Receiver Winch?

[djmac]

A little late to ask in that I just bought the mount off of ebay but what do you think of a receiver mounted winch. How much hassel is it to connect the electrical when you mount and demount it? I know you probably have to be careful of getting a bad side load on it but other than that any draw backs in the receiver mount type?

[shackwrrr]

one plus is that you can take it off when you go into a "bad" neigborhood so it doesent get stolen. and think the only thing holding you is a 3/4 in pin.

[Dmntxn77]

You will probably want to splice in some kind of QD set-up so that it is real easy to switch from the front to rear. Plus if you splice in a QD, you will have a good excuse to say no when some guy on trail wants to use it...

I wouldnt worry about the "only thing holding you is a 3/4 in pin" thing.. That is all that holds a trailer on to your truck when you are towing. When was the last time you heard of some 1 ton truck shearing a pin while pulling a 15K load??? I am sure that hitch and pin are rated for WAY more than your winch... Even if you are sporting a Warn hydro...

[goldhammer]

Tow trucks use a QD for jumper cables, and Warn uses the same. You should be able to get cable and the QD's at any decent McParts house, or you can order through Warn, and probably other makers. Run heavy cable to the rear, with the QD and you should be good to go. You are right just watch the extreme side loads, have at least a class III mount and that the bolts are backed up with some decent washers.

[fsj1978]

I was debating going that route years ago but found myself pointed UP hill with a popped bead. No mud or snow, but there was silty dirt/gravel on the hill. After having to be carefull to WALK up to the front of the Jeep to attach a friend's winch line, I decided that trying to haul a winch from storage in the back to the front of the truck and install it would be not only a problem but actually hazardous. What's going to happen if you slip and the winch comes down on your leg??? Just my 2 cents on the subject of removable winches.......

[Casey]

I have seen them be a pain or just useless when in a jam. A buddy of mine was stuck once where we couldn't get the hatch on the XJ open, and the front reciever was buried. It made the extraction that much more difficult. After drinking a six pack each we tore his upholstery up getting the winch out through the Jeep. Then we used the winch on the rear to pull the Jeep back far enough to get it mounted on the front and continue.
A real PITA for a trail rig.

Otherwise they're great. Easy to connect if you get the Warn stuff. One of our club members has his 'Burb wired with the Warn disconnects at both ends. He has a jumper cable set up for it as well. Works great.

[derf]

While they are a novel idea, the practicality of having one just isn't there. If you leave it on the front, it's a big target that sticks out just waiting to be hit. If you store it, half the time it won't be easy (or even possible) to get the winch in there.

Not only that, it's not common to find yourself in a situation where you absolutely need a rear mounted winch, especially when you have others in your group with winches. Most people do just fine with dedicated winches mounted on the front only.

On my Cherokee, I will have a winch in a custom bumper on the front only.

For my trail rig, I'm going with dedicated winches front and rear, hard wired to switches on the dash. But only because I will be taking that CJ to some pretty radical trails that will really test the rig. Even then, the rear winch is pretty far down on the priority list and probably won't be on for the first several trail runs.

[scotty]

While they are a novel idea, the practicality of having one just isn't there.

what?! :eek: not sure how you can make a statement like that.

i agree 100% its silly to think that you can carry your winch inside the rig and move it out when you need it. like in the above situations,its not practical,possible,and potentially dangerous to try and carry somethin that heavy in the slippery mud or gravel.

however,in both situations if the owners had stuck the winch into the reciever at camp or inthe garage at home,and been driving around with it(like any dedicated front only winch) theyd have both been in good shape.

sure some situations may require a rear mounted winch. in some cases,like above,it may not be practical to carry the winch from the front to the rear. but in these cases youre not in any worse shape than you are if you have only a permantly mounted front winch,and in some situations it may save you *ss to be able to move it.

i personally have 2 trail rigs and a trailer that i need a winch on. sure in a perfect world both of my trail rigs would have permant winches frotn and rear,and id have one permantly mounted on the trailer. not to mention that both my tow rigs on occasion have a need for a front winch,as does my daily driven XJ. so id need to buy 7 extra winches to save myself the hassle of carrying the one i have back and forth :eek: thats alot of $$ that i can spend on other things ;) making a reciever mount and then putting recievers wherever i need the winch was alot cheaper. :p

biggest thing is to design your bumper/winch mount to mount the reciver and winch up as high as possible. if its under your stock front bumper,then yeah,i can see why you dont want to be driving around with it on there.

a couple pics of my winch in various places:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/scotty85/miamivalley1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/scotty85/trailerwinch2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/scotty85/carwash4-17-2.jpg

i dont have any pics of it on my XJ,my burb or ,my truck,but you get the idea :)

[FastActon]

I was going to post a reply, but Scotty said everything for me. It's just too expensive to buy the 5 winches I'd need instead of one receiver mounted winch.

I haven't bought my front mount yet. Does anyone know a good source for a front receiver hitch for a '72 Waggy?

[djmac]

Well I bought a winch and so far I have only used in on the rear hitch. Not a great spot in that it can easily get submerged and even hang up on ledges. Then I saw a guy with a great setup. He mounted his winch in the bed just behind the tailgate. I watched him work with it and it is great position to pull vehicles up on the trailer and it still works fine when out in the mud plus it is high and dry. I still want to mount a receiver up front below the bumper and in fact I found one that fit the frame width perfect buy the steering box is mounted where the hitch is designed to mount on the drivers side. Has anyone mounted a well supported front Hitch (withstand 10000 pds) on a J10? I can see how you could weld/bolt the hitch to the front crossmember and passenger side frame but the drivers side seems impossible.

[Big-wagon87]

Pros: can go from front to back, truck to truck.
Cons: can be hard to use at time and some time too far foward or they stick out too far.

I have one and like it for its mobility,But for hardcore offroad I use a bumper mount.

[FSJ Guy]

I'd have to say that for our trucks being as long as they are, they need every inch/degree of clearance they can get. I'd definitely recommend a permanently mounted winch. I used a hidden winch kit (discontinued) on my 715 to mount my Harbor Freight winch. Works fine and cost me less clearance than a bumper mount. I wouldn't want one sticking out either end, getting in my way, digging in the dirt or whacking rocks.

For hitch mounted winches to be useful, they have to be mounted on the correct end when you need them. Figure the weight of the winch PLUS the mounting plate/hitch assembly and you're talking about 100 lbs easily. Now carry that up a 20 degree incline. Still with me? Next, add some rain or snow.

[djmac]

I already have got plenty of practice dragging it from front to back. Not easy buy I have not got so old that I can't handle it. I mostly operate in sand and mud and so far have not been in a situation that it has hurt me. I know that getting a bumper prepped for the winch would be the best but I really like the look of the old 3 piece bumper and the rhino grill.

[Rod2]

One of our club members has his 'Burb wired with the Warn disconnects at both ends. Works great.[/quote]

Rick, you have 2 members of your club with receivers on both ends. Don't sell WOOD GO short (J4000).

I have to admit that I haven't had a situation where front/back connection was an issue. The 12,000lb MM has so far ridden the trails in the bed. And weight is a problem.

[Dr Teeth]

I think Scotty has the right idea.

I'm currently in a buildup of my wagoneer where I will have the winch on a hitch mount. I plan on using the jeep mainly as a daily driver with the winch only to be used in the snow or stuck on a fire road going camping. Most of the time it will live in the garage. Also my Father has now set up his CJ with a mount so now he can borrow my winch when he needs it (lucky me!).

I'm making a custom rear bumper that replaces the rear frame crossmember and has the hitch in the center of it to keep it up and out of the way. In the front I will probably weld the hitch directly into the front frame crossmember with some reinforcement and then tie it into a custom bumper in the front.

The eye opener for me was when I almost got stuck with my wife and 2 year old daughter cutting down a christmas tree. I realized that any time I will need a winch, it will not be off roading for fun where I can hope there's someone behind me with a winch if I need to be pulled out backwards. I want as many options as possible to get myself back on the road when I'm by myself.

Todd

[Gambler68]

[quote=Dr Teeth] I want as many options as possible to get myself back on the road when I'm by myself.

[quote]

exactly.:thumbsup:

[djmac]

So has anyone seen or tried to fabricate a serious hitch below the front bumper? I am not much of a metal fabricator so I cannot easily envision what might work. For example: could I bolt up the new front mount hitch on the passenger side and just cut of the leg to the drivers side and then weld the receiver portion to the front frame crossmember that is right behind the bumper? I do not know how much tension that crossmember could take but I do know I have to be careful because if I tweaked it by putting to much pressure on it my front end alignment would never be the same.

[Dr Teeth]

I'm assuming the '82 frame is pretty similar to my '71... if so, I don't see any problems welding a winch mount directly to the front crossmember. The whole front section of my frame is boxed and from all my reading on here, I've only ever heard of people having trouble cracking/ripping things off of the front of the frame (steering box mounts, front shackle mounts, etc.). So I think it's safe to say you could hook it up to whatever you'd like and be ok. Just double check the factory welds at the two front corners to make sure everything looks sound and add reinforcement if necessary.

[oldmanb777]

Works GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a Warn "multi mount" for my winch. i have the warn elect connectors. That is the weak spot. I can use my winch (and have) on the front of my FSJ, on the rear, on my wifes GC, on the early Bronco, or on any vehicle that has a reciever. I have cables made that can be quickly attached to any battery,anywhere. So I can use it for the lame brain that got his winch burried in the muck on the front of his truck. Very versitile, and you only need one winch for every vehicle in the stable.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[oldmanb777]

So has anyone seen or tried to fabricate a serious hitch below the front bumper? I am not much of a metal fabricator so I cannot easily envision what might work. For example: could I bolt up the new front mount hitch on the passenger side and just cut of the leg to the drivers side and then weld the receiver portion to the front frame crossmember that is right behind the bumper? I do not know how much tension that crossmember could take but I do know I have to be careful because if I tweaked it by putting to much pressure on it my front end alignment would never be the same.

YES. I did. Most winch mounts only hook into the bumper horns, not very strong. So mine hooks there and also into the frame crossrail , then I reinforced everything with a strap into the snoplow mounts.

[djmac]

YES. I did. Most winch mounts only hook into the bumper horns, not very strong. So mine hooks there and also into the frame crossrail , then I reinforced everything with a strap into the snoplow mounts.
Where are the snowplow mounts?

[oldmanb777]

Where are the snowplow mounts?
If you look on the frame rails back from the bumper about maybe 8 inches or so. There are 2 threaded holes that are not being used. The snow plow mounts there for extra strength as well as other mounting places. The bumper horns are not strong enough for the abuse of a snow plow.:eek:

[djmac]

If you look on the frame rails back from the bumper about maybe 8 inches or so. There are 2 threaded holes that are not being used. The snow plow mounts there for extra strength as well as other mounting places. The bumper horns are not strong enough for the abuse of a snow plow.:eek:

Thanks, I think that is where I have bolted up my 3 piece bumper brackets.

[djmac]

Well I had my winch for almost a year now and it has worked out great. I have 3 mounting points: Reese hitch front and rear and I even have a class 4 hitch bolted thru my truck bed to my frame. I keep it mounted in the bed 90% of the time. All I do it drop the tailgate and start pulling. You should see the look on the faces of people who think they are hopelessly stuck in a bog and wonder what I am up to, then I drop my tailgate and they smile when they see the winch! It's great too when someone's rig is broke down and they need to get the rig up on the trailer. I hook their trailer up on my rear hitch, drop my tailgate and winch them from the bed location. I have quick disconnects on the ends of the cable but they can be a real pain when they get muddy. So the bottom line is I would recommend the setup to anyone who is thinking about it.

[scotty]

i like the idea of mounting a hitch in the bed. quite clever :thumbsup:

i could see myself doin somethin like that :cool:

[Tad]

...i could see myself doin somethin like that :cool: LOL
Like I said in a post last week.
Nothing new here :D
It's all been done before.
All you got to do is search for it.

Scotty, good to see you wander back through.
Thanks,

[Dmntxn77]

Well I had my winch for almost a year now and it has worked out great.....

Glad it is working out for you..

Since I have decided to fab my own bumpers, maybe I will build them to accomodate a moveable winch..

I dont suppose it would be that hard to build a carrige in both the front and rear bumpers for the winch to slide in and out of..

Hmmmmmmm......


I know that there have been plenty of times wheeling without a buddy rig, that I would just assume get pulled back the way I came as oppose to pull myself further in.. :eek:

For those times, I would probably just start with the winch in the back just in case.. :D

[scotty]

Scotty, good to see you wander back through.
Thanks,

thanks :) i have been admittedly absent from here lately. in my defense,ive had alot of irons in the fire,so my puter time is limited. i usually pop on to check the weather,my bank account,and the "tow rig" section of pirate.

i still havent forgotten my poor neglected GW. as other projects get closer to being finished(36 foot GN,and various house projects) hes gradually moving toward the top of the priority list :drivin: