GoPathyGo Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hi all, Didn't see this elsewhere when I ran a search so figured I'd ask. Just got a deal on a Warn 9k Winch ($650 at the Warn website). I was planning to install it at the rear. Local truck guy doesn't think that should be a problem. Has anyone else tried this ? Any reason I *shouldn't* install it at the rear ? I prefer rear winches in general because it allows me to pull the truck out of trouble whereas if I'm face down in mud (a stupid situation, admittedly), the winch can't do anything... Also, leaves the front free and doesn't require a winch-compatible brush bar. (The ARB/TJM bars too much for me....) Thanks, J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) So what if you're ass down in mud? It goes both ways. You can bury the front of your truck and render the winch unusable, or you can bury the back and render the winch unusable. Edited April 15, 2009 by Kingman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted April 15, 2009 Author Share Posted April 15, 2009 So what if you're ass down in mud? It goes both ways. You can bury the front of your truck and render the winch unusable, or you can bury the back and render the winch unusable. If I'm ass down in the mud, to use the highly technical "ass down" term , I can hopefully use the truck itself as a giant winch assuming I still have steering and some kind of front wheel traction. If I'm face first in mud, very hard to back out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 My take on winch locations: Rear-mounted winch: Dammit, I got my wheels stuck in mud. Good thing I got that rear-mounted winch, I got myself unstuck, backed out of the trail, turned around and went home and spent the rest of the weekend wondering where the rest of trail leads... Front-mounted winch: Dammit, I got my front stuck in mud. Good thing I got that front-mounted winch, because even though I got myself all friggin' muddy reaching for the winch cable, I pulled myself through the mud, continued on the rest of the trail, and had a great time. However, a positive point about a rear-mounted winch is that if you attach it to a receiver, you don't have to have it installed all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keelhaul Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 There has been many times I would rather winch back than forward. I have been thinking of getting a 5 or 6 thousand at the back as well, and as long at the winch mount ties together the two channels like the receiver hitches do, there shouldn't be a problem. I was thinking of mounting mine foot forward(or backward in this case) so it can be tucked up higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 There has been many times I would rather winch back than forward. I have been thinking of getting a 5 or 6 thousand at the back as well, and as long at the winch mount ties together the two channels like the receiver hitches do, there shouldn't be a problem. I was thinking of mounting mine foot forward(or backward in this case) so it can be tucked up higher. A 5K or 6K winch won't be strong enough to reliably pull your rig if it's stuck. The rule of thumb is to get a winch that is rated for 1.5x your vehicle fully loaded weight. That means, curb weight plus you, your kids, your dog, your camping gear, your cooler, and full tank of gas. Just for reference, my rig (empty) weighs about 4700 lbs. I had it weighed at a truck scale. You need a winch that's strong enough to pull the vehicle weight PLUS overcome the friction or drag of the substance you're stuck in. It would be pretty lame to be equipped with a 6K winch that fails on you when you most need it. Also, if you plan to mount a rear winch closer further forward (closer to the axle) where do you keep your spare tire? Do you have a tire carrier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Though I will say, when I had my front end hanging over an embankment last month, a rear mounted winch would have been really freakin' nice. In that case a front winch wouldn't do the slightest bit of good. A winch is only as good as what it can be attached to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 My take on winch locations: Rear-mounted winch: Dammit, I got my wheels stuck in mud. Good thing I got that rear-mounted winch, I got myself unstuck, backed out of the trail, turned around and went home and spent the rest of the weekend wondering where the rest of trail leads... Front-mounted winch: Dammit, I got my front stuck in mud. Good thing I got that front-mounted winch, because even though I got myself all friggin' muddy reaching for the winch cable, I pulled myself through the mud, continued on the rest of the trail, and had a great time. However, a positive point about a rear-mounted winch is that if you attach it to a receiver, you don't have to have it installed all the time. Hehehe. My slightly more positive take on the rear-mounted winch is: Dammit, I got my wheels stuck in mud. Good thing I got that rear-mounted winch, I got myself unstuck, stopped being a moron and found another way up/forward that didn't involve boneheadedly driving headlong into a mess. I tend to think the most important thing to engage on a trail are the mental gears. I try to avoid needing a winch in the first place and the rear winch is for those situations where I haven't or couldn't estimate/check out depth and terrain properly - or was being a dumbass macho schmuck for the exact 10 minutes that I shouldn't have been. Keep the opinions coming folks. All helpful. The winch is on order and install won't be for at least a week, so I have time to change things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 or you could find a front hitch setup, and get the hitch winch thing, then you can swap it round! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Why not put one at both ends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Why not put one at both ends? X2. Clearly the best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 X2. Clearly the best option. For sure. One minor problem - $$$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Then go with a "Portable" mount. Warn actually sells a receiver cradle for their winches. Mount the winch to that, and then you can put it on either the front or the rear as needed. Best of both worlds. Though, the receiver mounts aren't really tolerant of side pulls more than 10 degrees or so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 For sure. One minor problem - $$$. Haha, naturally... $$$ is always an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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