I've seen threads on using universal winch plates to mount a winch to the factory bumper. Requires a bit of ingenuity and cutting the factory bumper. Pics I've seen look good. Trouble is after all that work you still have the factory bumper which is relatively easily damaged.
When I was looking at this I also looked at the winch plates such as the Rough Country, Warn, etc. Trouble for me was even with the RC you're spending $240 when for $70 more you can have a Rugged Ridge XHD winch-mount stubby bumper. Add another $125 or so for the ends if you want a full-width bumper.
this is a great point....the reason I went with the RC is I needed to maintain the OEM bumper for my tow setup behind my RV...most people do not have this limitation...
I used a universal plate from Harbor Freight for $30.00. It took some trimming, but it has worked great. As mentioned earlier, the Rugged Ridge is a nice piece for the money. We just put one on my buddy's JK and I really liked it- that's the route I would take if I did it again.
Sharkbite, I have a Blue Ox base plate mounted on my 09 Rubi and flat tow it behind my motorhome. I have been looking for a stubby bumper that would fit. The base plate fits fine with the stock bumper but I really like the Hansen medium bumper. What is the make and model in your photo? Any ideas?
I have an 07 sahara. I would like to see a pic of your set up, but if it works with the stock bumper it probably would work with the rugged ridge- it's the only other bumper I have installed and it seemed pretty easy to modify if needed.
I think what Sharkbite did was pull the plastic off, and trim in the ends. [edit: yeah, follow Platinum's link]
I've known guys that just took off the whole plastic piece, and walla-they had a basic stubby!
In my experience, everything is bolted to the frame rails, whichever bumber, so there are a lot of open possibilities there for mods.
That's clean Sharkbite, real clean. I've never even seen anyone plastic weld but you seem to have mastered it. You may have gotten yourself into trouble because a write up is in order. You know we work on our own stuff for free and time is all we got. Harbor freight seems to always have stuff at REASONABLE prices. Good job!
From looking at mine with the bumper off, couldnt you just buy a standard winch plate and mount it right side up and to the bottom of the front frame instead of mounting it to the top? THis would allow you to put the winch inside the bumper as shown on his.
I have never had a winch, but if you needed to get to the spool of wire for some reason, i think you would have to take the whole bumper off again - PITA. I also like the way it looks. I am gonna try to cut the ends off and weld them - i think!
That looks good, but I want my fair lead to be between my fogs like that other guy had... Thanks guys... I just bought a 12.5K winch and a harbor freight mount... I understand that its only rated to 9000lbs but I dont see me ever bending that plate.
I agree. that upside down mount between the fogs is pretty darn cool. I wasn't sure if it would clear the swaybar disconnect or not so I went with the top mount. I'll change over to an Rugged Ridge Modular bumper someday. Lift and tires are next.
Never mind... I see where he said that now... Here is some more pics of his... Im going to do mine that way also... Hopefully the mud doesnt get up in there too bad...
sorry guys, i'm on vacation and haven't checked the site in a while. Thanks for the kind words on my bumper mod. The winch plate I used is the universal winch channel from Harbor Freight. It took a little trimming, but it is plenty sturdy and can be used on top as well. It was $30 when I bought mine 3 years ago, definitely worth 15 minutes of trimming compared to the prices of the JK-specific plates. I have a word doc I have sent to a few people with some details of the mod, but I didn't take any pics during the build as I was flying by the seat of my pants and had no idea how it would turn out! PM me your email if you want a copy of the doc.
I see how mud or debris could be an issue. You might consider some type of cover plate; light weight metal or aluminum bent at a vise and installed with a few bolts. If I can ever afford a winch this is the route I will take; good job with the inside info guys.
Just wanted to share with you guys the installation of my son's Badland winch plate that we did this weekend. I purchased a Badland winch for his X-mas gift, so I decided to do the winch plate ahead of time and found out that winch plates for Jeep JK's are not cheap! Anyway I saw this Badland winch plate at HF and liked the construction of it, not to mention that it fits the 9,000 lb winch I got him, so I decided to give it a shot. I purchased it for $42. then spent around $25. for the 1/2" hardware and two hooks. The rest I fabricated for $0.00 myself since I work at a machine shop. Just know that it can be done just as well with regular tools in your garage so long you have the time and skills. I will post a new thread later on of the entire install and fab work if anyone is interested...
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