Thanks for the input, all!
His front bumper with fully self-contained winch is impressive, too!
Is there any reason the shackle mounts couldn't be replaced with flush-mount receivers? A receiver is quick to deploy and remove and could be left in situ on the trail if needed.
I suppose my ideal bumper would have three of them: two where the shackle mounts would be and one in the middle for towing or attaching a portable winch which could be used both ends of the vehicle and left at home between trips.
Cheers,
Graham
I built that bumper to hold a winch, but the M8 has never left the garage floor. I'm thinking to put it on a cradle instead. I'll build a closer profile bumper with a socket receiver and sell off that bumper.
On MISF's front bumper he has just such a receiver, though being a tube bumper it's not flush mounted. It is his doubling anchor and tow point.
The problem with receiver sockets is that they need a minimum depth of about 8" behind the face of the bumper as well as access to the backside to install the hitch pin.
What I'd like to find is a U.S. source for something more like the system that
Soenke is using on their FJ45:
If it can support enough tongue weight it may be stout enough to support a winch or to be a tow point.