Removable winch mount in bumper?

mtnblue

Observer
I have a Montero and I would like to get some sort of (not fancy)lightweight steel bumper for the front and rear which has some sort of built in cavity where a winch could be optionally mounted in the front or the rear. Something like a reasonably light 4 or 6" channel iron bumper and having the winch mounted on a carrier with either one or two 2" square tube hitch mounts located at the rear of the bumper to allow for easy removal to be relocated to the front or rear. In all my searching I haven't found anything nearly similar and was wondering why something like that hasn't been designed. So in fact the front bumper would act as a "garage" for the winch to be used in that location or from the rear. Another option would be to have some sort of articulating plate mounted under the bumper which could be used to attach and articulate the winch in situations where the direction of pull wasn't directly in front, so the winch could actually "swung" one direction or another to assure a straight line pull.

It doesn't make sense to me to have a permanently mounted winch on the front, because if you got yourself in a situation where you needed a winch, most likely you would want to be pulled out from the direction you came from and not the direction you are going. Having an option would be golden.

If I knew how to weld, I'd build one myself, but alas I have to see if anyone else had similar ideas? I've searched and have found nothing.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
Receiver mount? They have those.
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https://www.finditparts.com/product...MI3NPhyvTN2AIVgX5-Ch3HfgedEAQYBSABEgK3hPD_BwE
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I could see putting the winch on the receiver (either front or rear) while traveling to or from your destination, then when the actual "off roading" started, put the winch inside the vehicle (so it doesn't affect your approach/departure angles.)
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Keep in mind, though, winches are heavy sumb!tches. I could barely pick up the winch for my wife's Jeep after Amazon delivered it to me. It was a Smittybilt 8k winch and I want to say it weighed somewhere around 80lbs at least. 80lbs of winch + 25 lbs of receiver mount is a lot of weight to be moving around on a regular basis.
 

mtnblue

Observer
Receiver mount? They have those.
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I could see putting the winch on the receiver (either front or rear) while traveling to or from your destination, then when the actual "off roading" started, put the winch inside the vehicle (so it doesn't affect your approach/departure angles.)
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Keep in mind, though, winches are heavy sumb!tches. I could barely pick up the winch for my wife's Jeep after Amazon delivered it to me. It was a Smittybilt 8k winch and I want to say it weighed somewhere around 80lbs at least. 80lbs of winch + 25 lbs of receiver mount is a lot of weight to be moving around on a regular basis.

I know they make the winch carriers. I use the milemarker 10,500 lb hydraulic winch set up through winches plus at my mining claim. I am a 62 yr old guy and don't have much trouble moving the winch carrier around a boulder strewn river bed, so walking from the front of the truck to the rear isn't a problem. The question was has anyone ever seen a front/rear bumper set up where you can easily remove the winch from the front to the rear as needed? I have some ideas, but I was wondering if anyone has a better idea than me. I have a "spare" 12,000 hydraulic winch which I may consider to use if it doesn't push my front end down too much. Otherwise I may have to use an electric winch. I really, really like my milemarker/winches plus set up. I have literally 500 hours on it and have never had a problem. I use it all day long winching rocks all over the place and it never misses a beat.
 

CampStewart

Observer
Some random thoughts. In the front and rear you would probably build a bumper out of tube that would both go over and under your winch. You would have to crawl under the rig in order to install and remove the pins holding the winch in place. In the rear you would probably lose your trailer hitch and a new one would have to fabricated to wrap under the winch. Crawling under the rig to switch from one end to the other might range from annoying to impossible depending on the terrain and how bad you are stuck. With the current loss from the front to back of vehicle I would probably try to have a 2nd battery back there. You would end up with entirely new bumpers front and rear. I would think paying a fabricator to do such a project would cost between 3k and 4k.
 

mtnblue

Observer
So it looks like I need to put my thinking hat on. I know it can be done without having to crawl under the vehicle, I just need to get creative. I'm kinda bummed that no one has attempted this before. I am thinking a channel iron bumper with a cut-out dead center in front of the vehicle for the winch carrier to slide in. It wouldn't be hard to make some sort of lever locking pin that would lock the winch in the 2" tube from the front of the vehicle. Many moons ago I had a custom winch bumper on a 1979 Toyota I used to own, where it also was a channel iron bumper and the winch was nestled dead center, but what I did on either side of the winch was to create lockable boxes built into the winch bumper where I could store tow straps, chains, D rings, etc and it worked great for years. The bumper stuck out maybe 6" further than stock. I had a Tensen winch on it and used it almost daily to move around my commercial woodsplitter. I'd like to do something similar to that with this iteration. Hmmmmm.
 

ducktapeguy

Adventurer
I have seen a couple of people do something like this. One idea was the winch sat on a plate and had 2 receiver tubes mounted to the bottom. The winch sat in the space between the bumper and the frame, and was locked in place with two x 2" long square tubes going through the bumper, though the receiver tubes on the winch mount, then into the crossmember. So the 2" tubes basically acted like really long pins. On the rear I don't remember if they had the same setup or pinned the locking tubes into the mount and just used it as a dual receiver mount cantilevered out back. But it looked like a much stronger design than just a normal receiver mount.

The most interesting idea I saw used a center mounted winch under the tub facing the rear. The cable would wind out the back, go through a snatch block, then run back under the vehicle through some pulleys or guides and exit out the front. When used it as a front mounted winch, the snatch block in the rear would be pinned in place, the cable would run through the snatch block, turn around and go through the front fairlead and it would act like a normal winch. To use it as a rear winch, the winch cable would be anchored in the front and the snatch block in the rear would be unpinned and used for rear recovery. So rear recovery was always a double line pull. Seems like that would be easier than moving a winch back and forth.
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
The guys over at ADD sell a hidden front mount that goes behind the stock bumper, while it is not removable it is a great setup. Since I bought my first Jeep in 1999 there has been one occasion where I needed to be winched from the rear, I was with other people and they pulled me out just fine.
 

mtnblue

Observer
The guys over at ADD sell a hidden front mount that goes behind the stock bumper, while it is not removable it is a great setup. Since I bought my first Jeep in 1999 there has been one occasion where I needed to be winched from the rear, I was with other people and they pulled me out just fine.

Good point... don't get in those sort of situations when you are alone.
 

mtnblue

Observer
I have seen a couple of people do something like this. One idea was the winch sat on a plate and had 2 receiver tubes mounted to the bottom. The winch sat in the space between the bumper and the frame, and was locked in place with two x 2" long square tubes going through the bumper, though the receiver tubes on the winch mount, then into the crossmember. So the 2" tubes basically acted like really long pins. On the rear I don't remember if they had the same setup or pinned the locking tubes into the mount and just used it as a dual receiver mount cantilevered out back. But it looked like a much stronger design than just a normal receiver mount.

The most interesting idea I saw used a center mounted winch under the tub facing the rear. The cable would wind out the back, go through a snatch block, then run back under the vehicle through some pulleys or guides and exit out the front. When used it as a front mounted winch, the snatch block in the rear would be pinned in place, the cable would run through the snatch block, turn around and go through the front fairlead and it would act like a normal winch. To use it as a rear winch, the winch cable would be anchored in the front and the snatch block in the rear would be unpinned and used for rear recovery. So rear recovery was always a double line pull. Seems like that would be easier than moving a winch back and forth.

That's an interesting idea.... the problem being that you would have to have access under your vehicle in order to determine direction of the pull. That's a scary thought.
 

Peter_n_Margaret

Adventurer
My winch is mounted on a cradle that fits into a standard HR style hitch receiver. I have one each end.
It can also be used "remotely" and that has many advantages.
The down side is that it is a Warn 16.5Ti and weighs about 70kg.
05-05 Last, paint, tanks etc 058E.jpg
07-10-19 to 23 009Ec.jpg
Cheers,
Peter OKA196 motorhome
 

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robert

Expedition Leader
I have seen a couple of people do something like this. One idea was the winch sat on a plate and had 2 receiver tubes mounted to the bottom. The winch sat in the space between the bumper and the frame, and was locked in place with two x 2" long square tubes going through the bumper, though the receiver tubes on the winch mount, then into the crossmember. So the 2" tubes basically acted like really long pins. On the rear I don't remember if they had the same setup or pinned the locking tubes into the mount and just used it as a dual receiver mount cantilevered out back. But it looked like a much stronger design than just a normal receiver mount.

The most interesting idea I saw used a center mounted winch under the tub facing the rear. The cable would wind out the back, go through a snatch block, then run back under the vehicle through some pulleys or guides and exit out the front. When used it as a front mounted winch, the snatch block in the rear would be pinned in place, the cable would run through the snatch block, turn around and go through the front fairlead and it would act like a normal winch. To use it as a rear winch, the winch cable would be anchored in the front and the snatch block in the rear would be unpinned and used for rear recovery. So rear recovery was always a double line pull. Seems like that would be easier than moving a winch back and forth.

Oddly I've seen something similar to what you are describing in both examples. In the first the winch was on a plate with two 2" stubs that fit into receivers built into the bumpers- the bumpers looked kind of like the rear step bumpers on 1980s GMCs but designed for the winch to slide into. Novel idea but it looked like a PITA to move and I'm sure it had to be kept clean so it didn't rust or get stuck.

The second was on a 1970s truck that a fellow up near Clemson had when I was there in the 80s; the winch was mounted in the rear about where a spare tire would be these days. He could straight pull out the back but he could also connect a snatch block to the back side of the rear bumper so the cable could be redirected 180degrees out the front. He had a clevis in the front to keep the cable going straight. I never saw it in use but it didn't seem like the best of ideas to me.
 

MOguy

Explorer
If you are stuck and in a situation where the vehicle can't move it is going to be difficult for you to move esp if you are carrying around an approx 80lb winch. I would think this wouldn't be the safest thing to do. You also may not even have the room to unmount the winch and remount it, depending how you are stuck.

I would think about permenately mounting two winches. You could probably mount them in a way not reduce your approach or departure angle. And it would be allot safer and always available.

At work we have larger winches on larger vehicles mounted on temp mounts using two hitch mounting points. I am sure they were custom made and definitely a two person job to move them, even when sitting in the garage.
 
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nitro_rat

Lunchbox Lockers
The old Hickey “Sidewinder” winches tucked up pretty good for a hidden solution. Good luck finding two in operating condition...
 

pawleyk

Running from Monday..
I built a front bumper with a 2" receiver tube integrated in. Ran 00 welding cable front-rear with the big Anderson connectors at each bumper. Now my Warn 9500HS on a carrier with 2" stinger can be mounted front and rear. We store it in the truck bed when not in use.DSC03292.jpgDSC03294.jpgDSC03296.jpg
 
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JP-ADV

New member
mtnblue, did you ever figure out a solution? I have the same idea you do about the bumper design. I am going to talk to a fab shop in the next few weeks about doing a custom bumper. I hope they have some ideas, but I want to go in with ideas of my own.
 

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