Anyone using the hidden winch mount from Mountainoffroad?

[Polymath]

I lucked into a cheap 12k badlands (harbor freight) winch and was looking at mounting options. I don't really want to have to buy a new bumper and found the hidden mounts that only require some material be cut away from teh OEM bumper, which i'm not concerned about. Does anyone else use this setup and do you have any opinions good or bad on it? Does it work just as well as a full winch bumper? Any limitations?

 

[kennyw]

I have been looking at everything available for my M1028 build. What I don't like about any of the offerings for behind the bumper mounts is access to the freewheel lever. They end up under the truck in a hard to reach place if you are stuck on an obstacle or in a mud hole. If you don't plan on anything extreme, it probably doesn't matter. However, why do you need a winch then?

This one does appear to keep the winch above the bottom of the frame though so you can still build a skid plate to protect the winch. The attachments to the frame look OK but the angle iron would be your weak point if something was to give out. It is mounted in a way that is bending the leg of the angle under load without a gusset to keep it rigid. Since it ships unpainted, you could easily add some extra gusseting though. I would put one between the bolts going forward and/or on the ends going forward. What ever clears all of the mounting holes/bolts.

GMC & Chevrolet Squarebody Hidden Winch Mount 1981-1987

Keep your classic Chevrolet / GM Squarebody looking classic with our new hidden winch mount. Will require bumper trimming at the license plate in order to expose the fairlead, see photos. Comes powder coated Black. Hardware included. Winch sold separately. * We have been able to test fit on the...

mountainoffroad.com

 

[cheavyk10]

Man, those guys ripped off @Engineered Vintage but with a way weaker looking design
For comparison: https://engineeredvintage.com/produ...-crew-suburban-behind-bumper-winch-mount-bbwm

 

[Blue85]

I lucked into a cheap 12k badlands (harbor freight) winch and was looking at mounting options. I don't really want to have to buy a new bumper and found the hidden mounts that only require some material be cut away from teh OEM bumper, which i'm not concerned about. Does anyone else use this setup and do you have any opinions good or bad on it? Does it work just as well as a full winch bumper? Any limitations?

What are the dimensions of the winch? Going between the frame rails really limits the width you can have. Yes, a hidden winch means the lever is hard to access. The alternative is a giant front bumper that impacts the approach angle. Also, the winch is now sitting in the sun and rain. Which is preferable depends on what you like and where you wheel.

They end up under the truck in a hard to reach place if you are stuck on an obstacle or in a mud hole. If you don't plan on anything extreme, it probably doesn't matter. However, why do you need a winch then?

I have a hidden winch and use it often. "Finding" the lever is easy once you get used to it. I have had to reach under water to flip it before, but there is always the alternative of powering the line out. The bigger compromise is the difficulty in seeing how the cable is spooling up - especially in those critical night extractions. On the flip side, there are obstacles you can't get your tires on without smashing a "front porch" style bumper. Sometimes stuck is just stuck and the winch is still high and dry, so the mount style doesn't matter.

 

[kennyw]

I found a compromise position between the large out front bumper and the behind the bumper hard to access. I still need to build it out, but I think this will be a good compromise without loosing too much approach angle. However, I will have to cut out the center of my bumper and build in new structure.

 

[Blue85]

Is that much forward getting around the limitation of the frame rail width?

 

[Wes Harden]

Man, those guys ripped off @Engineered Vintage but with a way weaker looking design
For comparison: https://engineeredvintage.com/produ...-crew-suburban-behind-bumper-winch-mount-bbwm

I tried to find this page earlier today and only saw 67-72 hidden winch mount being offered.

 

[cheavyk10]

I tried to find this page earlier today and only saw 67-72 hidden winch mount being offered.

Internet glitch?? Not sure what happened there.

My truck is in those photos on that page if you look close!!

 

[Wes Harden]

Dude your Famous

 

[Polymath]

Thank you all for the advice and thoughts I had not yet thought.

I'm not doing any crazy 4 wheeling but I have been stuck/stranded in mud before while camping with overnight rains making my exit very troublesome. The winch in all reality might get used more to pull the currently not-running truck into the garage when I need to shove it outside to work on other things, as well as pulling other things around as necessary, like getting dead vehicles onto trailers.
I did not really even intend to buy a winch any time soon but could not pass up the opportunity as I knew I wanted it some day.

Q&A on the site says the badlands 1200 does fit but I will make sure to measure the gap first. They might have been referring to the bolt pattern only. I agree that the angle irons look like the weak point but I imagine they put this mount through more torture than I ever will and would have added the small reinforcement tabs if it were a problem.

 

[ZooMad75]

Just throwing this out there. The Hickey Sidewinder winch had a pretty clever way to change from free spool to locked. I'm stealing pics from Larry's flicker page because he just moved his Sidewinder onto his Burb last summer.

The Hickey setup had a slim knob attached to a rod that comes up from under the core support. The early ones had a round knob but the lower hood wouldn't let that fit.

The rod attaches to an arm that locks the winch drum in.

I'm sure a creative type could figure out a way to set up something similar.

 

[Polymath]

Engineered Vintage touts theirs as having the frame reinforcements built in but it looks like the other kit does the same thing in principle. Or am I missing something? Is that not the same reinforcements that the rough country kit does?

 

[cheavyk10]

Engineered Vintage touts theirs as having the frame reinforcements built in but it looks like the other kit does the same thing in principle. Or am I missing something? Is that not the same reinforcements that the rough country kit does?

Here's a pic of the way the EV kit mounts. Top left bolt is the upper front steering box bolt, the next two older ones are the outer bumper brace bolts, the center bolts sandwich the plates, the center bolt to the right goes thru the body mount bracket and the frame, and the right front three are the bumper/frame horns, and one more thru the top of the frame.
That mountain off road version only uses four bolts to attach it to the frame.

 

[Chickntrk]

I have CFM fabs winch cradle on my 78,


The freespool lever was easy to get to before I put the bumper back on, however it’s still not too bad, reach up around the left side, I can get more pics if anyone wants any.

 

[Blue85]

I did consider running the lever straight forward through the front of the bumper. I wouldn't trust it there full-time, so it would have to be removable, which is kind of back to the same issues if you're stuck against a log or something. I think an adapter could be made that takes 3/8" or 1/2" drive extension while keeping the case sealed. It was discussed in my bumper thread, but I don't see any notes about the handle size. https://ck5.com/forums/threads/front-bumper-build-low-profile-with-pics-and-drawing.308242/

The complication with a shift linkage is that these old Warn levers are quite stiff to turn and have to rotate a full 180 degrees.

 

[Engineered Vintage]

 

[scouthead]

I found a compromise position between the large out front bumper and the behind the bumper hard to access. I still need to build it out, but I think this will be a good compromise without loosing too much approach angle. However, I will have to cut out the center of my bumper and build in new structure.

hey i had a similar photo of big blue once upon a time!

 

[scouthead]

Man, those guys ripped off @Engineered Vintage but with a way weaker looking design
For comparison: https://engineeredvintage.com/produ...-crew-suburban-behind-bumper-winch-mount-bbwm

saw a picture in the mix where it did show a winch that was hanging... but most show the winches SITTING on this mount? so between the bumper, core support, frame rails, body, and mounting plate, there will be ZERO access to the spool? no bueno.

even if you can somehow get to the free spool lever, you are going to need to get to the rope on the spool at some point?

 

[scouthead]

if trying to keep the winch tucked between the frame rails, and up high - i suggest making the face of the bumper the mounting surface - winch with feet forward. no worries about shearing mounting bolts or breaking the chinese castings - the whole winch will need to pull through the bumper!

i was going to build a skidplate for mine, but now think access to the spool is more important. If I revisit that idea, I may look into an "open tubing" kind of skid plate that I can reach through easily.

getting used to the freespool lever being down under there is not that bad if you can reclock the motor and gear housings? I was able to on mine. really easy to get to it unless the truck is 1/2 way up the doors in snow or mud, and the bumper is under? -in that case you would hope to have the forethought to already have it in gear, and have the remote plugged in - might be slow, but just power it out if you cannot reach the lever?


something like posts 75-140 in my build thread show my bumper and winch coming together like a jigsaw puzzle

 

[scouthead]

I have been looking at everything available for my M1028 build. What I don't like about any of the offerings for behind the bumper mounts is access to the freewheel lever. They end up under the truck in a hard to reach place if you are stuck on an obstacle or in a mud hole. If you don't plan on anything extreme, it probably doesn't matter. However, why do you need a winch then?

This one does appear to keep the winch above the bottom of the frame though so you can still build a skid plate to protect the winch. The attachments to the frame look OK but the angle iron would be your weak point if something was to give out. It is mounted in a way that is bending the leg of the angle under load without a gusset to keep it rigid. Since it ships unpainted, you could easily add some extra gusseting though. I would put one between the bolts going forward and/or on the ends going forward. What ever clears all of the mounting holes/bolts.

GMC & Chevrolet Squarebody Hidden Winch Mount 1981-1987

Keep your classic Chevrolet / GM Squarebody looking classic with our new hidden winch mount. Will require bumper trimming at the license plate in order to expose the fairlead, see photos. Comes powder coated Black. Hardware included. Winch sold separately. * We have been able to test fit on the...

mountainoffroad.com

View attachment 440041

that appears to put the winch feet forward, so i like that part... this is similar to how i built mine, BUT, i tore the winch down and flopped parts to get the fairlead and winch coming off the top of the spool so as not to turn the fairlead into the first thing forward always tagging the rocks?

not sure if i would worry about the angle iron failing from bending once everything is mounted and bolted in. on the other hand, if you were swinging from a helicopter at the end of your winch, how much do you trust those welds not to crack and come sailing out the front???

a couple of grade 8 bolts through both pieces would be a warm and fuzzy feeling! -or, if thats a clearance issue, i would consider a couple of 3/8 holes drilled all the way through both pieces, and fill them with one continuous rosette weld all the way through?