1500 to spend

[DoWorkSon]

Good afternoon gentlemen (and probably a few ladies),

I recently returned from a deployment (to the ocean and back, long but boring) and am pleased to report a small amount of "disposable" income is available for vehicular use. Please help me spend it... I have today off from work and would like to get my orders in ASAP.

Purpose: I have a trip planned to Moab, UT for the 2 weeks of stand-down/leave I'm taking the first two weeks on June. I want to run as many trails as possible and camp and much as possible in those two weeks. Driving from FL, I won't have SO much time, but enough if I plan accordingly. With that being said...

I have a 2007 H3 base/luxury. Its only modifications are stock-sized BFG A/Ts (265/75/16) and a torsion bar crank. I am seeking guidance/direction in spending my 1500 dollars, as I find myself bouncing back and forth between all sorts of things. I'd like maximum "bang for my buck"...


Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jordan.

 

[scrubber3]

A good free mod would be to pull the useless sidesteps off. Unless you have kids and they need them. If it was my 1500, I'd get a winch bumper and winch. While you're at it you should invest in a high lift jack with a lift mate and base. You've got a good platform, so to be honest all you need is recovery equipment. Anything else would be just for show until you get the extra cash.

Off topic- What branch are you in. Also, welcome home bro!

 

[DoWorkSon]

Thanks for the fast response, scrubber....

I'm in the Navy on a submarine. I have also since removed the side steps from picture 1. It is hard to make out in that second one, but they are gone.

hi-lift and winch... I will be investigating...

Thanks!

 

[GlennA]

A quality bumper and winch will eat up that 1500 quickly. That is where I would put my money. If you research some of the Hummer forums, there are some creative winch mounting options. Such as behind the bumper.

 

[scrubber3]

A quality bumper and winch will eat up that 1500 quickly. That is where I would put my money. If you research some of the Hummer forums, there are some creative winch mounting options. Such as behind the bumper.

I know what you mean. Though if he is not a warn winch snob, he should be able to pull it off. There are several great options that are way more cost effective than a warn. As you stated though, he could mount the winch behind the bumper therefore allowing him to focus the money elsewhere. I only state that I prefer to have a winch bumper as it is a lot easier to work with as you are having to reach you hand to feel behind the bumper if you mount it sans winch bumper.

 

[DoWorkSon]

i'm no warn snob! I would probably prefer something more "external" than a winch behind the bumper. I'm afraid it'll get rusted out/crapped up if its snuck up behind the bumper. They sure do look cool though.

My brother suggested I get rock sliders/more skid plating/and a hi-lift with accessories... should be about 1500. I imagine having a winch would be more valuable, especially since I expect to be alone (well, going with only one vehicle) for most of my adventures.

 

[scrubber3]

To be honest, I acquired my winch bumper, winch, rock sliders, and high lift all for well under 1500. I did the installing of it all myself though. My vote goes for the winch set up and high lift. If trail gear makes Rock sliders that can fit your H3, they should be fairly inexpensive. Find a buddy with a welder and get to work.

 

[Warn Industries]

A winch/bumper is a good way to get out of a "stuck situation."

And, for what it's worth, you can become a "WARN snob" for less money if you opt for a WARN VR-series winch.

A VR10000 would be a good winch for an H3 without being too pricey. You can get into a VR10000 for about $579, and we do have a $50 rebate on the VR10000 until May 31.

- Andy

 

[DoWorkSon]

Andy, can you recommend a way to mount it? I don't really want a brushguard, mostly because 500+ for a winch mount (which is all i want it for) is a little crazy.

 

[DoWorkSon]

Update:

I have purchased the following items with a total price of $617.85, leaving me with 900 dollars left to work with (radcon math, for those of you in the know )




I think I'm going to get sliders from Rocky Road, then save a little more and get a winch... Or just go a touch over-budget...thats allowed, isnt it?

The Rocky Road sliders:

 

[evldave]

Since you are going to Moab (hopefully with friends?), definitely add the sliders.

A new H3 bumper will set you back $600 (CBPhoto) to $1200 (ARB), add in price of the winch and you are pretty far over budget Used H3 bumpers are rare, and typically go within a few days on Craigslist (trust me I know).

If you want to do some fab work, or pay someone to do it for you, for $200-300 you can get just about any mid-size truck winch bumper and have mounts welded on. I haven't done it yet, but I'm pretty sure the Warn transformer brush guard will work nicely (new mounts required), that would leave enough $$ to get a new winch (or go to Craigslist and get one used). Plus you get to continue being a Warn snob (fine by me)

Avoid getting a front tow hitch + receiver mount. The only pre-fab ones you can get are the Curt ones and they stick down way too far for Moab.

If it was me, I would skip the winch for now and get trail spares (for the H3, that's primarily just tie-rods + replacement sensors) and some recovery gear and go with friends with winches, because you are going to moab with friends, right?

 

[GlennA]

After further thought, I think you could get a universal winch mount and have mounting brackets welded to it and bolt it to the same place as the front recovery rings. The brushguard/winch mount I had on my H-3 was mounted using the recovery ring bolts.

 

[evldave]

After further thought, I think you could get a universal winch mount and have mounting brackets welded to it and bolt it to the same place as the front recovery rings. The brushguard/winch mount I had on my H-3 was mounted using the recovery ring bolts.

That works too, be careful with side-load pulls on the recover attachment points. A number of H3 owners have had some deflection at the end of the frame rails where the tow hooks attach. You can get weld-on re-enforcement plates for those though...

 

[Toyotero]

A locker would probably get you the most bang for your buck... but once you get stuck with it, you'll really be stuck if you don't have recovery equip.

 

[scrubber3]

A locker would probably get you the most bang for your buck... but once you get stuck with it, you'll really be stuck if you don't have recovery equip.

I think the H3 came with a rear locker from the factory. At least most of them I think.