After seeing the mounting tabs, I think this is a safety feature to keep from breaking something serious. The upper A arm mounts are positioned under the frame so they are actually very weak when hitting something head on. The lower A arm mounts are position on the frame and very strong.
You can see from the pic that the upper rear A arm mount has no support behind it at all. I tied the back of the pioneer to a tree and ran the winch through a snatch block back to the Upper A arm out at the knuckle and pulled it straight with ease. I thought about adding more support but if it happens again it may break something else. It was actually a quick and easy fix. What do you guys think?
Actually, the A arms did not get tweaked at all. I'm telling you, it was so easy to bend back that it must be designed that way. If it was stronger, I may have bent an A arm or tie rod and been in worse situation.
It "looks" ok from that last picture, only time on pavement will tell you if it pulls one way or the other, Might measure front to rear axle on each side and verify it is the same wheel base. Then again maybe you don't want to know