krustyballer16 Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Does anybody have a factory front winch mount theyd want to send my way for me to copy and reproduce since they don't make em anymore?! Is there that much of a market for them? I've never looked into the kit really so not sure what all it consists of.... Also thinking about reproducing the factory style, bumper mounted brush guard. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 9 minutes ago, krustyballer16 said: Does anybody have a factory front winch mount theyd want to send my way for me to copy and reproduce since they don't make em anymore?! Is there that much of a market for them? I've never looked into the kit really so not sure what all it consists of.... Also thinking about reproducing the factory style, bumper mounted brush guard. Can you do them in Chrome? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 No chrome lol. I'm not even sure of a chroming place around here. Probably wouldn't include powdercoat either.... just bare steel Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftpiercecracker1 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 MJs had a factory winch option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Yes, MJs and XJs. It was manufactured by Ramsey and was an option available from the dealership. PDF attached... Ramsey Hidden Winch XJ.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Yep! I know someone on here has one that wants to help out some other members and jeepers!Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertRat1991 Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 23 hours ago, krustyballer16 said: Also thinking about reproducing the factory style, bumper mounted brush guard. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Interested! But how do these mount? Can you keep the factory tow hooks and front skid plate in place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Interested! But how do these mount? Can you keep the factory tow hooks and front skid plate in place? Not a clue. This one bolts to the bumper only with 4 bolts. Might redesign that...Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 No, it doesn't bolt only to the bumper. It requires the use of the factory tow hook brackets, which have two sets of mounting holes. One set keeps the bumper in the standard location, for use only with hooks. The other set of holes moves the bumper forward by 'X' inches (4"? 6"? -- I'll have to measure) to create a space between the bumper and the lower radiator cross member for the winch to mount. The winch was "clocked" 90 degrees, so the mounting surface was vertical rather than horizontal, and they were small-ish winches -- I believe they were 5,000 pound. Krusty, basically that mounting pan needs to be sized to fit between the extended tow hook brackets for length, with height sized to accept the largest winch you might want to use. I thought I had a drawing somewhere, but it's probably the same as the PDF Hornbrod linked to. The mounting pan is very heavy-gauge steel. NOTHING attaches to the bumper except the fairlead. It attaches to the tow hook brackets, which are bolted to the frame ears. I'll be under the XJs today, so I'll measure the offset between the mounting hole locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 No, it doesn't bolt only to the bumper. It requires the use of the factory tow hook brackets, which have two sets of mounting holes. One set keeps the bumper in the standard location, for use only with hooks. The other set of holes moves the bumper forward by 'X' inches (4"? 6"? -- I'll have to measure) to create a space between the bumper and the lower radiator cross member for the winch to mount. The winch was "clocked" 90 degrees, so the mounting surface was vertical rather than horizontal, and they were small-ish winches -- I believe they were 5,000 pound. Krusty, basically that mounting pan needs to be sized to fit between the extended tow hook brackets for length, with height sized to accept the largest winch you might want to use. I thought I had a drawing somewhere, but it's probably the same as the PDF Hornbrod linked to. The mounting pan is very heavy-gauge steel. NOTHING attaches to the bumper except the fairlead. It attaches to the tow hook brackets, which are bolted to the frame ears. I'll be under the XJs today, so I'll measure the offset between the mounting hole locations. He was asking about the push bar.... But all the info you posted I need to know anyways.Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 The offset between the standard mounting holes and the "forward" mounting holes is 3 inches. I also discovered that the tow hook brackets on the 2000 XJ don't have the extended mounting holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Reproducing the "factory" hidden winch isn't a bad idea, I'm just not sure of the market or if its the best design. Might be able to make better by just engineering new. FYI Boostwerks makes a hidden winch setup which is not trying to be a "factory" setup. http://www.boostwerksengineering.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 The offset between the standard mounting holes and the "forward" mounting holes is 3 inches. I also discovered that the tow hook brackets on the 2000 XJ don't have the extended mounting holes. I think I have a set of factory tow hook brackets.... Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I have one of the factory kits that's not been used that I'm saving for a future project. You are welcome to look at it if you wanna pay for the shipping or I can take some pictures and measurements for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 I have one of the factory kits that's not been used that I'm saving for a future project. You are welcome to look at it if you wanna pay for the shipping or I can take some pictures and measurements for you. Is this EVERYTHING that came in the kit? Can anybody confirm? I'd pay shipping to get it here. Itd be here for a month or so at least...the engineers at work are slow lol. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Yes, It's complete with instructions and parts list. The tow hook bumper brackets and the winch itself were not part of the kit and had to be purchased separately. I'll get it out of my storage and verify it's all there and then get a shipping quote. I've been sitting on it for years so a month or so is not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 That's not the one I know, but looking through that PDF Hornbrob linked, it appears there were a couple of different factory kits. The PDF also mentions 4,500-pound, 5,000-pound, and 6,000-pound winches, so I wonder if they used different mounts for different winches. I also noticed that the PDF says it's for up through 1996, which fits my observation that the 2000 tow hook brackets don't have provision for a forward mounting position for the bumper. But ... My late wife was from Chile, and I actually met her when I went that to meet up with a cyber-friend from NAXJA who owned a 2000 XJ. It seems in Chile you get some sort of significant break on taxes or registration fees if your vehicle is a "work" vehicle, and having a winch qualifies it. So I saw a LOT of XJs and MJs around Santiago with the hidden winch option. Miguel had one on his 2000 XJ, but I do remember him saying it had been custom fabricated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 Can we find anyone with 97 tow hooks to see the difference? I know the frame side doesnt matter...Wonder if the bumper shape differences would make a difference in any of the mounting of anything? I'm not sure what year my tow hooks came off of...Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 I had both 97 and 96 tow hook brackets side by side. Neither had a provision for forward mount. They had a 96 or 97 bumper bracket welded to the two hooks with extra support that run back along the frame. I have never seen OEM tow hooks/bumper bracket combos with a provision for mounting further forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 17, 2018 Author Share Posted June 17, 2018 I had both 97 and 96 tow hook brackets side by side. Neither had a provision for forward mount. They had a 96 or 97 bumper bracket welded to the two hooks with extra support that run back along the frame. I have never seen OEM tow hooks/bumper bracket combos with a provision for mounting further forward. Post pics of you can please Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 1 hour ago, krustyballer16 said: Post pics of you can please Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Gave the 96- hooks to a buddy and the 97+ are buried in a box somewhere. The rugged ridge tow hooks are basically a copy of the factory tow hooks with the exception that the factory hooks had the bumper bracket welded to them, this meant the 96- and 97+ tow hooks were not interchangeable. When rugged ridge copied them they let the user reuse their factory bumper bracket with the copy of the original bolted to it. I don't think there is any added strength from the tow hooks bracket being welded to the bumper bracket. If you really cannot find a reference pic I will go digging around for them, but I think you can find decent pics of the rugged ridge or OEM around online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krustyballer16 Posted June 18, 2018 Author Share Posted June 18, 2018 I will look. The tow hook brackets I thought I had were ones I made a long time ago lol. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 23 hours ago, Sir Sam said: I have never seen OEM tow hooks/bumper bracket combos with a provision for mounting further forward. These were from a '89 XJ, the hole on the left would push the bumper out the ~3" Eagle mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Here's a picture of the older ones, I'm thinking 84-early 90's? These did not have the bumper brackets welded to them, even if the Jeep was ordered with them. I have a set of OEM 97+ brackets on one of my XJs. They did have the brackets welded on which I had to grind off because the 97+ bumper mounts differently than earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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