Now that I got the new truck, I've been considering getting a Mopar Bull Bar with a Winch. What are some opinions from actual experiences on having one and if its really 'worth having'?

 

I have two. A Warn XD9000i on my truck, permanently mounted to a Warn Trans4mer Grill Guard and a Warn M8000 on a portable setup for my Jeep Grand Cherokee.

I personally would never be without one, but I have farm property I'm forever working on, clearing ATV trails in the woods, dropping trees around the pond, etc. So mine are used for a lot more than just vehicle recovery.

My old man has had the same Warn 8274 on four different trucks since I was in Junior High and I'm 43 now.

With the influx of the Chinese made winches hitting the market for around $300 for a 8k class and $400 for a 10k class there is little excuse not to have one. They are beginning to drive the prices down on the US made winches like Warn and Ramsey as well...

 

I have a Warn Hs 9500 sitting in my garage. If I could find a winch mount that wasn't hella ugly, I'd slap it in. Too bad one doesn't exist that looks good on these trucks.

 

To bad theres not a set up like this for the 1500

 

I was thinking about getting one of these myself for my RAM 1500... I've been eyeing the Harbor Freight ones but am unsure on a few things:

This one for example: http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...ead-91780.html

and why is the above one $250 when this one here is only $50??? (I understand it's only manual out, not power out, but so what??): http://www.harborfreight.com/automot...nch-39997.html

1) How the heck do you mount it?
2) Where the heck do you mout it? The front or back???? (Probably front???)
3) How do you not KILL your battery/alternator when using it??

I am a newb... so maybe these are stupid questions. Sorry

 

To mount it you need a bumper with a hitch mount.
And theres not to many nice options right now for the 4th gen trucks.
You could mount it in the back if you're using it to pull a boat out of the water or things of that nature. Mount it in the front if you're going to use it to pull yourself out from being stuck. And I'm sure these models, unless stated otherwise can pull off the voltage provided by your truck.

the $50 winch Would be more suited for pulling a small boat onto a trailer, as its rated 2000lbs... and the $250 Winch is rated 5000lbs.

 

Well if it's worth doing it's worth doing right... I live my life by that motto...

Few more details:

I do go off roading quite a bit (well not every day but about 2-4 times a year) especially in the sand dunes of Michigan at Silver Lake... So with that being said. I have a boat and a nice trailer for my boat so I wouldn't be using it for that purpose, but instead would be using it to get myself out of a jam...

 

The "Hidden Mount" pictured above which is standard on the Power Wagon WAS made for '02-'05 1500s as well, but has not been made for newer Ram 1500s by Warn. Dunno why. However, it would not be real difficult to fabricate or have a shop fabricate a mounting plate that could go behind the bumper and either bolt on or weld it to the frame.

Many people opt for a hidden front receiver hitch and use a portable mount, so that the winch is only on the front of the vehicle when needed. I do this on my Grand Cherokee.

As far as the winches shown above, JB, the 2000# winch would be suitable for an ATV but not a truck. The 5500# winch would also be a bit inadequate. Rule of thumb is 1.5x the weight of the vehicle it's going on, so a 9000# would be about right, 8000# would be ok, especially if you were using a ****** block.

There are a number of 8000# winches out there starting around $299 and 9000# winches slightly higher. The Harbor Freight winches actually are rated quite high for a chinese made winch, as are the Smittybuilts, which are VERY aggressively priced as well...

 

Anyone mind telling me how I can get ahold of that power wagon setup for my '14 CTD?

 

Readily available from both Warn and Mopar but it won't do you any good. Where you gonna mount it? That big straight six has the DUAL radiators mounted right up to the grill on CTD...