[mudnmyvayne]

how thick should my winch mount be? I have some 1/4" diamond plate,or should i go with 3/16"?? I figure its only as strong as what it bolts/welds to so overkill is only added weight.3/8" I think would be overkill,but im not shure.

 

[mudnmyvayne]

3/8"x8"

I picked up some 3/8"x8" strap today.Ill be able to make a home for my winch in the next few days. hacck welder fightte

 

[mudgod]

That will stay! I don't think the extar weight will kill you. How are you going to do it? If you do any wheeling by yourself, you might think about someway to mount it on the front or back. I seen where someone on here was using a hitch receiver so they could move it back and forth.

 

[mudnmyvayne]

I have thought about making it where the winch could be used on either end. The weight/ bulk of the mount is what keeps me from going that way right now..

 

[Hatch]

Once upon a time I had a Warn owner's manual. It had a diagram of how to build a mount. It stated 3/16" steel for the thickness, but this was for a big plate mount.

If you're using strap, 3/8 is a good idea.

 

[Bruiser]

If you're using strap

Why would strap/flat bar make any difference?

 

[mudnmyvayne]

Why would strap/flat bar make any difference?

I think its all mild steel..... welder

I could be wrong.....

 

[itsmejoe231]

Yes it is all mild steel....

I have 3/16" for the winch plate and it is bolted to two 1/4" peices of flat bar using four 7/16" grade 8 bolts. I have had it in a good bind several times and it held up just fine. Of course it was not that I was stuck, I was getting my buddy out.

 

[mudnmyvayne]

Once upon a time I had a Warn owner's manual. It had a diagram of how to build a mount.

I thought id double check my manual after you said this.....yep...pg. 3
But everything is in metric....

 

[mudnmyvayne]

started today

As with any project you gotta' start somewhere. So I started out at the shop cutting everything to size & drilling some holes with our old/big drill press.

Big tools make Big projects easy.... bigok

 

[mudnmyvayne]

When I started this project i wanted to tuck the winch between the framerails....

After a test fit, I decided the winch would be too low. So after some thought,I came up with a little different plan.

This will put the winch just below hd-light level....but will take more bracing to be as strong as plan A.

Gotta start somewhere!!!

 

[mudgod]

Must be nice to have those Big Old Tools!

 

[Hatch]

I thought id double check my manual after you said this.....yep...pg. 3
But everything is in metric....

Check again...not metric; decimal inches (engineers like it that way).

.375 material is 3/16"

As to the previous question of why thicker for strap:
One big piece of plate 3/16" thick the size of the winch plus overlap for mounting to the frame (or whatever) has strength to it. Compare that to two strips of metal passing under the winch inline with bolt holes and you should get a mental picture of how much LESS strong that would be, hence the need for thicker steel.

How about this picture:
Throw a full sheet of 3/4" plywood down on the floor joists and walk over it. Now rip a strip of that plywood 3.5" wide and lay it down over the floor joists. Think it'll hold your weight? What about a 2x4 (3.5" wide)? I bet that would hold your weight.

 

[mudnmyvayne]

Check again...not metric; decimal inches (engineers like it that way).

Nope....METRIC: 254mmx114.3mm 11.11mm hole
6.4mm thick
torque bolts to 81-88 Nm bigok

 

[mudnmyvayne]

Compare that to two strips of metal passing under the winch inline with bolt holes and you should get a mental picture of how much LESS strong that would be

1 strip of 8 inch wide strap......same as plate cut to 8"..... popcornn

 

[Hatch]

Nope....METRIC: 254mmx114.3mm 11.11mm hole
6.4mm thick
torque bolts to 81-88 Nm bigok

Mine was decimal inches.

 

[Hatch]

1 strip of 8 inch wide strap......same as plate cut to 8"..... popcornn

Words...they have so many meanings.

One solid piece of steel large enough to catch all 4 bolts of the winch (typically approximately a 4"x10" pattern) and mount to the frame is what I would consider "plate" in this application.

"Strap" would be two narrow (2" or less) strips of steel passing under the winch as a mount, with no cross bracing. That would be a STRAP mounting.

In the industry, STRAP may mean anything less than 4' wide, I don't know. But in this particular application, your 8" wide strap effectively becomes a PLATE of steel for mounting the winch, AKA a "Winch Mounting Plate"

 

[mudnmyvayne]

bigok Right-On...now we are on the same page!!

 

[Bruiser]

Hatch, most strap/flat bar sizes are sold up to 12" wide material. Also they have the same carbon content as plate. So therefore strap/flat bar is not any weaker than plate. I see your point about using two separate pcs of smaller (width wise) strap that is common sense. I thought you were trying to say that strap is weaker than plate. Now I understand your point.

 

[mudnmyvayne]

Got a little more done today on my winch mount.. welder

still a way to go before ill give it the 'tug' test bigok