Usually mounting a winch is pretty
straightforward - just 4 bolts and you are done. But in order to
mount my winch on this bumper, I needed to trim the grill. This was
the first section I removed using a dremel. If any of you plan to
cut your grill to fit a winch, make absolutely sure you move the
wire bundle shown in the photo back out of the way - don't just cut
into this section or you will cut into these wires.
After cutting more of the grill surround away I was able to fit
the winch onto the plate. My initial measurements worked out well
because I didn't need to move my transmission cooler and there was
just enough room for the winch, which was actually touching the
front crossmember. I ground a little of that away just to make sure
it was going to fit.
Then it was just a matter of trimming the grill to be able to
fit that back on. I had to trim extra to allow room for the
engagement lever, but other than that I tried not to trim away more
than needed. These next few photos were also taken after everything
was finished, including putting my IPF lights back on and the air
hose coupler.
Here's a side view to show how far the winch is recessed in.
And here's some shots of the finished project.
So I was successful at creating a winch bumper that didn't
stick out any more than my non-winch bumper did. The added weight of
the winch isn't bad either, but I do notice it slightly. When I
first installed the RE5.5" lift kit, it gave me 6.5" of
lift up front and has pretty much stayed at that height since. After
this project, the front sits a little less than 1/2" lower,
which is to be expected. That puts me at 6" of lift height on
the RE5.5" suspension. I can live with that!
But wait - there's more! I still haven't shown you where I
mounted the solenoid box, or the in-cab winch control, or the
electrical upgrades which include an Optima battery and HD battery
cables.
Continue on to Part 3 -
Relocating the Solenoid Box |