Topbanana

Planning on heading down to Princess Auto Tuesday (Feb 18) to purchase one of the Superwinch LP10000 (10,000lb) winches they've got going on sale for $400. Checked it out online, it's not top of the line equipment but as they're website states "for medium duty".
I'm not a hard core "bury her to the door sills" guy, but there's been a lot of "off the map" places I 've tried to tour to (mostly in Nova Scotia), but because I'm wheelin' solo, I've had to call it quits. My wife's line, when I'm contimplating going for it and she's facing the prospect of us walking 10 miles in the middle of nowhere to find somebody (anybody) to extract us, is "Use your head, the big one!"
So I will have a winch, but the question I'm asking is, what are folks using to mount one to a stock bumper? My "Islander" is only a 2dr.
I've looked at Hard Rock and Rugged Ridge, while affordable, they only mount to the front frame rails with a couple of bolts. Look's a little cheezy for trying to extract a 4,000lb Jeep. Warn's mount on the other hand, goes on three sides of the tow hook/bumper mount and relocated the tow hooks to the top of the mount plate. A very secured and EXPENSIVE system - but do I really need all that?
Anybody out there used any of these (or another brand) and if so how are they holding up to use?
Greatly appreciate any replies.
Topbanana

Airdale

MO. I would use the Warn type. If you have to pull on any horizontal angle to extract, you risk ripping out a bolt or bending the frame rail.
I have seen guys hook up a plow just to the frame rails and saw them bend upwards, both of them. You are going to possibly try to haul a 4 ton machine out of a jam and I would want the 3 sided setup [per rail - plus the winch plate] supporting the front end of the Jeep for extraction.
Not that hard to fab either if you know someone that can weld.
2 pieces of 'C' channel and a 3/8" winch plate bolted to the frame rails.
JMO.

AutoJunkieMan

I've always heard good things about the warn winches also, I always say it's better to over equip then under equip.

I also was looking at the possibility one day getting a winch, I actually found out I like Synthetic winching cable over the steel type. Only issue is you gotta make sure it doesn't get sun bleached but in every other way besides price it's supposed to be alot better. Won't snap you in the face because it has more give etc.

Aardvark

Like Top Banana, I picked up the LP10000 from Princess Auto (paid $450) and am happy enough with it to take it off my old TJ that I`m selling, and see if I can adapt it to my stock JK bumper. I agree with Airdale with respect to mounting the winch on all 3 sides of the main frame. Getting it welded is going to be a little involved because I want to keep the plastic bumper housing unaltered (aside from the ends that I cut down in anticipation for the stubby Rough Country caps ordered last month)

Topbanana

Funny you should mention Rough Country, I learned (on another forum) they make a winch plate for mounting on a stock JK bumper which uses almost the identical mounting points as the Warn one.
The cost is half that of the Warn, the biggest difference is Rough Country doesn't reposition the tow hooks.They instead have an optional (read extra costing) D-ring mounts for attaching clevis rings. Check it out on their website. I've got a used one coming from California.
I'm interested in how the LP10,000 performed for you on your TJ (I too had a TJ Sport which I traded in on the JK). I was under the impression the LP10,000 was a new release from Superwinch, just on the market.

topbanana

Jeep84

You sound kind of like me.... I'm usually alone so I will give up long before getting into a REAL Jam. Here's a couple of ideas that may help you out;
Get the cheaper winch plate that bolts to the top of the frame rails but instead of using the supplied bolts (Which are probably cheap soft bolts) Go to a hardware store and replace the bolts with some Grade 8 Bolts and Nuts of the same size. For those who don't know, you can tell if it's a Grade 8 bolt because it will have 5 lines on the top of the head all pointing outward (Like the way kids draw sun rays around the sun), They are also, usually, a yellow-goldish color. That way you don't have to worry about the bolts breaking, and that setup should be good for light-medium duty. A little bit of winch is better than no winch if you find yourself stuck. And, only IF there is a place to winch off of.
Also, remember pulley power! If you are pretty jammed up and you are concerned about the strain on the front, pull your cable all the way out, loop it through a snatchblock and then run the cable back to your bumper and clip the cable hook onto your recovery hook or clevis shackle. This way 1/2 the pulling power is pulling on your recovery hook and the other half is pulling on your winch. This equals less load on the winch mount. The cost is a cable that can only reach half as far though. Do what you gotta do right?

I'm looking at doing this same thing. I will still need to be careful but at least I will have a little bit of a back-up plan. Then the money I save can be spent on more toys, beer or something for my wife I guess....

Hope it helps!

Topbanana

The Rough Country mount is "in transit" as a speak (err... type). It uses almost the identical
three point mounting system as the MUCH more expensive Warn plate so I should be securely fastened but thanks for the winching tips. NOOB to the winchin' scene! The mount I purchased comes with D rings for clevis' (the Warn repositions the tow hooks) so I'm half way there for doubling up the line, just have to purchase a ****** block. Will post pics of the install as soon as the snow melts enough to find the driveway!
topbanana

P.S. I see ya got your priorities right - Jeep, beer, wife (but you didn't hear that from me!)

Aardvark

I Guess you'l be heading out to Princess Auto for your ****** block then (Thats where I got mine) and don't forget your winch. I bought mine in 2010, so its been out on the market that long and who knows before that. I've used it occasionally in the winter time in deep snow (Muskoka) going up slopes.It performed really great.(Quite a variety of trees to choose from) Iv'e shyed away from serious mudding because i'm usually flying solo and getting stuck far away from civilization and because of the prospect of becoming bear compost.Lol.

Topbanana

Got e-notice today, winch mount was delivered to my buddy's stateside yesterday. With a break in the winter weather, I took the opportunity to "field check" what the extra weight of the winch would do to the front of my jeep. I've done a spring swap of 17/18 front - 58 rear from a 4dr, tow packaged Sahara JKU which has given me roughly an 1" lift over a stock 2dr. Measuring from the ground to the license plate bottom (handiest straight edge) I've got 21 and a half inches. Adding 85 lbs of free weight (Superwinch's spec weight for the winch) I lost the half inch, of couse this is empty weight with no driver or passenger. Do able in my opinion.
topbanana

Aardvark

Iv`e installed my winch plate and with the equivalent weight, mine is 20.25`` on stock coil springs.( Sport S 2-dr) Princess Auto has a 9500 lb Keeper winch for $399.99 sale starting this Tuesday. By-the-way, I like the look of the stubby bumper end caps (Still waiting for mine)