Hidden winch install

[Incommando]

I have a Rusty's Trail bumper that was designed to mount the winch in the bumper. http://www.rustysoffroad.com/jeep-bumpers/rustys-jeep-bumpers/jeep-xj-cherokee-bumpers/rustys-bumper-front-trail-bumper-w-o-pre-runner-bar-xj.html   

This keeps it hidden and it does not block your airflow to the radiator like a conventional winch mounting position can.  You have to use the cheap series of winches like my Engo 9000 http://www.engousa.com/p/model-e9000  I swear I took pictures of this process but they are not on my phone now that I am trying to find them.

 

You must mount the solenoid remotely. I put mine on the sheet metal behind the bumper. The top of the winch is on the other side of the sheet metal.  Everything fit well the and the wires were easy to run. The face of the solenoid faces the engine. 

 

The problem I ran into is that the winch mounts with all four mounting feet pointing forward. This is 90 degrees from the common mounting style but it is perfectly fine and may be slightly better.  Think of the winch laying on its side. The winch mounts to the bumper with the bolts going in from the front. However the position of the winch meant that I could not mount the fair lead in the pre-drilled holes as the winch was behind the bumper where the fair lead mounting bolts should pass through the bumper.. You could not put the bolts through as the winch was in the way.  I solved this by making two brackets connecting the upper and lower winch  mounting bolts and then welding a stud through the bracket on each side to mount the fair lead.

 

I ran the wires for the connection for the wired remote up into the grill. In the pics you can see it at the top of the grille near the driver's side headlight. I have a spare grill if I end up not liking this. This location is easily accessed. The switch to go from powered to free spooling is easy to reach behind the bumper. If I am buried and can't reach it to switch it to free spool I will just have to power the line out. It does so fairly quickly. 

 

 

I hate chrome and shiny things on jeeps. It is just my personal preference. So I painted the fair lead black knowing I will have to repaint it after each use.

 

Having to make the brackets slowed things down. I do not know if the design of other winch brands will allow you to mount the fairlead in the pre-drilled holes for it or not. Otherwise it was a straight forward project . 

[MJam86]

I don't have pictures yet, but my mounting style is same as yours. The fairlead shares the same 2 bottom holes as the winch. I can get you some pics later if that doesnt make sense.

[Incommando]

Do you mean like this? 

 

On mine The factory bolts were all four the same length meaning that you were supposed to use the same length to mount the fairlead on the bottom as you use on the top that did not go through the fairlead. It only gave a thread or two of engagement on the bottom. I was not happy with that. Even the next longer bolt ( I think I went from 30 to 35 )bottomed out before the bolt head seated on the fairlead. Again another bumper and/or winch brand may have not made this an issue. 

[MJam86]

Yes. From how i read your original post it seemed like you werent aware that the bottom bolts held the winch and fairlead. Guess i was wrong lol.

[Incommando]

Yes. From how i read your original post it seemed like you werent aware that the bottom bolts held the winch and fairlead. Guess i was wrong lol.

I would say that I was unclear not that you were wrong. It would have saved me some time had it worked the way it obviously was intended to. I could have solved the problem with some washers, also, but sometimes I over think things.