Winch mount weld or bolt? Which is stronger?

[01tundra]

My bumper is bolted and welded on, winch plate is welded to the bumper & frame, and the winch is bolted on with four 3/8" Grade 8 bolts & nuts.

I've had my 6,800 lb. rig stuck good enough to stall my Warn 9.5xp and eventually break my new Viking synthetic rope.......but those four small bolts still held like a champ.

 

[Metcalf]

It is not correct to extrapolate that bolts the same size as the four winch mounting bolts are going to be sufficient to hold the winch mount to the frame. The leverage on the winch mount to frame VS the winch to winch mount is going to be different.