Portable Winch question

[siebermd]

Anyone have any insight good or bad to having your winch mounted on a removable winch mount? For example "Superwinch 2050 Portable Winch Cradle". My winch is currently mounted to the front bumper. I was thinking this may be a good option; 1 to remove the constant weight from the front bumper, 2 offer the option of rear winch work. Anyone have experience with a portable winch mount?

 

[EugeneTheTJ]

Takes up a lot of interior space on a cradle and you'll have to lug it and mount it every time you need it.

 

[borison]

Takes up a lot of interior space on a cradle and you'll have to lug it and mount it every time you need it.

Why would you have to store it inside if it was on a cradle and set up to carry on the front or rear while traveling? Wouldn't you just leave it at home unless you were going on a trip where you might want it and mount it when you do? I might be missing something.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Good info here http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=4872691 and here https://www.google.com/search?q=portable+winch+pros+and+cons&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

 

[Septu]

Takes up a lot of interior space on a cradle and you'll have to lug it and mount it every time you need it.

Not to mention if you get stuck without it already on, you then have to deal with trying to get it on before you can start getting out. If you're wheeling with it already on, you have to deal with having something stick out an extra foot in front of the jeep.

 

[EugeneTheTJ]

Why would you have to store it inside if it was on a cradle and set up to carry on the front or rear while traveling? Wouldn't you just leave it at home unless you were going on a trip where you might want it and mount it when you do? I might be missing something.

Two issues with that: (1) if you leave it at home your friend Murphy will want you to have to use it when you don't have it. (2) Only installing it for trips - do you really want to have to hook it up prior to every trip departure? Hard mount it and you are one and done.

If you're really worried about rear winching invest in some quality shackles and snatch blocks (plural).

 

[M35A2]

It would seem to be a viable option depending upon one's requirements.

Some vehicles might not have the room up front or out back for a permanently-mounted winch.

Don't forget that hanging the winch out further off a receiver will add quite a bit of leverage to the mount. You could bend or break something the more of an angle you're winching.

 

[MOguy]

Why would you have to store it inside if it was on a cradle and set up to carry on the front or rear while traveling? Wouldn't you just leave it at home unless you were going on a trip where you might want it and mount it when you do? I might be missing something.

it will severely impact your approach or departure angle. A hitch mount is designed for a hitch, rolling weight. I agree with M35A2, it may not provide a strong enough mounting point esp for side pulls.

 

[HenryJ]

Not a Jeeper, but I like the removable winch and have used this one for many years:

All the same reasons. Winch from the rear, or from a hitch on the trailer. Stow it in the summer or when not needed for daily commuting. Mounted up higher it has not hindered the approach for my needs and capabilities.

 

[1stDeuce]

I had my XD9000i on a multi-mount for years. Used it on the rear of the Sonoma, and on both ends of my Cherokee. Not having the winch mounted all the time on the Sonoma was nice, but the Cherokee was a dedicated offroad rig, so it was more about being able to winch from both ends, which was also nice, though I'm not sure I ever used it on the back, just carried it there. It worked out well because I could take the winch with either vehicle. When I ditched both and got my current Jeep together, I plopped the XD on a winch plate and bolted it down and haven't looked back. Of course, I also have a winch on the front bumper of my truck, so I always have a winch with me.

My take on winching backwards is this: I don't drive into stuff that looks iffy unless I have a strong desire to get through. If I drove into something where winching forward isn't an option, and there's nobody else with me to pull or winch me back, I've failed miserably, and deserve to have to bust out the Hi-Lift and get to work... I did have to winch mostly sideways once, when I slipped off the road, but so far haven't had to winch backwards. (Knock knock)

For the Comanche, I'm going back to having front and rear receivers, and a small winch on a multi-mount. (Badlands 3500 that I already own, actually...) That will be plenty of winch for the "trouble" that this 3500lb truck will see out here in the desert and mountains. It doesn't weigh much, and I can also use it anywhere I can plug it into a receiver. (Back of the other vehicles, ATV, Trailer, etc...)

A lighter winch on a lighter receiver should prove handy.

 

[1stDeuce]

I should also mention that Nth Degree had a really awesome bumper designed for TJ's that allowed the winch to be easily removed without tools. Put a big Anderson connector on the power and ground leads like you would for a multi-mount, and you have a winch that is right at home on the front bumper, but easily stored out of the weather (and out of the range of sticky fingers) for DD duties. I don't recall if he had a multi-mount setup that it could attach to, but it would have been cooler if he did.

Chris

 

[siebermd]

Very insightful, thank you. I currently have 4 vehicles with 2" receivers, 3 of them Jeeps. It might make sense to do a cradle mount for me.

 

[MOguy]

Not a Jeeper, but I like the removable winch and have used this one for many years:

All the same reasons. Winch from the rear, or from a hitch on the trailer. Stow it in the summer or when not needed for daily commuting. Mounted up higher it has not hindered the approach for my needs and capabilities.

for easy straight pulls and on terrain like that, having a move able set up may be ideal.

 

[82fb]

I had a warnxd9000 on a multi mount for years on my old Toyota wheeling rig. Used it fairly often from the rear, however, that is simply due to me leaving it there most of the time. I could very easily have used it from the front most of those times. The very few times I actually needed to pull to the rear, I could easily run the cable under the axles and pulled backwards. I now have a jeep Cherokee and mounted the winch in front permanently.

As far as strength goes, most any 2 inch receiver hitch is going to be way stronger than the 4 low grade 3/8 bolts that hold the winch to the plate. I used mine extensively pulling sideways. The receivers never bent, neither did the 2 inch 3/16 tube welded to my plate.

approach and departure angle suffered a bit...

 

[4x4reedom]

Anyone have any insight good or bad to having your winch mounted on a removable winch mount? For example "Superwinch 2050 Portable Winch Cradle". My winch is currently mounted to the front bumper. I was thinking this may be a good option; 1 to remove the constant weight from the front bumper, 2 offer the option of rear winch work. Anyone have experience with a portable winch mount?

So glad you asked this, I was just evaluating the same question. From a functional, utilitarian perspective, I imagine the portable winch and cradle is superior. Aesthetically, I understand there's a certain "look" to having an integrated winch in the front bumper.