I finally finished it.
I bought a front receiver hitch and expected to just bolt it on and be done with it but it wasn't that easy. The crappy front hitches have the receiver coming out well below the bumper. That makes a perfect anchor for the front of the truck off road.
So i took the brand new hitch and went to work with the chop saw, plasma cutter and welder. I cut it into two pieces removed 3/8 of an inch and then welded it back together. I also added patch sections over the welds and welded those completly around for extra strength. Then i chopped off the 90 degree mounting points because they were in the way. After that was all done it fit between the frame rails perfectly. The toughest part was getting it to sit just right while i marked for the bolt holes. I ended up using a cinder block, a scissor jack and a buch of clamps. I drilled out all the holes and installed 6, 1/2" grade 5 bolts. The rest was just a matter of mounting the winch to the craddle and installing the fairlead and hooking up the electrical connections.
I used an aircraft toggle with an LED and a big fat relay as an extra safety feature to completely dissable the winch when it's not in use.
I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.
Now i just need to find someone that's stuck...or hope someone parks in my spot at work...bwaaaahahahaha[sm=lildevil.gif]


[IMG]local://upfiles/7688/FC1D756C7D08445CB33A43B667EE96F1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/7688/A025BCA6C5784D179CB74421B7703963.jpg[/IMG]

 

You should have taken more pics throughout the install process! :P

 

Looks like you did some good work. Hope you get to use it in the future, at least to get your friends unstuck. Hahaha

 

More pics would have been great, but I understand when you get fully emursed in a project, you kinda forget pics. Happens to me all the time.

 

I love the versatility of a multi-mount winch, but the only reaso I have not purchased one, is the fact that they are only rated to 9,000 lbs. I know from seeing past pics that ce2flaco is no amatuer at wheeling offroad, but most cases that I've been stuck or needed a winch, I could have used a 12000+ lb winch. A good friend of mine that I go wheeling with has a 2000 F250 with a powerstroke, and thats a beast to pull out when that heavy *** motor sinks. I almost bought a multi-mount winch, I even have the receiver installed already, but keep thinking "if most lighter jeeps have 8,000 or 9,000lb winches then I think it would be a good idea to go larger." So what I have planned is something like the powerwagons, with a "hidden winch" style. The warn 12,000 lb, 15,000 lb, and 16,500lb winches are all the same size, so maybe I could get a 16.5ti winch in there....hehehe. Anyway, let us know how it works for you, and post us some action shots!

 

Maybe it's just me, but when I did any work on my truck, I always took step by step pictures...

New truck, new camera... Maybe I was just excited. :P

 

Actually i never once documented any work until just recently. So yeah, you were excited, lol. There really wasn't much to it as far as mounting goes. I guess i could have had my wife snap some pics of me drilling... The fabrication was lengthy but i was more interested in getting it done than taking pictures of a hitch in two pieces. I promise to try harder when i get started on the rock sliders.[sm=drooldude.gif]

As for the factory hitch rating being only 9000. It's safe to say that this puppy is far from factory. Not to mention the rule of thumb for winch sizing is a minimum of one and a half times the weight of the vehicle. I more than cover that with a 9500 lb winch. I'm sure i'll get to test it out soon enough. Next month i'm returning to the trail that cost me $1200 in parts the last time i ran it. I'm gonna kick it's ***!

Thanks for the comments.