The F-14 Tomcat
Hybrid bumpers are super hot right now. Everyone wants one, and everyone is making them - and they are making them the exact same way. Big goofy shackle mounts. Winch lines pointed down to the ground. Exposed fairleads. The list goes on. So, as per usual, we wanted to throw our little spin on it. The Tomcat is the best of both worlds, agile fighter, and clean war dog.
Lets start with the basics:
-Winch tray is 8" x 29.5" max size. Height of winch will determine need to trim lower -grill support or not.
-1/4 steel mainframe
-1/4 steel winch tray
-7/16 shackle mount w/ 1.5" .250 wall through tube
-1.75 .120 tube wings.
-Lower mount brace through bolt.
What sets it apart:
-Recessed shackle mount. Clearance is everything. Instead of sticking it way out there, we pulled the shackle mount back into the dead space on the bumper. the 3/8" piece is tied directly to the 3/16 side plate with a .250 tube guide for the bolt/pin, as well as to the winch tray, and the bumper mount, right where the bumper attaches to the frame horn. Tying to to all the different pieces helps spread the load, while pulling closer to the mount, instead of leveraged way out in front of bumper.
-Winch protection/access. Most bumpers leave the winch super exposed. Depending on the style of bumper, that is inevitable. However, on a plated center, it makes no sense to not protect the winch and line from the elements as much as possible. Winch lever and control box access are done from the sides. Preventing any large voids in the front that would allow grime and debris to get to the parts that matter.