- First Name
- Michael
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2020
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- Location
- New Jersey
- Vehicle(s)
- '21 Bronco Badlands, '21 Toyota RAV4 Prime
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
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- #1
All - I finally completed the installation of my Warn VR Evo 10 winch using the Rough Country winch tray and modifying the factory Badlands skid with a small portion of the RC plate. This is a variation from the ones already posted here and on YouTube, and while I have been planning this for quite a while, many thanks go to the following Bronco owners who completed theirs before me, and whose experiences I was able to learn from: Steven at New Departures (the original YouTube inspiration), B6G members @das, @Arcnsparks. @Durty_Mo, and probably others I have missed (my apologies).
Here is the finished product:
As you can see, the 'dormer' a added makes the fairlead/line exit a bit more vertical than just mounting to the factory skid. I do pay a price in a small amount of approach angle, but for MY purposes, this is not really an issue. I get that this is not for everyone, but suits my need the kind of wheeling I will be doing. (Not many rocky extremes here in NJ)
Took @Arcnsparks advice to heart and went ahead and drilled through the cross-member as it added stability vs the offset solution I was going to do. This was a simple 6MM rod (24" long) with couplers that links to the Warn clutch handle below. You can reach it without this, but it is much easier having it handy right here.
This is how I mocked up what I wanted, first in cardboard, then in thinner metal that I took to my local fab shop. I modified it to come in at angles on the dormer rather than a 90 degree vertical on the sides.
There are channels at the back that allow the dirt and mud to wash out. Using the RC winch tray will create a small gap to the original skid mounting points - I got 3/8" nylon spaces and that was perfect for allowing it to be securely tightened. I used the front of the RC skid for a couple reasons. First, it had a recessed fairlead mounting area and welded nuts so that made life easier. Second was that it was a part of the package to get the tray, and since I paid for it, I was damn well going to use at least some of it.
You can see that I also had create a flip-up license plate mount - and one that would 'stay' up when I needed it to. I covered that in another thread. Thanks to all for your support and encouragement!
EDIT: For those who have noticed, the finished product is not quite the same as the mockup I gave the fabricator. I has indicated to him that I only wanted about 1/4" above the fairlead to where it tied to the cross facing of the original skid, and he left a lot more. I did not catch this when I picked it up, and honestly would no likely have had him cut it apart and re-do it for that anyway. Essentially, this moved the bottom "lower" than the original design, so you can get more ground clearance than this just by following that path.
Here is the finished product:
As you can see, the 'dormer' a added makes the fairlead/line exit a bit more vertical than just mounting to the factory skid. I do pay a price in a small amount of approach angle, but for MY purposes, this is not really an issue. I get that this is not for everyone, but suits my need the kind of wheeling I will be doing. (Not many rocky extremes here in NJ)
Took @Arcnsparks advice to heart and went ahead and drilled through the cross-member as it added stability vs the offset solution I was going to do. This was a simple 6MM rod (24" long) with couplers that links to the Warn clutch handle below. You can reach it without this, but it is much easier having it handy right here.
This is how I mocked up what I wanted, first in cardboard, then in thinner metal that I took to my local fab shop. I modified it to come in at angles on the dormer rather than a 90 degree vertical on the sides.
There are channels at the back that allow the dirt and mud to wash out. Using the RC winch tray will create a small gap to the original skid mounting points - I got 3/8" nylon spaces and that was perfect for allowing it to be securely tightened. I used the front of the RC skid for a couple reasons. First, it had a recessed fairlead mounting area and welded nuts so that made life easier. Second was that it was a part of the package to get the tray, and since I paid for it, I was damn well going to use at least some of it.
You can see that I also had create a flip-up license plate mount - and one that would 'stay' up when I needed it to. I covered that in another thread. Thanks to all for your support and encouragement!EDIT: For those who have noticed, the finished product is not quite the same as the mockup I gave the fabricator. I has indicated to him that I only wanted about 1/4" above the fairlead to where it tied to the cross facing of the original skid, and he left a lot more. I did not catch this when I picked it up, and honestly would no likely have had him cut it apart and re-do it for that anyway. Essentially, this moved the bottom "lower" than the original design, so you can get more ground clearance than this just by following that path.
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