(Can anyone fix this so ALL the photos work please?).
Ok, so here is the deal. I have been a offroader for several years. I just sold my 99 Ranger XLT 4x4 with 35s and 4" suspension lift. To me, this buggy has endless possibilities for offroading. I ave gotten stuck numerous times and have learned a winch (even if seldom used) is a indispensible piece of machinery. With this in mind, and knowing the ricks I liek to take, I KNOW I would need one for my buggy. So, I took it to heart and built my own custom winch mount.
1)
This is the material I used. It is 1/4" HARDENED steel. I used a 8.5amp reciprocating saw with a metal 18tpi (tooth per inch) blade. Don't skimp on this material. Your mount CAN'T afford to flex even a bit. It has to stay rock solid / rigid. This metal WON'T flex a damn bit...it's a BEAST!!! The measurements along the back are 7" and the front is 10".
2)
Here you see a testfit and understand why I made it 7" in back and 10" front. Notice the notch cut into the backend to wrap it around that support bar.
3)
For this I used a 1/4" drill bit to make the holes in the front and back. Each bolt is a grade2 (5 or 8 is better but not necessary). The three holes in a triangle (in the middle) are for the mounting bolts I took from the stock "temporary hitch mount". They are 5/16" I think. To achieve a solid bolt / mount, I suggest you got one or two bolts in very carefully and tighten them down. You can then at a SLIGHT angle pointing backwards drill the rest of the holes so that each is properly aligned.
4)
Here you see the three mounting bolts from the stock hitch mount. I also painted it to closely match my buggy. I coulda left it black (black primer). But I thought this little addition made it very nice. I really like how it turned out.
5)
Here is angle #1.
6)
7)
Angle #3
Well, there she is. The way it is now it can be removed whenever I want / need. I have a extra bolt hole RIGHT behind the back of the winch. This means if I ever want to make it "permanent", it will only take a single 1/4" bolt. The winch itself is the $60 one from Walmart for ATVs, Boats, Etc. It worked great when I hooked it up.
Any questions, feel free to ask. I would love to see more people doing this.
(Link to all photos if the links don't work. Community Webshots has a tendency to suck...lol).
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2480145730035493741accrDq?vhost=good-times
It looks like a strong mount. The only down side is that the hand crank does not clear. Does this winch provide sufficient pull to get you out of hole? I know the stock 650ss winch is weak unless you double line it with a block & tackle.
Yeah the mount itself is rock-solid. The winch is rated at 2000lbs straight pulling. using pullies and so forth you bump it to 5000 / 6000. So in a nutshell, it DOES have the power needed to pull you outta the mud.
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