Well, I got the bumper trimmed (enough) to see that a few small problems:
1) the receiver tube, if butted right up against the L-bracket (which is as far inboard against the radiator assembly as possible) doesn't quite line up with the knock-out in the bumper. I'm thinking of a 1/4 to 1/2 solid spacer welded in between the angle and the tube to get things lined up properly. I do want to make it look as "factory" as possible, so trimming 1/2 inch of virgin bumper cover isn't a good option
2) The hitch pin is in kind of a tricky location. If you put the lip of the tube just in front of the bumper cover (my original thought), then the pin hits the underside lip of the cover in both left and right sides in a place that can't be trimmed easily without making the whole thing a floppy mess. If you put the lip of the tube just INSIDE the cover, then the pin lines up in the back, but you have a slight recess to deal with on whatever accessories you use. I held it up there by hand with my warn receiver shackle attached and it cleared, I'm just worried about larger/wider items that might hit the bumper considering it's pretty convex towards the center.
I suppose any accessory outside of a hitch will end up being custom anyway for this beast. Nothing a little steel tube and a couple hours of fab won't solve, I suppose. That's why man invented electric metal fabrication
Other design thoughts:
- on the removable "winch frame" that will come later, I'm planning on welding a high-grade nut to the inside of the male receiver inserts so that I can use a pair of 5/8 bolts to hold it in there tight (no hitch wiggle when there's a winch on there).
Dan
