I would advise against welding the bar. Here is why, If you are running a winch, the Warn especially, they have a thermal switch that turns off the motor in the event of the motor overheating from excessive winching. This switch goes bad. When it does, you will be required to remove the bumper and replace it. If you weld the bumper in place and that switch goes bad, you will have a WONDERFUL time getting that bumper back off.

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Gordon "The Warmonger" White