then I boxed the opposite side too, and welded in 3 2" tubes to tie the two framerails together. All I can say is that when he launched it into the air 12 feet high going 60mph down the highway and landed on the nose, the framerails and repairs I made held just fine.
I plated it all with 1/4". but for a winch mount I'd go to 1/2" just cuz it ain't that damn much more, plus it's literally bulletproof. (no comments on armor piercing shells, please)
just box each side, tie them together with 2 square 2x3 tubes of 1/4"wall, and weld your badass plate on top or to the front(depending on whether you weld them in in front of one another or on top of one another)

Here's how I mounted an 8274 on my Toyota. Nothing fancy but it works well.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/indybill/1988%20Toyota%20Pickup/100_0693.jpg
I used C3x6 mounted to the bottom of frame using stock holes, then 1/2" plate and L3x3x1/4" for the brackets, and 2x2x1/4" tube for the bumper w/ 1/4" plate for the mounting plate for the winch.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/indybill/1988%20Toyota%20Pickup/100_0687.jpg
I haven't had to do any terribly difficult pulls with this setup yet, but what I have done has worked out very well.

Just for some more ideas. Here's mine for my YJ. 3/8" plate.

http://home.wbcable.net/prienn/winchplate1.jpg

http://home.wbcable.net/prienn/winchplate3.jpg

http://home.wbcable.net/prienn/winchplate4.jpg

http://home.wbcable.net/prienn/hp44-1.jpg

the warn brand bumpers are only 1/4" and held on with the 3 side factory side rail bolt holes.

i would start by just bolting some over sized plates to the frame sides and cut/bend the face up from the bottom of the frame to winch face.


if this makes sense to you, the face place will hug the frame rail.