- First Name
- Sean
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2024
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 2
- Location
- Atlanta Area
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Wildtrack Squatch (Hers); 2016 F-350, 1993 AM General M998, FFR Cobra (His)
- Your Bronco Model
- Wildtrak
- Thread starter
- #1
There are a number of good threads and videos on this winch install. And the instructions aren't awful either. But I thought it might be helpful to point out with pictures some areas where the instructions are vague or the order of things is confusing.
Edit: Just noticed the images didn't post with the names/descriptions I gave them. Just hover over an image and it will tell you the purpose.
1 - I did some measurements to see how much the weight dropped the front end. Spoiler alert. It was about 3/8" (Had to move the truck around some before the suspension settled.)
2 - I read all the instructions for everything I was assembling multiple times over. The grill has to be removed first so start the camera relocation first. The instructions ask you to pull the air cleaner snorkel out of the airbox but it seemed a lot easier to just remove the airbox.
It was hard to see where to separate the washer tube line at the camera, but it's at the check valve, not at the camera. A lot easier and safer to pull it loose here.
All the factory harness attached to the grill could be removed, but I just taped over the plugs (they are optical, not electrical) and left the harness there. It would have been REALLY nice if the replacement harness was just about 12 inches long and just ran out the hole of the factory camera mount in the grill. The optical plugs for the replacement harness didn't mate up there so it has to be attached over on the passenger side near the airbox per the instructions. (When I say in the image, it has the wrong connector, I mean it's just wrong if you want to shortcut the cable run down through the factory cable chase.)
3 - Moving to the actual winch install... I had to remove and relocate the proximity sensors in the bumper so that has to come off. I included a picture of the plug that attaches to the bumper harness. The one in the instructions is hard to see and it's pretty far up under the driver headlight. What you see in this picture is just the body side female plug as the bumper had been removed.
Everything regarding the sensors is pretty much according to the instructions but they ask you to push the factory sensor connectors through the factory sensor holes. I didn't have anywhere near enough wiring slack for that so I attached the provided extenders then reassembled the bumper components that block access to the connectors.
I ordered the optional light bar with my kit. It WILL NOT go in the winch mount after it's bolted in and it can't be mounted properly until the winch plate is bolted down and the proximity sensors are routed through the winch plate. So I laid it in the mount and taped it where it couldn't get banged around and moved on.
Next I assembled the winch plate and installed the sensors. This is all pretty much according to the instructions. The sanding on the sensor lock was easy enough, just taking time to make sure to not remove more than necessary.
I took some advice from other sources here and mounted the winch plate with the nuts up. If they had been mounted with the nuts underneath the plate, they would interfere with the light bar.
Now for my fail. I didn't account for the size of the canon plug that comes on the light bar. There is just no place to route it after the winch mount is tight against the bumper. I had to loosen all the bolts and pull the mount out to make room for the plug to go over the bumper, under the back of the mount, and under the grill.
At this point it's just tightening everything down, finish mounting the light bar (and in my case the pocket lights I also installed), then the wiring. The instructions are fine regarding the winch wiring. The wiring harness that comes with the lights is WAY overkill though. Just pay attention to the rated watts of your lights (100 watts for the bar), divide by 12 volts to get amp draw (8.33 amps for light bar), and make sure you wire to an upfitter switch that that is big enough (all are big enough for the light bar). That means cut off everything except the leads running from the relay in the harness and only use them.
My wife is a UGA fan so I dressed it up with some red forged D Rings and the red forged winch hook. Also, she liked the look without the plastic bumper trim pieces so that saved me some quality time with the Dremel.
Hope this helps someone thinking of installing this setup.
Edit: Just noticed the images didn't post with the names/descriptions I gave them. Just hover over an image and it will tell you the purpose.
1 - I did some measurements to see how much the weight dropped the front end. Spoiler alert. It was about 3/8" (Had to move the truck around some before the suspension settled.)
2 - I read all the instructions for everything I was assembling multiple times over. The grill has to be removed first so start the camera relocation first. The instructions ask you to pull the air cleaner snorkel out of the airbox but it seemed a lot easier to just remove the airbox.
It was hard to see where to separate the washer tube line at the camera, but it's at the check valve, not at the camera. A lot easier and safer to pull it loose here.
All the factory harness attached to the grill could be removed, but I just taped over the plugs (they are optical, not electrical) and left the harness there. It would have been REALLY nice if the replacement harness was just about 12 inches long and just ran out the hole of the factory camera mount in the grill. The optical plugs for the replacement harness didn't mate up there so it has to be attached over on the passenger side near the airbox per the instructions. (When I say in the image, it has the wrong connector, I mean it's just wrong if you want to shortcut the cable run down through the factory cable chase.)
3 - Moving to the actual winch install... I had to remove and relocate the proximity sensors in the bumper so that has to come off. I included a picture of the plug that attaches to the bumper harness. The one in the instructions is hard to see and it's pretty far up under the driver headlight. What you see in this picture is just the body side female plug as the bumper had been removed.
Everything regarding the sensors is pretty much according to the instructions but they ask you to push the factory sensor connectors through the factory sensor holes. I didn't have anywhere near enough wiring slack for that so I attached the provided extenders then reassembled the bumper components that block access to the connectors.
I ordered the optional light bar with my kit. It WILL NOT go in the winch mount after it's bolted in and it can't be mounted properly until the winch plate is bolted down and the proximity sensors are routed through the winch plate. So I laid it in the mount and taped it where it couldn't get banged around and moved on.
Next I assembled the winch plate and installed the sensors. This is all pretty much according to the instructions. The sanding on the sensor lock was easy enough, just taking time to make sure to not remove more than necessary.
I took some advice from other sources here and mounted the winch plate with the nuts up. If they had been mounted with the nuts underneath the plate, they would interfere with the light bar.
Now for my fail. I didn't account for the size of the canon plug that comes on the light bar. There is just no place to route it after the winch mount is tight against the bumper. I had to loosen all the bolts and pull the mount out to make room for the plug to go over the bumper, under the back of the mount, and under the grill.
At this point it's just tightening everything down, finish mounting the light bar (and in my case the pocket lights I also installed), then the wiring. The instructions are fine regarding the winch wiring. The wiring harness that comes with the lights is WAY overkill though. Just pay attention to the rated watts of your lights (100 watts for the bar), divide by 12 volts to get amp draw (8.33 amps for light bar), and make sure you wire to an upfitter switch that that is big enough (all are big enough for the light bar). That means cut off everything except the leads running from the relay in the harness and only use them.
My wife is a UGA fan so I dressed it up with some red forged D Rings and the red forged winch hook. Also, she liked the look without the plastic bumper trim pieces so that saved me some quality time with the Dremel.
Hope this helps someone thinking of installing this setup.
Sponsored
Last edited:
