Winch mounting.

[dave.j.robbo]

I'm toying with the idea of fitting a winch. Just in case....

Not too keen on the looks of the winch bumpers, which, I assume, are bolted directly to the front chassis rails.

Now then, I had a quick peek under the bumper the other day, and it seems to me that there is a rather substantial looking crossmember between the front ends of the chassis rails.

All it would mean, is cutting a bit of the front bumper valance away (or not, if I do a body lift..) and there would be a nice strong point to bolt a winch onto.

Could it really be that simple, or am I missing something??

[stormforce]

I'm toying with the idea of fitting a winch. Just in case....

Not too keen on the looks of the winch bumpers, which, I assume, are bolted directly to the front chassis rails.

Now then, I had a quick peek under the bumper the other day, and it seems to me that there is a rather substantial looking crossmember between the front ends of the chassis rails.

All it would mean, is cutting a bit of the front bumper valance away (or not, if I do a body lift..) and there would be a nice strong point to bolt a winch onto.

Could it really be that simple, or am I missing something??

i think thats the way Gary16163 done his

[BUSHWHACKER]

I'm toying with the idea of fitting a winch. Just in case....

Not too keen on the looks of the winch bumpers, which, I assume, are bolted directly to the front chassis rails.

Now then, I had a quick peek under the bumper the other day, and it seems to me that there is a rather substantial looking crossmember between the front ends of the chassis rails.

All it would mean, is cutting a bit of the front bumper valance away (or not, if I do a body lift..) and there would be a nice strong point to bolt a winch onto.

Could it really be that simple, or am I missing something??

Seems a good plan to me, as the chassis would be taking the strain in the same area with a winch bumper anyway.

[dave.j.robbo]

Seems a good plan to me, as the chassis would be taking the strain in the same area with a winch bumper anyway.

That's what I thought.. But it seems too simple!!

[dave.j.robbo]

i think thats the way Gary16163 done his

Thanks for that. I've PM'd him...

[MattF]

That's what I thought.. But it seems too simple!!

Far as I know, only reason they are higher up generally is so that you
can get to them easier when you're bogged in. No digging.

[dave.j.robbo]

Far as I know, only reason they are higher up generally is so that you
can get to them easier when you're bogged in. No digging.

Think I could live with that! Especially considering the cost and looks of a full on winch bumper..

[BUSHWHACKER]

Far as I know, only reason they are higher up generally is so that you
can get to them easier when you're bogged in. No digging.

Are you having a 'dig' again Matt?

[nero279]

Are we talking about the cross member right at the front, between where the recovery hooks are mounted? Have they all got threaded holes in or is it only some of them?

I was looking at this the other day and wondering about fitting a winch to it, if i remember rightly the pictures of the OEM optional winch mount appear to show the arms that come down and forward (so the winch sits on top of them i think) bolting into this from the back but i'll have to check the diagram on the EPC when i get on the other computer where it's installed.

[MattF]

Are you having a 'dig' again Matt?

Wouldn't be the first time, would it.

[dave.j.robbo]

Are we talking about the cross member right at the front, between where the recovery hooks are mounted? Have they all got threaded holes in or is it only some of them?

Yeah, that's the one. Mine has threaded holes, too..

[nero279]

OK this is from the EPC and it's not the clearest diagram in the world but if you can follow it it shows how the original manufacturers option winch was fitted.

The winch appears to mount on top of the plate , which is fixed to the lower stays, and upper stays.

The upper stays appear to bolt into the front of the cross member we were talking about. Using 2 fixings for each stay.

The lower stays seem to fix to the bottom of the main chassis rails. Again using two fixings for each stay.

The thing highlighted pale blue is apparently an airflow deflector. Is cooling going to decome a major issue, i can't see that a winch is going to restrict the airflow round the radiator a huge amount. Surely it'd sit partly in front of where the solid part of the bumper is?

So in short, Toyota fixed winches to this but doubled up the fixings at each point, and used additional fixing points aswell.

Hope this helps.

[dave.j.robbo]

Thanks for that, Ian. Looks like it might be a go-er, then...

Just got to work out how to mount the fairlead!

[Woodzie]

Now this intrests me . I was under the impression that winches had to be Recessed or covered to prevent them being too dangerous in a impact . This goes back to a incident that surrey fire and rescue had ,where a winch on the front of a fire engine was recorded as the main offender of a death when a car span infront of it ...

Please correct me if i am wrong as i realy want to put a winch on mine .

[nero279]

Just a thought, re:woodzies post

is this the reason that it was mounted vertically ie) bolts pointing down, rather than how most winches seem to be mounted with the bolts pointing backwards as they would be on a winch bumper, i may be wrong already as i've never actually paid that much attention to how winches are normally mounted. But i have always percieved them to be mounted that way.

There are plenty of commercial landrovers around these parts with front winches which are not covered/recessed. Including several vehicles from goverment and council sponsored projects.

I'll post a pic to explain what i mean in a bit....

<edit> pic posted ok it's not good, but it's there.</edit>