Modding non winch bar to accept winch

[0xyg3n]

Have a ARB non winch bullbar on my GQ and was looking into the idea of modding it to fit a 9000lb lowmount .
Looking at the bar it may be possible to fab up a kind of cradle to sit between chassis rails and sandwich between bar and winch. I realise I have to cut out a hole for the cable to go through ect but was wondering if anyone else had done this kind of mod and how it worked out.

[Daisy]

the bar may not be reinforced enough to allow you to winch... you may have to make a cradle and mount it to your chassis instead of the bar itself.

[mickyd555]

what tom said.^^^^

Nissan make a cradle to sit behind the GU alloy bars, might be worth investigating if they made one for the GQ.

[60serius]

Power auto in Greens rd Dandenong make a plate that bolts to your chase
I did it to the bar on my 60 and it worked well

[Jeff80]

Mate, had my last bar modded to fit a winch. Was an ARB steel bar, and went to Cheezy and he modded it, including MAJOR reinforcing to handle the winch. Did an awesome job too. Let me just say, I reckon you could have hung the car off it before it bent or gave way!!!!! (or the cable let go!)

[bogged]

would be cheaper to buy a proper bar after paying for bracing etc

[sudso]

Have a good look at an ARB winch bar for a GQ. The only differences might be the bracing, cradle and hole and check the material thicknesses.
If thats all it is then copy the differences onto your non winch bar

[Mad Cruiser]

would be cheaper to buy a proper bar after paying for bracing etc

Do you think you can buy an ARB winch bar for $100 Bogged ?

[lethal weapon]

Im doing it to my non-winch bar at the moment, using a piece of c section steel to sit the winch into and bracing it back onto the chassis. The way i'm mounting it all the force will be going directly into the chassis and not on the bar, but the winch will still be mounted on the bar.... If that makes sense???

[Boopa]

I'm in the same boat, but the git who I bought my GQ from had the bar painted body colour (metallic green). Would the welding on the inside, cutting etc be likely to fk up the paint?
If it's gunna need re powder coating etc I might as well by a new one?

[ISUZUROVER]

I'm in the same boat, but the git who I bought my GQ from had the bar painted body colour (metallic green). Would the welding on the inside, cutting etc be likely to fk up the paint?
If it's gunna need re powder coating etc I might as well by a new one?

If the welding has decent penetration, then the paint on the other side will be stuffed for about 1cm either side of where the welding was.

[lethal weapon]

Re-painting it doesn't really bother me (mines been painted body colour as well), it doesn't have to win show'n'shine trophies... When im done, im just going to go over the whole bar with a flap disc and paint it with a supercheap spray gun!!!

[lethal weapon]

Re-painting it doesn't really bother me (mines been painted body colour as well), it doesn't have to win show'n'shine trophies... When im done, im just going to go over the whole bar with a flap disc and paint it with a supercheap spraygun!!!

[lethal weapon]

Re-painting it doesn't really bother me (mines been painted body colour as well), it doesn't have to win show'n'shine trophies... When im done, im just going to go over the whole bar with a flap disc and paint it with a supercheap spraygun!!!

[Cossie]

Re-painting it doesn't really bother me (mines been painted body colour as well), it doesn't have to win show'n'shine trophies... When im done, im just going to go over the whole bar with a flap disc and paint it with a supercheap spraygun!!!

you can say that again!!!!

[0xyg3n]

Thanks for the replies. 60serius What did the joint in greens road charge to make up the cradle for your 60? I am pretty capable with the mig so wouldn't mind weighing up the cost of a pre made cradle/adaptor as opposed to getting in there with some decent plate and making my own.

Bogged, if you can find me an ARB winch bar to suit my GQ for $100-$180 ill buy it and deliver you a carton of crownies.

If anyone has any pics of an ARB winch bar for a GQ taken from inside where extra bracing and winch mount up please up em as it is so much easier to copy something than start from scratch.

[InSanE]

i have an old stile arb bullbar that has been modified to suit a winch it has big peice of 7mm flat welded to the bottom of the centre of the bar where the winch bolts to it has some reinforcing on it and has a cut out and 4 bolts for the fairley, im taking the bar off this sat so i can take a few pics for you if you want.

[0xyg3n]

i have an old stile arb bullbar that has been modified to suit a winch it has big peice of 7mm flat welded to the bottom of the centre of the bar where the winch bolts to it has some reinforcing on it and has a cut out and 4 bolts for the fairley, im taking the bar off this sat so i can take a few pics for you if you want.

Much appreciated. just wanting to see what others have done and maybe a orif ARB winch bar pics so I can get to it. Thanks again insane

[shorty_f0rty]

ive had to mod a bar i bought off of Daz and then later got the pto .. i have no idea ifs its a arb bar, its not on a gq and its not a low mount winch so i dont know if this will help much. there is a few pix of the chassis brace for the pto to give you some ideas.. i wasnt about to ditch the bar so i made it fit with a bit of cutting..

heres a close up


and as it is now


more pix here: http://ironpaw.dopegoat.com/gallery2/v/the40/pto/

[marin]

i have an old stile arb bullbar that has been modified to suit a winch it has big peice of 7mm flat welded to the bottom of the centre of the bar where the winch bolts to it has some reinforcing on it and has a cut out and 4 bolts for the fairley, im taking the bar off this sat so i can take a few pics for you if you want.

any pics?

marin

[chimpboy]

I know TJM used to call some of their alloy bars "winch bars" but of course they weren't, they were just POS alloy bars. They called them that because you could also buy a cradle that bolted in behind them, mounted direct to the chassis rails, and then holding the winch.

I reckon it would be piss easy to make one if you can get your hands on suitable plate, just be careful that there is no point where the winch or fairlead is putting stress on the bullbar without the cradle reinforcing it. I'd just make something very simple and square-ish.

ps I got my ARB winch bar for exactly $100! But it was a lucky deal.

[InSanE]

nah sorry mate havent pulled the bar off yet im pulling it off this week and i will post pics then

[daveo]

just pulled the winch out of my TJM alloy bar, ill try and get pics if i can of the mounting system for u. basically the winch bolts to a horizontal piece of ~6mm which in turn bolts to the steel mounts of the bar its self. probably havent explained that very well, will try and get pics. the winch in no way puts load on the alloy part of the bar (except for the fairlead).

[0xyg3n]

Ok the job is done
I cheated and took the bar to Cheezys and got the work done there. Weighed up the option of DIY and wasn't worth the effort. I had to repaint the bar and just fit it all up. Only down side is the roller fairlead sticks out a bit but will be changing it over to a HAWSE Fairlead. Other thing i have to do is raise suspension by an inch as it has come down just on 3/4 of an inch

[/img]http://www.users.on.net/~nofearz/winch.jpg[/img]

[Surfin Alec]

Has anyone actualy looked at the difference between a ARB winch and non-winch bar is?

I checked out my Surf winch bar and compared it to my 80 series non winch, and all the bracings and bar thickness's are the same. Only difference I found is where the winch bolts to the bar there is an extra piece of steel (same thickness as the bar) welded vertically on either side of the winch.

Some one please correct me as I have to mount my winch to my non-winch in the next couple weeks. I was just going to bolt a piece of 3mm plate inside the front section of bar and mount my winch through it and the bar. That would make the fromt sction about 6mm thick.

Alec