Navara winch brace - I want one!

[Vigilante]

Anybody else want one of these? I don't understand why no one in Australia (that I can find...) makes these.

http://www.pwsacc.co.uk/bumpers-winch-fitting.htm

I know people on this forum have fabricated their own, however I don't have the skills to be able to do this. I really wish we all didn't have to fork out $2k for a bull bar so we can fit up a winch...

If anyone knows something I don't (i.e. where I can buy something like this in Aus...) then please let me know!

 

[dbzerk]

Hey mate,
Was looking this up a few weeks ago and all i came up with what this joint on ebay..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221142180077?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

Hope it helps

 

[Bryce]

I wonder how hard it would be to get the above ebay linked page to fit behind the alloy bar?

 

[Vigilante]

What about tow hitch mounts? Anybody used one of these before?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Winch-hi...ies&hash=item43b88ff613&_uhb=1#ht_2384wt_1141

 

[doc]

Am pretty sure that their mounts would not conform to ADR's. There are requirements for frontal projections and by the look of most of those pics, none of them would pass.

 

[jimmy_jay89]

the one for the d40 looks like it would pass, barely

 

[Old.Tony]

Personally I wouldn't use the eBay one from DrSellAus. The winch mounts vertically onto the plate, and pulls horizontally. The entire stress of pulling transfers from the winch cable into the cast bolt mounts in a sideways motion - so it's in permanent shear, rather than compression. I'd be worried about doing a heavy draw on that. It's also only 5mm thick, when they should be 6mm thick (there's a regulation somewhere about that, I just can't remember where).

Projections forward of the body work are very much illegal but the D40 pictured on the UK site does look like it'd pass muster - just, as Jimmy points out. However, look more closely - again, it's a vertical mount with a horizontal pull. I wouldn't be happy with that on my car. Also notice the fine print at the bottom of the page - and this is vitally important in Australia:

These products have not been 'airbag' tested. Please consult your local dealer.

There might be nothing wrong with it, but airbag compliance is something that an insurer may pay attention to, particularly if the other car's airbags go off and yours don't!

 

[Dave]

Anybody else want one of these? I don't understand why no one in Australia (that I can find...) makes these.

http://www.pwsacc.co.uk/bumpers-winch-fitting.htm

I know people on this forum have fabricated their own, however I don't have the skills to be able to do this. I really wish we all didn't have to fork out $2k for a bull bar so we can fit up a winch...

If anyone knows something I don't (i.e. where I can buy something like this in Aus...) then please let me know!

I wouldn't wanna be anywhere near 14 or 22.

 

[siringo]

Yep, I'd stay away from those mounts, potentially deadly.

 

[d22dave]

Am pretty sure that their mounts would not conform to ADR's. There are requirements for frontal projections and by the look of most of those pics, none of them would pass.

X2. And my personal opinion is if you need a winch to drag you out of the bush you probably need a bullbar as well, but that's me

 

[Vigilante]

X2. And my personal opinion is if you need a winch to drag you out of the bush you probably need a bullbar as well, but that's me

Why do you need a bull bar? Aside from improving approach angles I am not entirely sure I understand the need for one still...

 

[doc]

Because in the scrub it is quite common to nudge up against flora. Some of that flora can be substantial. A well constructed bar can result in nothing more than a scratch in the powdercoat.

Sometimes tracks really ARE that tight. Throw in the aircraft carrier-like maneuverability of the D40...

Then there is animal strike protection. Which is the primary reason I imagine most people fit barwork anyway.

 

[Aussie Frontier]

Definately want some barwork up front when Skippy comes a knocking

 

[Old.Tony]

+1 there, Doc. Bar fitted for Skippy & his moronic one-eyed cousin Bounder, both of whom are bloody hopping-mad idiots.

The winch mount in the steel bar forces the winch to be mounted with the bolts facing horizontally forward, in the direction of the pull. The base of the winch itself mounts up against a 6mm (or 2x3mm laminate) steel plate that is welded between the main supports for the bar (that bolt to the chassis of the vehicle). The force of the winch's pull is carried not by the mounting bolts at all (mostly all they do is hold the winch in place) but by the plate. There is a small amount of stress on the bolts with a sideways pull, and we've done that - up a yellow clay hill, hauling our car up sideways - but the other times we've used the winch it's been a front-on pull (twice for the car, three times to pull trees out of the ground).

 

[Jason]

Most bullbars improve approach angle from the standard bumper as well. If you're winching out of a bog hole there's a good chance you're going to rip off a standard bumper.

 

[Vigilante]

The "skippy" reasons are entirely valid, particularly for those who do a lot of country driving at dawn and dusk. I used to live out of town and had several near misses. However I certainly don't want to make this into a "bull bar bashing" thread as I think they definitely have their place. I just can't justify one at the moment as 90% of my driving is in town with the odd venture out and about into the hills etc.

I suppose the financial aspect is also playing on my mind at the moment, because to set up with bar + winch is at least $2.8k... maybe when I can afford it I will go out and buy a bar... just seems to be a bit dangerous for me as these suburban crusaders tend to do stupid things and I don't want to kill someone just because my bull bar hit them at head height...

 

[doc]

Mate, I'd recommend a hand winch. Or Warn (and probably others) make a cradle mounted winch that attached via long leads. You can attach it to your vehicle via a strop, run out the cable, and away you go. Food for thought anyway dude.

 

[Vigilante]

Mate, I'd recommend a hand winch. Or Warn (and probably others) make a cradle mounted winch that attached via long leads. You can attach it to your vehicle via a strop, run out the cable, and away you go. Food for thought anyway dude.

You know I was thinking the exact same thing about an electric winch with long leads. Will think a bit more along these lines...

 

[d22dave]

Why do you need a bull bar? Aside from improving approach angles I am not entirely sure I understand the need for one still...

Aside from animals, there is The odd time i,ve seen and been in a vehicle in The Bush that goes into a slow uncontrolable slide, sometimes they stop short of hitting anything, other times its a nudge into The shrubbery.

 

[Nevyn]

My bull bar saved me an expensive repair bill after hitting a small tree during a recovery (for lack of a better description) on a greasy track at Bulahdelah. As for the mounting plate, it is a very similar thing to the mounting plate that TJM use for their T15 steel winch bars and from the look of the pics their T13 outback bars. Any doubts as to their strength just check out the shear weight of the bolts used and remember there is four of them!!!

Cheers Brad