[Chris]

Hiya all,
I'm going to post as many pics as time will allow. I purchased a Smittybuilt winch to add to my rebel. I also got some accessories, snatch block, 20' double looped 20ton strap, two 1" cleats, a Smittybuilt base frame that will have to be modified and, a few other misc. parts.

The winch itself is rated at 9500 lbs. it has a clutch changing lever on top, but due to the mounting location I will be only using the remote to pay out the hook and wire.

I have already mounted the fairlead to be able to mark the hole to be cut thru the skid plate.
Each pic or batch I will give a brief description so if you don't understand something just ask.
Chris

 

[Chris]

The fairlead temporarily mounted, it may have to be moved up depending where the winch bottom ends up.

Right now it is roughly the center of the spot where the lisence plate goes. Once a hole is cut into the skid plate it will need to be reinforced as it is only thin sheet metal.

 

[Chris]

Here is a winch mounting plate from Smittybuilt that we will be using. It is the long black plate that is angled upward at each end with 4 bolt holes in rack end.

It is about four inches too long and made for a jeep but it fits the winch perfectly and is very strong with a reinforced under carriage. The new tabs that will be cut off each end will need to be reinforced in the same manner as the parts cut off. The bolt patern matches perfectly.

 

[Chris]

We will have to fabricate a bracket for each side to be able to bolt to the part holding the D hooks with two holes in it, and bolt to the winch plate. This area has a huge space to work with.

The left side is the skid plate.

 

[Chris]

This is the back side of the skid plate. As you can see my light bar is bolted just behind the bottom grill.

The skid plate itself has some bracing but due to its thickness it will require bracing if I ever want to pull from sideways at all, it would pull on the fairlead that's attacked to it and bend the thin sheet metal.

You can see where the hole is going to be cut just above the empty lisence plate bottom holes.

 

[Chris]

This is a view from the Back of the truck that shows where the winch is going.

This is a view from the front of truck that shows where the winch is going. You can also see where my bush bar mounting brackets attach to the D ring supports.

I can't attach the winch mounting plate here with the other already using all the length of the bolts.

 

[Chris]

Their is a lot of room to put almost any size winch in here.

 

[Chris]

I am having a custom shop fabricate the parts required and to attach the frame mounting plate to the winch frame.
Dollar Welding, Steel Fabrication - Springvale,PEI

I will be installing a Smittybuilt built winch,
Smittybilt 97495 XRC Winch - 9500 lb. Load Capacity, Replacement Parts - Amazon Canada


I also have some extras to help out.
Smittybilt CC230 2" x 30' Recovery Strap - 20, 000 lb Capacity, Tow Straps - Amazon Canada
Rugged Ridge 11235.04 3/4" Black D-Shackles - Pair: Amazon.ca: Automotive
Smittybilt 2744 Universal Snatch Block, Snatch Blocks - Amazon Canada
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004XG3R3O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Smittybilt 2802 Textured Black Winch Plate II for Jeep Wrangler, Winches - Amazon Canada

 

[PapiGringo]

Nice write up so far, looking forward to seeing the rest.

 

[Billythekid]

I agree, Chris is the Man, you are the fabrication genius !

 

[Chris]

Ok the plan,
The fabricator is the genius. He started by created a reading stick to allow for all measurements to be taken from.

By clamping the winch plate temporarily in place he could add a piece of wood and cut the hole in the skid plate for the bottom and top level through the skid plate.
The hole was then centred and the outside roller fairlead attached. It will need to be reinforced to allow for a pull in any direction without bending the skid plate.

The wood was then pushed all the way in until it hit the motor. The horizontal brace from each D ring was trimmed to allow space for the reader plane board and later the cable. It will also have to be reinforced.

The board was then levelled and marked on the top and bottom of the wood. Then the winch plate was removed and the board clamped in place to the front of the motor. The reading board was suspended from outside the truck through the whole opening and being centred all the way thru the cavity to the motor so that all measurements could be made in 3D off of the board.

The board is now secure Inside the cavity without the winch and mounting plate so we now have an accurate guide for fabricating parts precisely off of it in a real time center point without the use of a CAD.

This was the genius of a 40+ year fabricator. He had an exact point of reference for the center of the plane that the winch would be measured from. All other parts could be made without having to take measurements from parts that may not line up right on the truck.

He made brackets and trimmed them from solid stock, and would use grade eight bolts and nuts for final assembly. The stock he used was 2-1/2" wide and 1" thick welded together, so it was very beefy. All the parts were painted black to match the frame and winch mounting plate. The part itself looked like an upside down T.

The winch mounting frame was cut to length to a very close fit between the fabricated frame mounting brackets. He would add a tab welded to the mounting plate at 90* to attach it to the new bracket. They would be attached to the verticals holding the D ring frame support and the winch mounting plate. Two vertical bolt holes existing on the frame brackets and long grade eight 3" bolts would be used.

This part of the fabrication I did not get any pictures of be caused I got called away to the hospital as my brother was having a heart attack. So I put my trust into my man and would leave the truck overnight and would hope to return the next day when visiting hours were over and be able to check on the planned progress.

 

[Chris]

Very very Late last night I got a phone call and the truck was ready. I didn't get a chance to see the final assemble or take pics of it going in. My guy has been working straight thru to finish the project.

The fabricator had to make some corrections and move components to allow the winches height to clear some things that he will show me in the am. I hope to get some explanations to pass along and, some pics of the final fab & install.

I'm headed to the shop at 8am.
Wish me luck on both accounts.

 

[johnj]

Good luck. Nice writeup of what he's done. Thanks!

 

[Chris]

After visiting at the hospital I returned to the shop. The first thing I see is a piece of the mounting plate. Both sides were trimmed and a vertical tab was added at each end.

It was also reinforced like the plate already had been. Since the plate had an upward angle on it it was welded at about 95*.

 

[Chris]

Here is the underside of the mounting plate. It is attached to the upside down T bracket mounted to the frame support for the D ring.

Also, you can see the electrical control box on the lower left. Due to space reasons it could not be mounted on the top of the winch. Once again the master fabricator made some new brackets and now It can be accessed just above the passenger tire with the wheel turned.

 

[Chris]

Here is the drivers side. On this side at the top of the winch is the gear shifter. It can be accessed above the front drivers tire with the wheel turned. You can also see the mounting plate and the fabricated parts as well.

I wish I could have gotten a picture of the piece mounted to the frame the upside down T. It is pretty simple, a block 6" long of 1"X2" with two vertical holes bolted to the frame and a 3/4"x2" 5" long welded to it.

In this pic it's the thicker part with the three nuts and bolts ( grade 8). The thinner part is the tab added to the mounting plate.

 

[Chris]

Here is the completed job from the underside. The winch itself isn't really visable from the bottom, just the winch mounting plate that I had purchased from Smittybuilt.

If you look closely at the bolts you can see the six dashes of the grade 8 bolts, I insisted on using them on all of the parts.

 

[Chris]

Here is all you see from the front of the Rebel. I still have to add the snap on lisence plate holder. The winch itself can't be viewed from anywhere, but, it's there, and works well.

I have one more pic to get of the remote that's stored under the hood, but now I'm headed back to visiting hours. Any questions just ask.

The cost of all parts, and accessories, $800, all materials and labour $400.

All in all I may only use it very rarely but when I do need it it will be well worth it!

 

[Chris]

Here is a tip: if you are ever asked to recover a viehicle for someone, tell them that any damage to their viehicle is their responsibilitiy. Say that to them three times. If you can, use a smart phone to record it.

Also, your own insurance may not cover your own truck pulling someone else out.

If at all possible contact your local 4x4 club and ask about getting recovery training. Whenever you are using a winch, place a blanket or designed covering over the line before retrieving it, and have anyone around stand well away.

 

[johnj]

Nice. It's a challenge to figure out some of the pictures at first but your explanations help a lot. Thanks for capturing all that!