Hey all, been awhile. I have a 2000 f250, and the next project I am looking to do on my truck is the front bumper. Right now it is the stock chrome steel bumper and I wanna go to a winch bumper. I wanna mount a Titan 16.8 on SOMETHING, but I'm really not sure what . Basically I'm looking for some solutions on a cheap way to get this done. As far as I can tell, I'm gonna have to be spending $1500+ to buy one after market; most of which I don't like anyway. I can have one custom made around here for around $700ish, but I'm not even sure where to start on the design. Are there other cheap after market winch mounting systems that I may be missing? Has anyone here custom fabbed a winch bumper for a super duty (I couldnt find one in the search)? I wouldn't mind even buying used. I'm simply looking for a cheap way to get a winch mounted on my truck. Thanks for the help.

 

that is the LAST question i would ask, esp for a winch bumper! i understand the financial issue but there is a reason they are expensive... they are built to stand abuse! a lot of what you pay for is labor. if you buy the raw materials and can fab then you should be able to cut the cost in half unless your time real valuable.

i personally like Ranch Hand bumpers (http://www.ranchhand.com/). i know there are a lot of mixed reviews but mine has held up to a a lot including a winch, and its not even built for one! i would check your local craigslist and even ebay. never know whats out there!

can you weld? maybe weld a winch directly to your bumper?

-cutts-

 

I'm sorry, I meant to qualify that first statement. I should have said cheaper not cheap. By that I simply mean smaller. For example, the fab fours and trail ready bumpers are soooo huge, and I want something significantly smaller, hence the cheaper part. Basically I was thinking something to mount the winch on with a stinger and a brush guard for the lights. Check out t-bilt. but again not so large.
No, I have not really ever welded, but I'm thinkin this might be a good way to learn. My dad has a miller welder of some sort, but I dont know if its stick, tig, or mig. If I do, I dont really know where to start. What kind of material should I use? obviously steel, but like how thick and such. I'm guessing there are better grades. how much does that cost? sorry for all the questions, but this is where I come for info.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/890186-bumpers.html
There's a bunch of good bumper designs in there. Check it out for idea's.

Before you start throwing a bumper together you should practice some if your planning to build it. Then maybe you can just tack together a design and have someone else fully weld it.

If your looking used, you should search Craigslist. Usually some good deals on there.

And if you want to buy aftermarket what is your budget?

 

Hey thanks! There are some really cool ones on there.. although not a whole lot for the SDs, there are some very good ones for ideas. I like:

and

and

A mix between those would be what I really like. I was sorta messin around on autocad today:

So I guess that's what I kinda like there. not so much steel on the bumper part; like on the fab fours and such. I want clearance, and then a skid plate. But these are just ideas.. I doubt I could ever weld anything like that.

I actually did some craigslist hunting, but I didn't come up with much. I decided I'm not going to even try for an after market.. I can probably get a better deal on something that I really want if I go custom built (whether its myself or some other custom fabricator). Plus I'll get sodomized on shipping. my budget would have been at most like 800 or 900 monkeys.

 

That last image didn't show. Try uploading to photobucket. It looks like you tried to paste from an email?

 

I don't have photobucket, and FTE isnt letting me upload pics for some reason. Ill try makin a photobucket..