Yeller wrote: ↑Sun Aug 25, 2024 11:58 am
I wrestled with the centered drum thing too. I finally landed on if I really need it I’ll be alone, or helping someone else and wanted the full size drum. The Warn unit holds 50’, which doesn’t sound like much but significantly more than the 35’ the Ramsey short drums I have do. Consequently the Ramsey patriot 8k that has served me well for the last 2 decades went on, it clears by 3/32” on both sides. With everything being black and tucked behind the bumper it is not noticeable enough to play with my OCD. It’s hidden well enough most don’t even notice the winch there at all. I tend to be a little over kill, 2/3 of my tool box is full of recovery gear. I can reach almost 300’ and rig up about anything needed. Even my early bronco that has no space has a lot of recovery gear.
I get the value of receiver mounted winches, I had one for a long time, but in my opinion the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. The draw backs are that it is always vulnerably sticking out in protected, or you have to store it in the vehicle, which is not easy to do so it’s not a projectile or your in a position when you need it that it is inaccessible.
As a mounting note, the manufacturer will freak out but you can flip it around and pull the rope off of the top of the drum if that helps it clear the bumper. Do not pull from the top and run it in reverse, the brake is directional, it has to be mounted turned around.
The hardest recoveries (besides up to the door handles in a quagmire, yuk) I deal with are roll overs. My goal, as long as there is not a serious injury that needs dealt with, that vehicle needs to be on its wheels in less than 3 minutes. That minimizes the opportunity for fluids to leak out, engines to hydro lock, and an assortment of other issues that get worse the longer that vehicle is laying on its side or upside down.
Yeah, I'm aware of the directional aspect of winches. This is an underwound winch as was my Warn hydraulic.
I'm not sold on receiver mount for what I use. The front mount served me well on the Dodge and I see no reason to worry about a rear mount. I prefer a permanent mount, but do understand the utility aspect of either end. You do have to account for that wire run to the back, though.
UPDATE:
I
think I have the mental mock up figured out.
I will be doing neither of the 2 previous options, but incorporating aspects of both.
I will do the KISS method.
I will use a winch plate, but instead of notching that crossmember, I'll just weld it vertically against the rear (engine side) of that front crossmember.
I can cut away excess plate that will interfere with steering box service.
I'll have to unbolt the brake line that runs along the rear side and slip the winch plate between it and the cross member.
That's a non issue to me.
The design of the winch feet will allow the brake line to slip between the winch and the plate as it is bolted together.
I'll just have to be careful to not pinch anything as I tighten it.
I like the foot forward mounting aspect of that Silverado setup. Seems like it would be less stress on the winch housing itself.
I'll let the line spool under the crossmember and to the lower side of the front bumper.
This will put the 'front' of the winch facing up.
This will solve an issue I would have had with the upside down mount.
The winch motor (longer side) will be away from the steering box, giving no issue with fitment when the drum is centered.
The free spool lever will be a bit more of a challenge to get to, even clocked, but I'll deal with it since this design addresses so many other issues I had.
The 4 1/2" F/R mount spacing will clear the cross member as it is approx 3 1/2" tall. I may have to use socket cap bolts instead of hex head, but that is another non issue.
I will have plenty of room on the front side of that crossmember for extra bracing to prevent any bending.
I will cut the extension bit that the fairlead bolts to off of the Silverado mount system and incorporate it into my setup.
My plan is to either notch the very bottom of the bumper and mount fairlead directly to the extension in that notch or use that extension to brace the bumper and mount the fairlead directly on the lower part of the bumper. Either way, there will be a minimal amount of cutting the bumper.
A flip up plate thingy will hide the mod.
The final bit will be the control box. I want it easily accessible. I plan on modding one of the fog light brackets, welding a short extension toward the center of the bumper that will allow the control box to mount directly next to the fog light just above the bumper.
The cables will need to be extended, but I'll visit the local welding supply place and see if they can hook me up with some 2 gauge wire. I'll route them through the grill the same way the fog light wiring does. I'll have to clearance a bit of valence behind the grill and put something on it to protect against chafing.
So, yeah. Sounds good to me.
Ongoing thread-
Oh well. Practice.
