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Are you going to be adding a Winch to your Bronco?

Are you going to be adding a Winch to your Bronco?


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Charlie

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Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
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JMV123

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Ford Bronco Are you going to be adding a Winch to your Bronco? 0EFB7D08-741D-45FA-A915-6ECE9C164E95
Another good option is the Smittybuilt X20 winch with synthetic cable and remote control. Used it several times with my 2017 F350 as recently as last week. At $589 it is a steal compared to a Warn and has never failed me in the field.
 

MaverickMan

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And how will you be mounting that winch? Custom fabricating?
If It fits within the modular bumper but still needs a plate that will take at most a grinder to a plate(harbor freight $50 plate and $30 grinder). Bolt holes should be there. Nothing too rough for roadkill lol. But if it doesnt easily fit in the bumper a small bolt on hitch will and then Harbor Freight also sells a hitch mount cradle for their winches. Should all be easy enough maybe a few hours work max.
 

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da_jokker

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With needing the airflow for the intercooler and radiator I like this setup

1610318167489.png


and just mount a 2" receiver in the front bumper. Many hitch manufacturers already make front mounted hitches for vehicles. Much simpler, doesn't block anything. Pull it out of the back, use the winch, put it back. use it front or rear. What if you need to pull a line from the rear ?? ......kinda hard when the winch is in the front. ;)

Nice front bumper..... heavy duty, aftermarket, 1/4 thick, intergraded skid plate, with a 2" receiver ..... PERFECT !!!
That is exactly the setup I had for my XJ.. but I found myself not really knowing when I may decide to go off the pavement and didn't always have it with me. I had also passed a couple guys on the snow roads, where I could have helped them out but didn't have my winch because I wasn't going off Roading.

So As much as I would love at least a way to put a 2" receiver on the front quickly, I told myself this time I wanted to go with the built in so that it would always be ready.
 

SPS4

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I already ordered one it came to the house and gf thought it was for her jeep? her bday was in 2 days so i gave it to her ,now she want to drive around the neighborhood pulling fallen trees out of the way oh well.
Ford Bronco Are you going to be adding a Winch to your Bronco? PAM
Beautiful dog!
 

MaverickMan

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One day some buddies wanted to goof around after it rained a bunch ,light trails nothing crazy lead guy gets tires all caked up with mud and slips off trail just like he was on black ice.
We had to all tie together to pull him out and got him out after some tense moments .We returned home that day looking like mud miners ,but i shudder to think what a tow truck would cost to have pulled him out or if he even could have.
I guess its like a spare tire ,might not need it for 10 years boy when you do though.
Maybe its a cj thing but man we got alot of similar stories. Same recovery but it was 2 stock chevys going where they shouldnt. Traded a beater bronco for a jeep and had to throw in a winch to make the deal(the truck had issues 30mph max pedal to the floor) so im out wheeling, no winch, and 3 trucks and 4 straps later we got everybody rolling again. I was the deepest in the muck slinging it everywhere while the others were on something more like land.
 

2Jeeps&PatriotX1

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If It fits within the modular bumper but still needs a plate that will take at most a grinder to a plate(harbor freight $50 plate and $30 grinder). Bolt holes should be there. Nothing too rough for roadkill lol. But if it doesnt easily fit in the bumper a small bolt on hitch will and then Harbor Freight also sells a hitch mount cradle for their winches. Should all be easy enough maybe a few hours work max.
It’s not fitting within/inside the modular bumper, period. If one wants it to sit inside the bumper like jeep’s the bumper will need to be pushed out and be deeper vs tucked up to the frame & grill.

0F033ED4-4065-4D72-91BC-42D449A0AE48.jpeg
 

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lrtexasman

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Yea, I was trying to point that out earlier that the modular bumper is very narrow and thin. I think you would be better off building the bumper fascia out around the winch like the new defender (which is a total install pain) than putting a giant bumper on it. Guess that’s why they went with a cradle insert in the middle. Makes installation easy and a bull bar can protect it.
 

MaverickMan

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Yea, I was trying to point that out earlier that the modular bumper is very narrow and thin. I think you would be better off building the bumper fascia out around the winch like the new defender (which is a total install pain) than putting a giant bumper on it. Guess that’s why they went with a cradle insert in the middle. Makes installation easy and a bull bar can protect it.
Dang I didnt realize it was that tight to the body. Yeah I will have to make some brackets to push that bumper out and put the winch inside it. Looks fairly straight forward. Might have to add about 4 inches. It would make the bumper a lil easier to stand on working under the hood. I like the look of the modular bumper so would be nice to keep it. I think I will prefer the winch inside the bumper than hangin out front like that. I will stop in Ohio at my buddys junkyard and weld something up that or pick up a cheap buzz box and just do a roadkill fab job in a hotel parking lot!

Yeah I thought the whole point of the modular bumper was that you could squeeze a winch in it.

I really wish Ford would have gone full badass engineered the Bronco floor pan with a centrally mounted winch with front and rear of the vehicle access. I mean they gave us a lockers lift and 35s package. Maybe by the time they do a refresh, that will up the ante even more.
 
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da_jokker

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Yeah I thought the whole point of the modular bumper was that you could squeeze a winch in it.

I really wish Ford would have gone full badass engineered the Bronco floor pan with a centrally mounted winch with front and rear of the vehicle access. I mean they gave us a lockers lift and 35s package. Maybe by the time they do a refresh, that will up the ante even more.
Definitely can NOT squeeze anything behind it. And you are not the first to be scratching your head on this....Ford appears to have put some thought into many off road aspects....but to blow this one so bad....nobody knows. Their winch solution is so clearly and afterthought, and the fact that it blocks the front cam.

Maybe they were focused so hard on Jeeps shortcomings, they blew past what jeep got right like bumpers that allow you to install a winch behind them!
 

MaverickMan

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Definitely can NOT squeeze anything behind it. And you are not the first to be scratching your head on this....Ford appears to have put some thought into many off road aspects....but to blow this one so bad....nobody knows. Their winch solution is so clearly and afterthought, and the fact that it blocks the front cam.

Maybe they were focused so hard on Jeeps shortcomings, they blew past what jeep got right like bumpers that allow you to install a winch behind them!
Jeep does have the advantage in that originally their bumpers always held a winch. CJs and YJs pretty much bolted right on, after that things got trickier and fixes had to be made.

I do think pushing it out about 4 inches and maybe some internal trimming will do the trick. Would also be sweet if when pushed out drilling an extra hole or 2 could sweep the part of the bumper that is past the frame backwards a couple degrees. I always loved the look of a strong bumper modified to fit a winch.

Still got my fingers crossed for a central mounted option one day.
 

Halfsmoke00

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Black Diamond and plan to add a WARN Zeon 8S or 10S with the synthetic rope and sand anchor. I'm solo on beach runs, not many people want to get up at 0400 to catch fish in the surf as the sun rises.
I'll already be out there still drinking, we can have beer and fish for breakfast. Lol.
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