It's rare to see a winch on the front of a go-fast truck. The extra 100 pounds is just a little much for some guy with a prerunner looking to lose as much weight as he can-especially in the front end. But what if you could add all the pulling power of a standard 100-pound winch without all the weight? Would you be game to try one then? This is the dilemma I was having with the front of my red Dodge 4x4. Though it's certainly no "prerunner" in the true sense of the word, I do like to drive it fast and I have tried to keep the total weight of the truck down to around 5,200 pounds. But there are occasions that I could use a front-mounted winch. 1. The foundation of the winch mount was going to be a square tube crossmember that had been added to the front of this truck's frame many years ago. The winch plate would weld directly to this crossmember and just towards the front.1. The foundation of the winch mount was going to be a square tube crossmember that had be That's why I decided to mount a Warn RC9000 on the front of my truck, running the synthetic rope through the skidplate and adding only 50 extra pounds to the front end. The RC9000 has all the pulling power of a full-sized 9,000-pound winch, but it has a smaller spool and uses only 50 feet of synthetic rope (instead of steel cable) to keep the weight to a minimum. To me, the extra 50 pounds of weight is worth the ability to pull yourself out of a situation, whether you own a 2WD or 4WD truck. I went back to Off Road Evolution, the crew responsible for my front suspension and bumpers, and we made provisions to tuck the mini RC9000 in back of the skidplate. Was I happy and did I have the ability for self extraction once it was done? Oh yes. Could I tell that the truck had an extra 50 pounds in the front end? Not at all. 2. The winch plate was cut out of 3/8-inch steel and shaped to cut as closely as possible to the feet of the winch since a skidplate was going to be passing very closely in front of it.2. The winch plate was cut out of 3/8-inch steel and shaped to cut as closely as possible 3. Though Mel's a strong guy, we doubt he'd be able to hold this winch and winch plate in place if the RC9000 weren't so much lighter than a standard winch.3. Though Mel's a strong guy, we doubt he'd be able to hold this winch and winch plate in 4. Off Road Evolution braced the winch plate using 1.5-inch tube to offer extra bracing on the front of the winch plate.4. Off Road Evolution braced the winch plate using 1.5-inch tube to offer extra bracing on 5. The RC9000 tucks up nicely in front of the A/C condenser and up into the fiberglass fascia between the tubes of the bumpers. With only a couple millimeters to spare all the way around, it was a lucky fit.5. The RC9000 tucks up nicely in front of the A/C condenser and up into the fiberglass fas 6. Off Road Evolution made sure the skidplate fit with the winch and solenoid box in place.6. Off Road Evolution made sure the skidplate fit with the winch and solenoid box in place 7. Though the billet hawse fairlead would go on the front of the skidplate, there needed to be reinforcement in back of it to hold the fairlead. We did not think the aluminum skidplate was strong enough to keep the fairlead from bending it if the winch's full force was against it.7. Though the billet hawse fairlead would go on the front of the skidplate, there needed t The fairlead reinforcement was welded straight to the winch plate at an angle with two gussets to further enhance the structural integrity of the mount.The fairlead reinforcement was welded straight to the winch plate at an angle with two gus 8. After everything was in place, we carefully wound the 50 feet of synthetic rope onto the winch spool.8. After everything was in place, we carefully wound the 50 feet of synthetic rope onto th 9. I really liked what I ended up with. The winch was hidden behind the skidplate, there was nothing protruding out any further in front of the bumper, and this truck now has the ability to extract itself.9. I really liked what I ended up with. The winch was hidden behind the skidplate, there w Sources Warn Industries 12900 S.E. Capps Road Clackamas OR 97015 800-910-1122 www.warn.com Off Road Evolution 1829 W Commonwealth Avenue Fullerton CA 92833 714-870-5515 www.offroadevolution.com By Jerrod Jones Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
