front reciever/ Removable winch

[Wil Badger]

if that was the case when i came to such an obstical i would let you go first then you could strap me .sure my winch isn't good for all situations but its also using your brain in certain situations.

 

[Jes]

Same thing that happens if you have a fixed-mount winch... you get muddy.

No, I simply crawl out the window onto my hood and flip a lever.
I won't be carrying an 80+ pound load through the muck.

Have you actually been in a situation where the 30 seconds it takes to mount a receiver winch would make a difference? I haven't.

Yes, see the explaination above.
Also, I'd venture to guess that it would take much longer than "30 seconds", to get out of your rig, open the back, unstrap and get out the winch, carry it to where you'll use it, and plug it in. You arn't doing this in the driveway(or maybe you are?) but are doing this on a trail where conditions may be less than ideal.
Furthermore, there was an incedent on the Rubicon this year where an individual was crushed by a rig that rolled on him. The individual surely would have died had his buddy not had a winch or it was not ready to use(extreme situation I know but you asked).

Then you mount the winch on the other end. In fact, this is where a receiver mounted winch is really much better. If your front end is so jammed down into something that you can't mount the receiver winch there then it is almost certainly so jammed down into something that a fixed-mount winch wouldn't do you any good.

That statement is actually pretty silly.

I have had fixed-mount winches before. As someone else said, "had" is the operative word. I would never voluntarily go back to a fixed mount winch. The receiver-mounted variety works just as well, doesn't limit approach angle as much (since it's not mounted unless it's needed), reduces weight when I'm not wheelin', and improves the security and longevity of the winch itself.

And I would never voluntarily use a multi mount winch.
When I need to use my winch I need to use it.
I want to get up the trail so I have a winch on the front, ready to use.

 

[gearwhine]

why are there freakin novels in this thread? at least split it up into tiny paragraphs...one huge paragraph makes me not read any of it.

I have a "multi mount" on mine, not by choice...when I bought my jeep it had tomken bumpers and a multimount winch came with it. It's come in handy definitely, but would much rather have a permanent attachment.

-taking it on and off sucks. It's not exactly lightweight.

-once it's on, you don't want to take it off again because you may end up getting stuck another 2 feet further.

-when it's on, it sticks out crazy far

-takes up more floor room when not on

-I've been in situations where it wasn't easy to get it...same thing with a receiver shackle...now I FINALY got myself a front tow hook with the shackle staying in the back.

-plus tons more cons I can't really think of at the moment

The only good thing that I can say is that it doesn't stay out in the rain...that's about it.

_nicko_

 

[FarmerMatt]

On a personal level & having been "there". If I see that you have a multimount winch than I'm going to put myself as far away from you during the trail run as possible. I learned my lessen in hauling not one, but 2 mutimount winches up a water fall & having to "install" them while the buffoon's with these contraptions sat vetical on the said water fall waiting to get winched up. With the winches installed they couldn't get close enough to even start up the fall. Buffoon's names are withheld since they came to their senses shortly after said event.

 

[CRASH]

On a personal level & having been "there". If I see that you have a multimount winch than I'm going to put myself as far away from you during the trail run as possible. I learned my lessen in hauling not one, but 2 mutimount winches up a water fall & having to "install" them while the buffoon's with these contraptions sat vetical on the said water fall waiting to get winched up. With the winches installed they couldn't get close enough to even start up the fall. Buffoon's names are withheld since they came to their senses shortly after said event.

:kissyou:

 

[dmillion]

Well, I'm not going to get upset and take it personally that some people prefer a different kind of winch mount than I do. I'll just repeat that I've had both and I much prefer the multi-mount for the reasons I've listed. All of the objections to those reasons seem "pretty silly" to me, to quote someone else. Maybe that's because we do different kinds of wheeling. I don't know. I don't care. I just know that I've owned and used both types and I'm sticking with the multi-mount.

 

[FarmerMatt]

Well, I'm not going to get upset and take it personally that some people prefer a different kind of winch mount than I do. I'll just repeat that I've had both and I much prefer the multi-mount for the reasons I've listed. All of the objections to those reasons seem "pretty silly" to me, to quote someone else. Maybe that's because we do different kinds of wheeling. I don't know. I don't care. I just know that I've owned and used both types and I'm sticking with the multi-mount.

None of this is meant for any kind of personal attacks. We're all talking from personal experiences just like you are & you're right that not all wheeling is the same. I guess what we're trying to point out is that the multimount is not all peaches & creme... In my experience, when a winch is needed, it is needed in some pretty messed up situations. At these times I would like to get to it in the easiest way possible. YMMV

Matt

 

[2xtreme]

Normally I do not like getting involved with these bickering matches

But I tried to do the best of both worlds. I have a custom front bumper and a custom winch mount so my winch actually sits on top of the front bumper, just like it would if it was permanently mounted. (no loss of ground clearance).

Once I am done with my custom rear bumper it will also be able to mount in the back if I need it to. I have had several situations that having it mounted in the back would be far more convenient than in the front.

I realize that it requires a custom winch mount, but it works really well for me.

If someone could teach me to post a pic I could do that for anyone who might want to see it.

Michael

 

[Wil Badger]

e-mail me the pic and i will host it for you or if you have a place to host it then put it there and get the address of the file.then in a post you would put brackets around the address like this

oh ya [email protected]

 

[jmsull]

I had a YJ before my XJ. I had my winch mounted perminatly on the front. I only got stuck in mud once to the point that I needed it. It was on a very narrow trail with nowhere to turn around. I had to winch myself forward for a a good quarter mile before I could turn around. That meant setting up around a tree a good ten times in each direction. Both my batteries died a third of the way back after I turned around. I had to walk out of the woods with my battery, charge it over night and walk back in the morning to finish winching myself out.

If I could have winched myself backward, I only would have had to do it for five feet, instead I did a half a mile worth of winching over two days to get out.

I have a receiver on the front and back on my XJ for this reason alone. My winch goes where I need it when I need it and it sits in the basement safe and sound when I'm not out wheeling.

I agree it is a matter of what kind of wheeling you do. Mine is in the mud where being able to go backward five feet will save you hours upon hours of labor.

Oh and by the way what do you think is more of a work out, getting a winch out of the car once or setting up a snatch block twenty times?

 

[XJ_ranger]

I had a YJ before my XJ. I had my winch mounted perminatly on the front. I only got stuck in mud once to the point that I needed it. It was on a very narrow trail with nowhere to turn around. I had to winch myself forward for a a good quarter mile before I could turn around. That meant setting up around a tree a good ten times in each direction. Both my batteries died a third of the way back after I turned around. I had to walk out of the woods with my battery, charge it over night and walk back in the morning to finish winching myself out.

If I could have winched myself backward, I only would have had to do it for five feet, instead I did a half a mile worth of winching over two days to get out.

I have a receiver on the front and back on my XJ for this reason alone. My winch goes where I need it when I need it and it sits in the basement safe and sound when I'm not out wheeling.

I agree it is a matter of what kind of wheeling you do. Mine is in the mud where being able to go backward five feet will save you hours upon hours of labor.

Oh and by the way what do you think is more of a work out, getting a winch out of the car once or setting up a snatch block twenty times?

run the vehicle while winching - batteries last longer that way

 

[jmsull]

run the vehicle while winching - batteries last longer that way

I did, I still killed the battery

 

[Bent]

For what it's worth (lol) here's my take on this. Several years ago I would have been right on board with the multi-mount too. I am glad I didn't. Why? Because I would have had it in the rear cargo area the last time I got stuck.

I ended up HIGH centered with a sheer dirt face directly behind me, I forgot to pack any 7' eye bolts w/dirt threads. :doh:No going backward, period. But why go back anyway? There was a large Pine not more than 25" directly ahead of me. Couldn't be easier! All I would have had to do was lift the winch and MM 7', thats seven feet off the ground, over my head while standing on a 40% down slope of loose dirt, in the dark by myself. Lucky for me I had just bought a pack of T-shirts w/ a big "S" on the front of each one!

Nope, no thanks. I bought the winch so I didn't have to spend the night freezing my butt off in the mountains, again.
But on the other hand I have a teenager at home, so what do I know?

TIM

 

[JohnX]

Must admit...I didn't read it all, but...

I have my winch setup on a removable 2" receiver....and the arguement seems to be about the trouble required to take it on and off.

Yes its heavy....that is why it is removable....I don't want that extra 100lbs on my Jeep ALL the time.

When wheeling it is mounted and ready to use.

When Daily Driving it is sitting in my storage room.

For the lighter offroader (such as me) removable is a plus.

 

[Fergie]

I'll chime in here too for the perma-mount clique.

Here in Flagstaff, the weather can change from good to nasty in minutes. I can count a dozen time where my buddy and I have had to pull other folks out in the middle of blizzards, on some pretty steep and icy hills.

Lugging a winch from the back to set-up would nor have been fun, and with the right tools, and equipment, rear pulls are possible with a front mounted winch.

Fergie

 

[Wil Badger]

ya if you are carrying last i counted like 8 or more snatchblocks to do it right or running directly under the truck and out the rear and i don't tlike that option

 

[gearwhine]

in the dark by myself.

There's your one major problem right there. :lecture:

 

[Lawn Cher']

There's your one major problem right there. :lecture:

x2... been there, done that, then I joined .

 

[XJ_ranger]

x2... been there, done that, then I joined .

and came into the light?

 

[Lawn Cher']

Essentially yes, but I ain't the church-going type.