Still trying to figure out exactly how this happened but I was very surprised to say the least. My brother and I got stuck in similar mud holes. I was winched out from my dring mount and pulled out. Then my brother same method and snap goes his stinger off his bumper. Welds broke and bolts. How idk. The winch line was connected to a D Ring on the d ring mount and in no way was the stinger being used to pull. Funny thing is my smittybilt is fine his Evo qtr pounder stinger not so much.... And after the stinger popped off we just kept pulling his jeep out like nothing happened since the D Ring connection was still intact with the winch line
Okay, I've been looking at this for a while and after giving it a lot of thought, I can see how this could of happened but ONLY if the 6 top mounting bolts were missing, missing their nuts or were even loose. The top of the tube where it's welded to the D-ring mount isn't sealed and open enough to allow water to get in. Over time, I could see how this will allow the unfinished tube to rust at this point and make it weak. IF the top bolts were missing or loose, a sudden hard jerk of the Jeep, the kind that you would see from trying snatch strap it out of a mud bog could cause enough inertia to break the already weak welds that are only on the bottom of the tube. What I don't understand is why I'm not seeing some kind of foot print or color difference on the top of the bumper where the top plate would have been bolted up to. I've had to remove my stinger from my bumper in the past and you could clearly see where the top plate was pressing firmly against it.
Well, that's just my best guess anyway and only based on what I can see and trying really hard to give you the benefit of the doubt that you are telling it to us straight.