Front Winch Mount?

[RallyDude]

I pm'ed you as well, but I like the BigMeatVX hitch receiver. Interested in making another? How much? I wonder if the winch and plate would interfere with the safari bars? I like the idea of being able to move it front or rear, or also onto another vehicle if someone else gets stuck.

While I really like the hidden winch, it looks a lot more complicated and a lot heavier. I'm guessing this would be a lot more $$$, plus more to ship, and I'm concerned with the handling with all that weight up front.

thanks for all the input.

[Marlin]

I pm'ed you as well, but I like the BigMeatVX hitch receiver. Interested in making another? How much? I wonder if the winch and plate would interfere with the safari bars? I like the idea of being able to move it front or rear, or also onto another vehicle if someone else gets stuck.

While I really like the hidden winch, it looks a lot more complicated and a lot heavier. I'm guessing this would be a lot more $$$, plus more to ship, and I'm concerned with the handling with all that weight up front.

thanks for all the input.

The weight is gonna be the same either way. The only weight that will change is what you have to carry to move it. As for taking it off and moving it to another vehicle, the winch should weigh somewhere around 90lbs or so. The tray is probably another 10. So you are lugging 100lbs, not such an easy feat if you are stuck somewhere. As for moving to another vehicle, unless he is prewired for a winch, its not gonna work. Unless you have a 25 foot power cord made of 00 gage wire, and I sure that will be another 20lbs to lug around, sharing with friends is just not practical. I get the idea, if I do a winch, that will be the route I go, not for sharing, but rather so I can leave the winch at home for the 90% of the driving I do.
As for the safari bar, I don't get it? You want a winch, inferring that you are going to do some significant wheeling, yet you want to add something flimsy that sticks off the front of the truck to reduce your approach angle, and probably do more damage than good in an accident?

[RamAirZ]

Get a winch with synthetic rope and it'll weigh about 65 lbs woot woot!

[RallyDude]

Maybe it's just the specific builds that I have seen, but the hidden winch mounts have always looked way heavier. The receiver hitch doesn't look any heavier than a typical rear hitch. I'm thinking about the hidden mount Spazz built, and it looks like it weighs at least 250lbs. I have to think that would affect handling, with all that weight in front of the axle. As I mentioned in the original post, I'm looking at buying a 62lb rope winch, so moving it front or rear wouldn't be that big of a deal. It will be hard wired up front, but I may carry a small spool of wire, but that can be in the car where at least the additional weight is in the right place. I might just buy a high quality set of long jumper cables. I may end up never moving it, but when stuck, it is always nice to have options. It will weigh less than all the rocks I have moved to get out of a situation!

The safari bar I have cuts a degree or two of approach off, but it was something the PO had installed and has a few lights on it. I like the look of it, so I'd like to keep it, as I think it offers some protection, mostly bumper tags in parking lots. It would protect the winch a bit in these situations as well. The PO had nerf bars on it too, those I took off the first day I bought it!

I still am in the planning stage, so thanks again for all the input.

[vt_maverick]

Maybe it's just the specific builds that I have seen, but the hidden winch mounts have always looked way heavier. The receiver hitch doesn't look any heavier than a typical rear hitch. I'm thinking about the hidden mount Spazz built, and it looks like it weighs at least 250lbs.

It's nowhere near that, I think SPAZZ said the shipping store weighed it at 150 lbs. but even that seems high to me. At that weight I really can't see it being that big a deal WRT handling. But I will be looking to upgrade the brakes when it's time.

[RallyDude]

vtmav, are you the one that bought it? I remember him not wanting to ship as it was so heavy. Plus I know he originally was asking $$$, but I don't know what he finally sold it for. It does look bad*** though. 62lb winch & 150lb mount is 212lb in front of the axle. I will do mostly highspeed mountain driving. I live up by several of the highest ski areas in North America so these are some of the twistiest roads any where. On-road handling is priority one with me even though I want to do a good amount of highly technical off-roading. It's not just that it will work, but coming from a sport compact I want it to be tight on road. All that weight in front of the axle has to make a big impact on the twisty's.

[RallyDude]

I guess spazz wold be the one to talk to, I'm guessing you (vtmav) don't have it mounted yet? I'm jealous.

Spazz, killer job. Did you notice that weight up there? Any real fun roads around where you live? If you're on curvy roads at high speed, I would imagine if anyone would notice the weight, you would with the cable winch up there. Which winch is that? I'd like to compare the recon and the harbor freight (if they make a rope winch) size specs to see if I could shoehorn them in there. I really like the subtle stock appearance, and it makes the vehicle look even more unique.

I know someone mentioned the HF generic winch was made by mile marker or smittybuilt. I'll have to see some info on it. The recon is really well made in Australia. I saw a picture of the innards on some 4WD site, and it looked beefy.

[vt_maverick]

SPAZZ told me he had the Warn XD9000i winch mounted on the bumper, but that is mad $$$. Supposedly the best thing out there when it came out, but I'm not that well versed on winches (yet). Just based on our conversation during the buying process I got the impression that he was more into hardcore crawling than on-road performance. Could be wrong though, but best to email him directly as I don't think he spends much time on here anymore.

You're right, originally he didn't want to deal with the hassle of shipping but I talked him into it. I'm from the school of thought that a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell on price negotiation, but I will say that we came to a reasonable agreement that included more than just the bumper.

[Ascinder]

The weight up front barely affects handling if at all. You can barely even tell it's there. If that's all that's holding you back, you're wasting your time worrying.

[vt_maverick]

Another thought on reducing the weight - it looks like you could remove the winch from the bumper without taking the cladding off, so maybe that's how you keep the weight distributed. Just store the winch in the cargo area until you need it, then bolt it in and plug it up?

I tend to agree with Ascinder though; the weight is probably not enough to be worth the hassle of taking it on/off.

[RallyDude]

I've always ridden the VX with 2 people so I'm not referring to it, but I always could tell a handling difference with 2 people as opposed to 1, when driving any of my subies, and that was with the weight in a proper place, so I have to think I would notice it.

At least with the hidden winch, the weight would be further back.

[SPAZZ]

The largest winch that actually fits and is practical is the
9000XD.
That's The low profile one with out the tower.
Any larger and you would have to start majorly cutting out the front bumper cladding more than just the small template I sent, because you have to factor in the Clutch release/size of hands accessing said release, also accessing wire rope/spoiling wire rope/size of wire spool.

Believe me from experience when I say there is NOT VERY MUCH SPACE BEHIND THE CLADDING TO WORK IN/WITH!!!

Plus, unless you have to have room for your Winch servo box.
Unless you know what your doing and have the ability to rewire Properly witha thick enough guage wire the entire winch remote/control servo box and mount it in a more appropriate/convenient location.

I rewired mine and used as thick of a guage as I could and opened up the wire routing hole into the box more so the wires could all fit.
You would be absolutely amazed at how HOT it gets
Inside the box with the wires running the winch.
That's why you're supposed to cycle the winch and not run it constant.

My set up now mounts the box underneath the battery tray in a safe location by the frame on my YJ and I lengthened the remote wires to mount inside the dash area but tucked them behind the carpet so I could be able to pull it outta the interior if needed.
It's that long.
But, I used a heavy guage of welding power cable so it's very flexible and able to handle ALOT of juice.

If you planned it right and had the skills you MIGHTbe able to STUFF a Warn XD12000 inside the secret winch area....
But, you'd have to cut a pretty massive hole outta the front cladding and don't forget the entire bottom half of the front cladding gets cut straight off all the way across to make room for the Winch bumper!!!!!
Muhuhahahahahaha!!!!
Get a Sawzal!!! A Plasma Cutter!!! Now get to cutting and don't forget the BFSH!!!!
Beat it!!!

[SPAZZ]

You noticed I didn't reply on weight of either the winch and/or bumper ,etc.

That's cause I didn't really notice.
If properly/correctly braced in all directions,
It will actually reinforce your stability and help you out.
Yes, you will sag a little, with the added weight from stock but if you've any GT at all solve this with your T-Bars!!!
Make sure to bounce up& dwn on each side after cranking the bolts clockwise(notch outside &bolt for reference). Crank equally on each side a few turns then do the bouncing.
Drive it down the road/street if you want to too.
Then keep at it.
Some crank the driver's side a little higher as that is the side that is always going to be loaded down with a driver.
I always did mine equal in case I had a passenger.
I had dual batteries. I thought the battery side was heavier, but dual batteries kind of fixed that as, I installed the alternate Batt on the opposite side of engine bay in almost exact location.

Ha!!! Add them apples for weight!!!
And the winch bumper with the down rails and bottom plate + Warn XD9000 + Welding power Cables + Winch power control Servo box + dual electric Fans + the rock sliders + Tone's Full Length Diamond Plate Skid Plate + Full VX Rhino Liner + Dual Optima Yellow Tops + extra wired accessories + 400 Watt Audio Amp + 12" Subs + CB + 360 Amp Alt + Battery Isolator + On board Air Compressor + On Board Air 3 Gallon Air Tank and all hoses & Attachments + 20 ton hydraulic Jack + 2 Hi-lift Jacks + Yakima Extended Load Warrior Roof rack on the VX Yakima Cross Bars + 12 Offroad top lights on rack + 6 Rick lights under VX + 2 purple neon ground effects kits under VX and in front grill + 12 boxes of Dynamatt Xtreme!!!+ all speakers replaced with heavier after market triple coiled speakers + 3 way tweeters added to door panels and dash + extra switches galore added to dash and middle console + Rear bumper class 3 hitch + Calmini lift coils/rear axle realignment bracket+ all 4 bumstops extension steel pieces+ dual monotube rear nitrogen rebuildable lift shock from deutsch tech($530 ea) + Stinky Fab rear axle drag bars with rubicon express joints +Tone's rear storage box+ all the other mods and Numerous Power outlets/sockets added to dash and middle console + trunk popper kit + blinker kits, etc miles of wires added and the list goes on and on for upgrades and added steel/metal/bolts/screws
............
Seriously, how much that pig weighed I don't know but it was more than 5500 as that was the last weight I got on it when it was last on a scale in 2003 Oct.

That's why the VX needs 477's stock at least axle ratio.
I was gonna go 538's but wound up just giving up dumping $ into the pig after 9 full years from off the showroom floor.
So, I got a YJ.
In one weekend I used everything in my garage to do more to the YJ than I ever could to the VX unless I just stripped it down to a frame and body and built it from ground up.
It was therapeutic .
The VX with it's 3.2 engine potted for 3.5 performance has nothing on the 4.0L straight 6 of my YJ.
Plus the gas mileage is phenomnally different as my YJ has Locked 538's F&R with 36x14.5"x15" TSL Super Swampers and gets 16 MPG.
My VX stock only got 10 MPG and after I mod'd the ever living poop outta it only was getting 12 something and both didn't matter highway or city.
I'm sure if I did have the 538's installed it wouldve greatly improved mileage, but the YJ was set up Dana 44's Locked 538's F&R already with Chromolly axle shafts and Massive Chromolly Drag Link & Tie Rod as well as a C-clip rear axle eliminator kit and all 4 disc brakes as well.
Plus Tilt wheel and the hard top and a family bar roll cage.
Belly pan, Tcase came SYE'd, ha a Double cardan High angle CV drive shaft and CTM Ujoints.
I traded straight across.

Very clean and shiny '92 YJ.
Looked like a grandma had it in her garage then someone got a hold of it then someone added some mods then had to sell it without finishing it.
So, I added sliders and fixed a few things that someone didn't know how to.
Now, I need to sell all I can to get new driveshafts from Tomwoods($350 ea) and wheels($1400)
And brakelines and I'm daily driving.
So, my VX lot collection of parts and stuff over 9 years is for sale.
Contact me ($2500 takes all).

[vt_maverick]

...don't forget the entire bottom half of the front cladding gets cut straight off all the way across to make room for the Winch bumper!!!!!

I thought all you had to cut was the template area around the license plate holder? Doesn't look like you cut the entire bottom of your front cladding in this pic:

So, my VX lot collection of parts and stuff over 9 years is for sale.
Contact me ($2500 takes all).

So what exactly is left? I was going to put it into a cleaner list for you but I couldn't find what you have left in the posts above.

Good to hear from you SPAZZ!

[SPAZZ]

Cladding.
Rear complete 12 bolt Isuzu Corporate axle.
Rear 12 bolt Isuzu Corporate 3rd Member in 538 Aussie Locked( brand new R&P & Carrier & Brand New Aussie Locker, brand new install my Independent4x).
Spare 538 brand new R&P and brand new carrier.
Same as above.

Several 3rds same as above in 456 and 430.

Several front Isuzu Corporate 10 bolt Axles without shafts & cv's in 430 & 456.

Several 3rd members same as above in 430 & 456.

Original VX F&R R&P's with bolts in 430 with only 18,000 highway miles.

Tone's Full Diamond plate skidplate with oil change holes cut.
You'll need to weld on your own mounting brackets for correct clearance .

Front SAS Dana44 project in 538 ratio near complete . Set up for crossover hi steer.

Rear axle drag bars X3 or 4.

A whole box of original VX paperwork and instructions as well as VX related and the Original CD maintenance manual.

Everything since April of 2001 off the Showroom floor I've collected & removed and saved to Feb of 2009.

Middle side Glass piece.

Front Headlight.

Numerous types of front headlight bulbs.

Side marker light mid'd with blinker.

Side power mirror Assy.

Entire locking gas assy with key.

Jack door cover.

AISIN MANUAL HUBS!!!

And the list goes on.


In the pic posted, that was for mock up and we noticed that with my diamond plate skidplate that the winch bumper bottom plate would not mount up to the bottom yow hook holes.
Also, the down bars to bottom plate were interfering
With the cladding and the VX breathing/overheating.

so we trimmed the cladding all the way across from one side to another where that bottom bulge if different than thefront side.
Much better.