winch mount options

hollysprings · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:38 pm

Kudos to everyone responsible for the "bumpers" sticky thread. I've spent the last several nights reading and following the links. Tons of good info there.

I haven't finished reading it all but I think I have the jist of it. However, one thing isn't real clear to me. If I understand correctly the current state of the KJ aftermarket, the only non-custom options for mounting a winch on a 2006 are either the $1200 ARB bumper or a portable front-hitch mount. Is that correct? Why doesn't somebody offer a simple winch tray that attaches where the tow hooks go for $300-400?

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:43 pm

Who is shafting you $1200 for an ARB? I paid $950 as a nobody off the streets at 4 Wheel Parts.

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 4:57 pm

I have about two hundred in mine :lol:

ok so it was used but not used up!

Seriuosly you can find them cheaper than 1200 bucks for sure, Rustys had a sale on them recently where a few members bought them

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:05 pm

i got my ARB used for about $600...

and they do have a system your talking about.. it's called the ' detours backbone' (just google it) it mounts very nicely and retains your stock bumper (after trimming)... it's a very good way to mount a winch if your looking for a cheap solution or less weight than a bumper.

while i had my bumper off to change it i looked things over a bit and it seems completely reasonable to use a TJ winch plate and tie it into the front of the liberty for a cheap winch mount. with a real small amount of easy fabrication that could be done.

ramlebliberty · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:26 pm

theres also the way that chileankj? (i think thats his name) mounted his winch behind the stock bumper, looks flippin sweet.

hollysprings · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:45 pm

Well, that's sounding better now. I was going by list price ($1248.99 for the KJ 05-06 model) but now I see $880 at Rustys and $1023 at 4 wheel parts. And if they come up used a lot, that's even better - I'll start shopping the classifieds, too. At $200-600 used it starts to look real good, maybe even at $800-900 new.

Weight is a consideration. What do you guys think, will the full ARB bull bar + winch make me sag in the front? I'm not planning to get a lift any time soon.

And yeah, one of the links on the bumpers thread led to that "backbone" system and I read a bit about that - that's part of what led to my question above. You say a "real small amount of easy fabrication" and mention the TJ winch plate, which makes me think we're thinking alike - I was thinking of inserting steel bars in the ends of the frame rails (which I saw somebody do) to extend the width of the TJ winch plate and just bolt it down like that. Really no welding necessary, although i could pay somebody to weld it if that made it stronger. Figure $150ish for the TJ winch plate (or maybe $50-75 used if I can find one) and another $150 for the steel bars, bolts and welding services and that route should come in under $300.

hollysprings · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:52 pm

P.S. I just thought I'd add a bit about my planned use. I love wheeling and rock-crawling and all that stuff but I've been doing this for 20+ years and I don't need to do the wild stuff myself anymore - I just watch you young crazies on YouTube when I feel like that. All I'm after is a reliable vehicle that will get me to my favorite fishing spots in the Holly Springs and Ozark National Forests. For the last 10 years I've been driving an XJ stock except for tires and winch, so I just need the KJ to equal that.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 6:59 pm

With a receiver mounted winch you can cause all sorts of damage on a angled pull.The ARB is one of the best winch bumpers out there,and yes you will need upgrade front springs.A front set of OEM coils from a CRD will do the trick,will hold the weight and give no lift.

Quicksilversurf917 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 11:19 pm

2006 KJ wrote:

i got my ARB used for about $600...

and they do have a system your talking about.. it's called the ' detours backbone' (just google it) it mounts very nicely and retains your stock bumper (after trimming)... it's a very good way to mount a winch if your looking for a cheap solution or less weight than a bumper.

while i had my bumper off to change it i looked things over a bit and it seems completely reasonable to use a TJ winch plate and tie it into the front of the liberty for a cheap winch mount. with a real small amount of easy fabrication that could be done.

Where did u get your bumper?

Guest · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:21 am

you can try boulderbars.com. They sell used ones there.

hollysprings · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:54 am

tjkj2002 wrote:

With a receiver mounted winch you can cause all sorts of damage on a angled pull.

Good point, and 90% of your real world pulls are going to be angled to some degree. Seldom is an anchor right in front of you.

I also considered getting a front hitch and receiver mount and leaving the winch mounted all the time - that would avoid the hassle of mounting up before every winch job but still leave the option of moving the winch to the rear. However, I'm guessing you could also damage the hitch-attachment hardware by having all that extra weight permanently mounted there and bouncing around on trails and on the road. Plus you compromise your approach angle pretty severely.

One possibility would be to fabricate some kind of reinforcement, running to the tow hook attachment points. But that still leaves the approach angle problem.

hollysprings · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:27 am

Here's the pic from chileankj's under-stock-bumper winch mount that ramlebliberty mentioned above.

And here's a write-up on how it was done.

http://www.keylogistics.cl/claudio/jeep/install.htm

And here's pics of the backbone system kit sold by Detours.

And here's a link for where to buy it for $335 + shipping.

http://www.detoursusa.com/kjbackbone.php

So, I'm glad to say, I stand corrected on my original premise - there are lots of options for relatively low-cost winch mounts keeping the orignal bumper.

Now all I have to do is decide which way I want to go...

jeepetorp · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:33 am

Here is how I did: http://jeepetorp.blogg.se/2008/august/w ... ering.html

XC204 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 2:03 pm

Jeepetorp My guess is it didnt fall off like all the nay sayers said it would. Still looks Good!

winch mount options

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