Heavy-Duty Dodge Winch Bumper Install

The ball joints, track bar bushings, and unit bearings used on the front of Dodge trucks already live a hard enough life under the weight of a Cummins engine. Adding large tires and a 250-pound bumper hanging off the front of your truck will only make matters worse, so be sure to address these components as part of your modifications.

The ball joints, track bar bushings, and unit bearings used on the front of Dodge trucks a

The current crop of diesel trucks has come a long way from the 120hp diesels of yesteryear. The front of your new truck is likely stacked with expensive bits. Not only is there a huge intercooler that would make a drift racer blush, but there’s also likely heat exchangers for the coolant, oil, transmission fluid, and air conditioner.

It’s all these coolers that necessitate the large front grilles on the current crop of diesel trucks. But those plastic grilles and flimsy sheetmetal bumpers are all that stand between the lifeblood of your truck and the cruel, unpredictable world. Armed with that knowledge, doesn’t it make sense to protect your investment?

Fab Fours offers rugged bumpers for every - and 1-ton truck produced during the last decade. All its front bumpers are designed to accept a winch, which can prove to be a time-saver on the ranchor a lifesaver when used for recovery. In fact, a growing percentage of Fab Fours business comes from those in the federal and commercial sector looking to protect their trucks from conditions far beyond what most individual owners will encounter.

We recently installed a Fab Fours bumper on an ’06 Dodge Mega Cab with a 6-inch Fabtech suspension lift and 35-inch Interco TrXus STS tires on 18-inch XD Series Hoss wheels. The truck sees plenty of use in rural Colorado and Wyoming, where it is not a matter of if, but when, you will have an errant encounter with a deer, antelope, or elk. After pushing our luck for too long, it was time to take out an insurance policy on our truck in the form of a beefy front winch bumper with an integrated prerunner guard.

Everyone loves the front bumperexcept the truck driver who delivered it. Our new Fab Fours front bumper weighs three times as much as the stock bumper, thanks to its -inch steel-plate construction. The bumper came fully padded and boxed on its own pallet, ensuring that even a vindictive deliveryman couldn’t inflict any damage on the powdercoated finish. In addition to the bumper, the crate also contained all the required components for a complete installation, ruling out any trips to the hardware store. Grade 8 hardware, detailed instructions, turn signals, and foglights come standard with every Fab Fours bumper.

We didn’t bother to ask the delivery guy to stick around and help, but we did invite some friends over to assist with the installation. We recommend you do the same, since hefting the 250-pound bumper into place while attaching the hardware was definitely not a one-person job. An engine hoist is useful as well, and we recommend you learn from our mistake and don’t remove the packaging after you position the bumper so you can align it without marring the finish.

Total installation time was around five hours, working at a leisurely pace and taking plenty of photos along the way. When we were done, we were rewarded with a front end that was not only improved aesthetically, but functionally as well. When you compare the cost of a Fab Fours bumper to replacing sheetmetal, intercoolers, and radiators, it really is a cheap insurance policy.

Our bumper showed up in packaging that would make King Tut jealous. The crate and padding allow the bumper to be moved by forklift and transported without marring the finish or losing any of the hardware.
Our bumper showed up in packaging that would make King Tut jealous. The crate and padding
All the hardware for the bumper came individually wrapped and labeled to make it easy to find. We took out all the hardware and organized it in order of need as we read through the instructions prior to installation.
All the hardware for the bumper came individually wrapped and labeled to make it easy to f
The D-ring recovery points on the front of the bumper go all the way through the structure and are made from ½-inch-thick steel.
The D-ring recovery points on the front of the bumper go all the way through the structure

Once the factory bumper was removed, the crush braces had to be taken off the front of the frame. These were just tack-welded into place but can be reinstalled if you ever want to put the factory bumper back on.
Once the factory bumper was removed, the crush braces had to be taken off the front of the
The most challenging part of the installation was drilling through the front framerails to accept the Fab Fours bumper brackets. Paper templates were included in the instructions, but we found it helpful to transfer the template to a thicker piece of cardboard. Make sure you have a sharp 9⁄16-inch drill bit and drill a pilot hole all the way through both sides of the frame.
The most challenging part of the installation was drilling through the front framerails to
These Fab Fours braces link the bumper to the frame with ½-inch Grade 8 bolts, ensuring a sturdy foundation.
These Fab Fours braces link the bumper to the frame with ½-inch Grade 8 bolts, ensuring a

Next, the headlights were removed to allow the bumper-mounted turn signals and foglights to be spliced into the factory wiring.
Next, the headlights were removed to allow the bumper-mounted turn signals and foglights t
All necessary wiretaps were included to splice the new foglights and turn signals into the stock harness. If you live in a wet climate, we recommend wrapping the wiring in electrical tape once you have ensured the lights are working properly.
All necessary wiretaps were included to splice the new foglights and turn signals into the
The included foglights and turn signals should be bolted to the bumper with the supplied brackets prior to installation. The harnesses can be connected once the bumper is moved into place to be mounted.
The included foglights and turn signals should be bolted to the bumper with the supplied b

These mounts position the bumper on the front of the truck. They should be left slightly loose until final fitment to allow the bumper to be positioned evenly side to side and up and down. You want a 1-inch gap between the bumper and the body to account for flexing of the body and chassis.
These mounts position the bumper on the front of the truck. They should be left slightly l
The welds shown here indicate the quality you can expect from Fab Fours. All its bumpers are designed and built in the United States using the latest in tooling and machinery.
The welds shown here indicate the quality you can expect from Fab Fours. All its bumpers a
All the hardware for the bumper was hidden from view, which makes the final appearance pleasing to the eye but requires two people to reach all the bolt locations.
All the hardware for the bumper was hidden from view, which makes the final appearance ple

The 60mm turn signals and 90mm foglights are recessed into the bumper to ensure they are not damaged by brush or other hazards.
The 60mm turn signals and 90mm foglights are recessed into the bumper to ensure they are n
The Fab Fours bumper is tapered to provide an increased approach angle at the tires. The inner fenders must be trimmed to match.
The Fab Fours bumper is tapered to provide an increased approach angle at the tires. The i
We drew a rough line indicating where we needed to cut and used an air saw to trim the inner fender. A reciprocating saw, or even a cutoff wheel, could be used as well. We then used the piece removed from the passenger side as a template to cut an equal amount off the driver side.
We drew a rough line indicating where we needed to cut and used an air saw to trim the inn