Warn 16.5ti Winch

[wankeled]

Hey all,



Looking for advice on mounting/cradle ideas for the Warn 16.5ti on my 2003 H2. I was looking to have a custom cradle fabbed up but the shop I'm at is trying to deter me with concerns about structural integrity of the mount.



I know the winch is greatly oversized anyhow and that a custom cradle may not support the full abilities of the winch but I would like to have it available as a worst case solution.



Warn support doesn't have any recommendations for me either.



My google skills are failing me as I know I have seen custom mounts made for our H2's but cannot bring it up.



Any ideas would be great!

[whitehumh2]

Wow!



I thought I was going big this spring with a 15000lbs Smittybilt X20!



First this is going to be a really heavy setup to have to install when you need it! Hopefully you don't have sticks for arms! <img src='http://www.canadianhummerclub.com/forum ... oflmao.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':rotflmao:' />



I would personally suggest that you install it permanently in your front bumper.



I looked at the specs for the winch, http://www.warn.com/truck/winches/src/165ti_winch.shtml and from I see you should be able to shoehorn it into the frame!



I will be making my own custom winch mount shortly to accomplish exactly this for the Smittybilt 15000lbs winch I will be installing. This would be the strongest and safest way to install the winch to take full advantage of it's pulling power and to protect your frame!



IF you choose to do a cradle mount, here is what I would suggest;



1. Make the cradle so that it sits tight against the bumper when installed, I do mean full contact.



2. Make angled braces as part of the cradle that would contact the bumper at or near the frame.



3. Reinforce your hitch mount like crazy, remember for the moment it is only 4 small bolts that have to deal with all the side loading and full pull stresses.



4. Contact ROY and see what he could help you fab up!





I still would personally do a bumper install instead of a cradle mount but that is just me!



Post some pics of what you are planning and maybe I could suggest some useful upgrades!



Happy New Year!! And the Mods Begin!!!

[Autumn Walker]

[quote name='Polar Bear' timestamp='1357045645' post='41574']I still would personally do a bumper install instead of a cradle mount but that is just me![/quote]



I agree with Polar Bear. Given the weight of that winch alone it should be permanently mounted. Don't forget the tremendous pulling power - you'd rip that hitch right out of the front of the truck!

[Hesh]

Simply put, in my opinion, that winch is overkill. The H1 uses a 12K rated industrial WARN winch (pending it isnt a model outfitted with the milemarker hydraulic unit). Either way - bigger isnt always better when it comes to this situation. These are more important factors -



How much line will the drum allow you to hold. Please remember this changes with line/rope diameter.



Calculate the most you'd ever need to expect from your vehicle in terms of recovery - if you are (or close to being) the biggest vehicle that you'd be recovering, choose a winch line and length accordingly.



Keep in mind that the most strength/power you'll see out of a winch is with the line entirely out with a minimum of one wrap of cable/line on the drum. The more line/cable on the drum, the less power and efficiency you will see out of your winch. This is why with more challenging recoveries, some guys will attach a snatch-block on the stuck vehicle because if your winch holds 120' of line/cable, and the vehicle is 50' away, utilizing 50' of line to the vehicle and 50' of line back to the winch vehicle will provide a safer and more efficient recovery for your winch, despite working at a reduced speed.



There is more to picking out a winch than just knowing about the winch itself. I am a strong believer that 95% of the people who own a winch have completely substandard knowledge of how to use the unit properly and keeping both safety and efficiency in mind. Learn as much as you can about rigging, as having the strongest winch on the trail will do no one any good if it isnt outfitted with the proper thickness, type (syn or steel), length of cable, and most importantly a strong understanding of the forces, physics, and failures that can appear in winch-recoveries. You can make far more use out of a weak winch with a good base of knowledge than you can out of the strongest winch with insufficient knowledge.

[wankeled]

Nice, thank you all. I didn't realize there were responses, I wasn't setup for email alerts on this thread.



I will check with Roy and get his input. Looking forward to seeing more about your setup also Polar!



I have had this winch for far too long and finally found the time to do something about it. I'll admit I originally bought this to repair and flip but I want to keep it now <img src='http://www.canadianhummerclub.com/forum ... /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> I intend to use a 1/2" synthetic line, 50 footer I believe. Warn has a very good write up on proper winching methods also but I've never personally had the "pleasure" to use one so I can't speak to experience. At least one person on these forums is comfortable enough with only using an 8000lbs winch because it's not just about the pulling power as mentioned (snatch blocks, etc). Over sizing like this is probably more for the fun factor (and tearing out front hitches lol). Obviously you still need to play it safe and smart.



http://www.warn.com/truck/winches/image ... c-read.pdf



I need to do some more homework regardless but will post the final if I can convince myself to pick a direction to go with!



Thanks all!