I need ideas for a winch set up for my CRD

I'm not exactly sure if this is the right area to post this but here it goes...

So just as the title says, I'm looking for ideas for a winch for my diesel WK. I don't go wheeling much but in the summer, I want to explore more. Not many of my friends have capable vehicles so I can't have someone in another Jeep come along. I would like the peace of mind so I could go farther and not have to worry. I would love a hidden winch setup up and it fits my needs perfectly. Unfortunately due to the intercooler on these diesels, there isn't as much room to work there as on the gas WKs. I'd also rather not use a hitch/winch cradle set up. I want something permanent and strong and also don't want to have to haul that out of the Jeep if I get stuck. I'm also not looking to add a metal bumper at this time either due to the extra weight and price.

I saw one guy came up with this, but it looks large and in the way. Not a big fan of this idea, but it is an option.
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So do any of you guys have any ideas? Ideally, I want a hidden winch but I just don't think it'll fit. I'm probably going to have my bumper off this weekend to install my S4XC shackle mount nutplates so if anyone comes with an idea, I could take some measurements.

I know its an XK... but you can probably fit one in there based on this: http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/...ad.php?t=15573

The same guy actually told me that too, but I think XKs have a bigger front bumper. I really don't know how much space I would need though. I know Saguaro said that their hidden winch plate would for sure not fit. I'll take a look at Omelets hidden winch build again and check out the dimensions this weekend, but everything will have to be custom made.

So I had my bumper off the other day and did some measurements while I was there. It looks like I only have a max of 6 maybe 6.5 inches to work with due to the intercooler! Omelet had like 3 or so more inches to make his. His mounting plate was something like 8.25" at it's widest point, if I'm remembering correctly. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to make it fit with the WK bumper. I want it permanently mounted up front still and am not interested in a steel bumper at this time. Do you guys have any ideas??

I know you said you didn't want a cradle, but that is the ultimate in hidden! You can leave it at home until you decide you want to go explore.

And you can use it on the rear as well.

Why not use a cradle with a front receiver and just bolt it in and leave it permanently. If it won't fit behind the bumper it will have to go above, below or infront of it. a front receiver with the the cradle bolted in is an easy way to get it in-front. If you replace your front crossmember with a receiver in the same location (not below), the winch will still be fairly high and out of the way.

http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/...highlight=plow

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Originally Posted by brendon

I know you said you didn't want a cradle, but that is the ultimate in hidden! You can leave it at home until you decide you want to go explore.

And you can use it on the rear as well.

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The reason I don't want to do a cradle is because it kills approach angles and I also don't want to get into a situation where it's difficult to hook it up in the front. There are a lot of benefits like being able to extract from the rear but I fear it will be too much of a hassle, partially due to the weight. I would also have to purchase a 4xGuard Matrix.

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Originally Posted by thance

Why not use a cradle with a front receiver and just bolt it in and leave it permanently. If it won't fit behind the bumper it will have to go above, below or infront of it. a front receiver with the the cradle bolted in is an easy way to get it in-front. If you replace your front crossmember with a receiver in the same location (not below), the winch will still be fairly high and out of the way.

http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/...highlight=plow

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For the reasons mentioned above and it also doesn't seem very finished leaving the winch in a cradle, permanently bolted there.

However, I asked Omelet on JF and he and another member (who has a CRD) chimed in saying they might have figured out a solution to fit it. I'm going to try and get in contact with the guy with the CRD and see what they came up with. Thanks for the suggestions guys!

My thoughts would be to do it as if you were doing a hidden winch, which will sit it out the front around 3-4", cut out the centre section of the bumper, then just make a light alloy skin to mate back to the bumper. That way you keep your angles. I know some of the other CRD guys were looking at different intercoolers which would mean more room but I dont know how it went.

^^ I like that idea.

Hell might even be a good chance to play with fiberglass if you wanted to get fancy :)

I was thinking the same as Dave said, why not get a side mount IC, it will better than stock and out of the way.. a lot of turbod cars run side mounts I stead of front mounts due to cooling issues may be something to consider..

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by valpacer

My thoughts would be to do it as if you were doing a hidden winch, which will sit it out the front around 3-4", cut out the centre section of the bumper, then just make a light alloy skin to mate back to the bumper. That way you keep your angles. I know some of the other CRD guys were looking at different intercoolers which would mean more room but I dont know how it went.

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Originally Posted by Matt

^^ I like that idea.

Hell might even be a good chance to play with fiberglass if you wanted to get fancy :)

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Could you guys explain this a little more? I don't quite understand how that would look or work?

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Originally Posted by 06JeepXKHEMI

I was thinking the same as Dave said, why not get a side mount IC, it will better than stock and out of the way.. a lot of turbod cars run side mounts I stead of front mounts due to cooling issues may be something to consider..

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

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I will look into this, thank you for the suggestion. An intercooler upgrade was something that interested me but I would also have to buy a new intercooler, get a tune and get it customized also, and fabricate mounts and such...something that will probably have to wait for awhile. And of course, you could easily be making 470+ ft-lb torque after all those upgrades and then you're really pushing the limits of the NAG1.

As a side note, has any one been following the new bumper from Aspen Creek Offroad (aka Saguara 4xc)? Here's a link to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/aspencreekoffroad

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Originally Posted by jjt250

Could you guys explain this a little more? I don't quite understand how that would look or work?

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Basically you would follow the same steps as the hidden winch setup. Bit set the winch as far back as you could. Then, since the bumper cover won't go back on you'd trim the cover until it does. Then make a custom cover/adapter to fill in the sections of the cut bumper cover.

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Originally Posted by Matt

Then make a custom cover/adapter to fill in the sections of the cut bumper cover.

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This right here, I'm not sure how that would look and how exactly it would attach. Is there anything wrong with leaving the winch cradle slightly exposed? Again, I'm not sure how that would look.

Nothing really wrong with having the winch exposed. Can even get a winch cover just to protect it a bit.

That is what I will most likely do. Hopefully it would look ok with the middle section of the bumper cut out for the winch cradle. Yeah now that I think of it, I see JKs all the time with their winches exposed. Thanks for the help!

Exposeed winches look tough in my opinion. Deer can be hard on exposed winches however. I realize that it may look nice hidden and you don't like the idea of a craddle but I would strongly consider a reciever hitch plate. I know your country and I would imagine you trail in some mud or perhaps creek crossings. I have two ranch trucks with hidden winches. 70% of the time I get caught in a creek (crick!) crossing. Talk about a bad place to mess with a winch in the front, submerged 2" under the water. You also have the mud and water packed in there so you have to be good about cleaning it. Wiring takes a beating caked with wet mud. My 75 fj40 has an exposed winch but its fine and up high just like most wranglers. I would still say that there were many occasions that it would have been a lot more handy to winch out backwards instead of fighting the disaster I was heading at:D. Have you purchased a winch yet? I have my opinions on some to stay clear of that may seem attractive as far as cost. One in particular comes to mind that can burn up in only a few uses. I suggest the standard stuff. Ramsey, Warn, Mile Marker (for the budget guy)

Thanks a lot Joe, you brought up a lot of things I hadn't even considered. You're right, I live in an area where hitting a deer is definitely possible and a lot of the wheeling is mud. I do try to stay away from mud because I hate the mess it makes. I have not purchased a winch yet but I'll definitely be seeking advice when I do. I need to get the whole mounting thing figured out first. Honestly, the time frame for this is most likely late summer, maybe later so I'm in no rush.

I'll have to ponder over this some more now.