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First off I Removed the Bumper and grill.
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While the bumper is off your going to need to remove wire
grill insert
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When you install the Mount to the truck, the tow hook
will have to be removed as it would not fit correctly with the mount.
Editor's Note: It is often
possible to keep the stock recovery point, although the tubular
crossmember pictured must be removed. The winch mount can be drilled to
accept hooks on the sides or underneath for recovery points. |
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Before you install the mount you might want to paint the
plate as it comes in a copper color, I painted it black in order to
blend with the bumper. Also depending on the Winch used you may have to
modify the plate a little, with the Mile Marker winch I had to drill the
holes larger for the bolts that mount the winch to the plate. You cant
really see the holes from the picture.
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When you install the mount and winch, depending on if you
have help or not, there are two ways to do this. Since I had no help I
installed the mount and brackets first and then slid the winch into
place after the mount was attached to the truck due to it being really
heavy. Otherwise if you have 2 people you can attach the winch and
fairlead to the mount then lift and attach to the truck. NOTE: Install
the fairlead BEFORE you install the winch because you will not have
enough room to reach with a wrench or ratchet to tighten it down.
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Make sure also that you have enough room ( depending on
the winch ) to hook up the cables that run to the solenoid. An Inch
should be fine.
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While the bumper is off , you also need to start cutting
a lot of plastic off. You will need to remove the plastic that holds the
wire grill in place. Also it's hard to see from the picture but you will
need to re-route the hose that flows the washer fluid to the headlight
cleaners. I took 2 zip ties and attached it to the top part of the
bumper. |
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You're going to need to cut the front opening to make it
wider to fit the mount. This can be a pains taking process as you have
to keep cutting and checking until it fits correctly. I started cutting
with a sawz-all but finished up with a dremel with the cutting tool. The
Dremel is A LOT easier. The picture shows the the basic shape you're
going to need to cut in order to make it fit, but I actually need to cut
the top portion higher to fit the fairlead. |
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Again, depending on the winch, you're going to need to
cut a hole on the right side of the bumper in order to access the winch
clutch. This hole size is dependant on your winch and your hand size.
Editor's Note: Almost all
winches can be disassembled and the clutch/gearbox rotated in relation
to the motor and drum. This enables you to "clock" the location of
the clutch lever to make it easier to access. This varies with winch
brands, consult your retailer for more information. |
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For the wiring, I installed the solenoid in the bottle
jack case in the engine compartment. The wiring that came with the winch
was not long enough so I bought some 4 Gauge battery cables and used
them instead. I ran the cables from the winch up behind the grill and
through and small hole to the left of the radiator. I cut a small notch
in the cover of the battery box to run the cables in. The Install isn't
the cleanest job in the world but it does the job.
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The final product is a factory looking
winch installation.
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Approach angle is unchanged from original. |
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