Winch install - Am I missing something??

MadToy

Active Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Location
Huntersville, NC
Ok, so everything I've read about winching all goes back to how well the mount is bolted to the frame for strength. My mount sure is a strong hunk of metal, with large bolts to the frame. However, when bolting the winch (Warn M8000) to the mount, I was expecting it to be mounted with 1/2" Grade 8 bolts or the like. Much to my surprise, they supply 3/8" Grade 5 bolts.

With everything else so heavy and strong, the bolts that hold the winch to the mount seem like the weakest link. Am I missing something?
 
Thats the standard hardware sent with every winch I've ever installed or seen put on. Only the 12K units use anything much different (only in size). I've installed lots of winches and the place I work has averaged over one month for 8 years or better. Most all manufactures recomend bolting through at minimum a 1/4 steel plate. Honestly really thick mounting points would be a moot point given the hardware size. All of Warns supplied bolts for their brushgaurds and winch trays are the same variety and grade. The Stainless stuff they use in alot of kits are junk quality and very prone to gaulding the threads.

In the short they use the cheapest grade and quality that they can buy that meets the engineering standard for the winch and unit being mounted. For the price of their stuff however I'd rather see better hardware.
 
only bolts broken when installed. over tightening. I just did a quick search on google the shear load a given manufactures 3/8 grade 5 course thread bolt was 6600 pds and a tensile of over 9000. So multiplied by four and I think your well covered.

I'll also ad the recomended torque on the chart was in the 30 ish ft pd range. (foot feet fawk!)

http://www.almabolt.com/pages/catalog/bolts/proofloadtensile.htm

here a link to the info
 
fixed it. glad to spread some joy!
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
only bolts broken when installed. over tightening. I just did a quick search on google the shear load a given manufactures 3/8 grade 5 course thread bolt was 6600 pds and a tensile of over 9000. So multiplied by four and I think your well covered.
I'll also ad the recomended torque on the chart was in the 30 ish ft pd range. (foot feet fawk!)
http://www.almabolt.com/pages/catalog/bolts/proofloadtensile.htm
here a link to the info
Click to expand...

Thanks! That makes me feel a bit more comfy....
 
witchdoctor said:
i've read that grade 5 has a higher shear strenth than grade 8.
not trying to start nothing just remember reading it somewhere.
Click to expand...

Just not true. The saying is that a g5 will only yield and bend while a g8 will just fail because it's "brittle". The truth is that the grade 5 will have permanently deformed and then failed before a grade 8 even hit's its yield strength...

I think warrior is right on that the 4 3/8 bolt's shear strength is enough and warn/ramsey/milemarker I know all ship those shitty chinkmo g5 bolts, but every time I mount a winch I swap them out for grade 8 hardware just because why not.
 
Another way to look at it. With the grade 5 bolts, they will most likely be the weak point ..... I'd rather the bolts give than end up with frame damage.


Matt
 
I used all grade 8 on my winch install, last thing I wanted was a heavy *** winch detaching from my vehicle and come flying through the air haha
 
Since this thread originally started out buy bringing up the strenght of hardware in relation to the stability of a winch I have to ask or rather point out a simple observation. Seems I have honestly never observed or heard of a winch failure isolated to it housing mounting hardware. I've been around rescue and fire equipment, fourwheeling, even heavy equipment with Ramsey hydraulic winches running trolleys and snatch blocks in the 25k variety that I used to build. Yet the only failures I have observed has been of the whole mounting fixtures usually containing a far greater number of larger diameter fasteners.

Go Figure.:popcorn:
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Drew speaks the truth.
Good info bro.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Since this thread originally started out buy bringing up the strenght of hardware in relation to the stability of a winch I have to ask or rather point out a simple observation. Seems I have honestly never observed or heard of a winch failure isolated to it housing mounting hardware. I've been around rescue and fire equipment, fourwheeling, even heavy equipment with Ramsey hydraulic winches running trolleys and snatch blocks in the 25k variety that I used to build. Yet the only failures I have observed has been of the whole mounting fixtures usually containing a far greater number of larger diameter fasteners.
Go Figure.:popcorn:
Click to expand...

That's interesting info.
 
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