G'day Andy,
I haven't designed a non winch version yet, but as you can see in this picture, the winch cradle is welded in between two flat plates at either end, so basically you could do whatever you like in the same space.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/05/364.jpg
If you just don't want to fit a winch but want to retain the same strength and similar look, then the simplest modification would be to cut the front plate down like in the picture below. This would allow plenty of space to fit larger driving lights within the bar, or whatever else you want to fit in there.
Cheers, Murray
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...014/05/365.jpg

