Custom P38 Winch Bumper
with High Approach Angle
Design by Alan Bates
Alan Bates
has done extensive
modifications to his 1996 Range Rover 4.0SE, including a coil
conversion and lift. However the main attraction is the winch bumper he
designed and had fabricated (and is being made available to other
owners -- see below). It is made from 1/4" steel with a 5/16"
aluminum
skid plate to protect the lower cross-member area. The
entire bumper is one piece and mounts to the existing frame horn
mounting holes. Additional mounting points were added to the
lower frame cross-member. The vertical dimensions were made as
narrow as possible to maximize the approach angle.
Alan installed a Warn 9.5ti to the new bumper. He replaced his front
OME 761 springs with OME 764 in
anticipation of the extra weight when the bumper was added. The extra
lift (with the stock bumper still in place) did result in some front
driveshaft vibrations which were cured with a Double Cardon driveshaft
from Bill at Great Basin Rovers. Alan now has about 3.75" of lift
all around with
the winch and
new bumper in place, with
the OME 764 front and 781 rear springs.
Front view of Alan's bumper. Note the design extends forward and
out at each corner to protect the lights and sheetmetal. A sturdy skid
plate protects the steering mechanism.
Illustration of winch mounted inside the bumper. Note the recovery
points built into the front of the bumper.
The overall result, as illustrated in the photos on this page, is a most
professional installation.
More Information
Realizing that many of us are frustrated by
the fact that hardly any aftermarket off-road accessories are available
for the 4.0/4.6 model, Alan has kindly decided to make this bumper
available to other owners. If you are interested, please Email Alan
for details of availability and pricing. Alan has kindly
offered to help sponsor RangeRovers.net based on the number of
referrals he gets, so please mention you saw his design here.
Bates Rear Bumper/Tire Carrier and Rock Sliders for P38
Alan has also designed and made available a superb rear bumper with
swing-away tire carrier, detailed on the P38
rear bumper page. Another scarce commodity for the P38 model is protection
for the sills and body panels from off road hazards. Realizing this, Alan has
recently also designed rock sliders for the P38 models, and is
making them available to other owners. The design is detailed in the
P38 Rock Slider section.
