Max 2 winch mounted on front

[Frankman]

Just bought my max 2, and the previous owner made a mount for the front that is mounted directly to the body with just washers and nuts. I see several people running similar set ups, but just feel like it would RIP right out the first time pulling against it. Are yall using reinforcements on the back side of the body as well? Cant find any pics of how people are setting them up, thanks in advance.

[racerone3]

I think the original max mount was just a big steel plate behind the front of the upper body to distribute the load. . Easy enough to build, but also pretty easy to tie down to the frame

[Reconrokon]

I made my own winch mount and bolted it directly to the front overlapping edge of the body. I also used a 1/4 aluminum backer plate on the inside and a 14" section of angle iron under the front lip. Probably overkill, but it is very strong. The thick polyethylene bodies on these are pretty stout. I had to winch the MaxII out of a river once because of a wet sandy bottom. The tires just spun out the wet sand and it went straight down until the body was on the sandbar. My BIL took his 4 wheeler and drove to the edge of the river so I could attach the winch to his quad. The winch pulled it right out. Another time a friend stuck his dune buggy and I winched him out with the Max, so it has been field tested. I will post pics if you are interested. RR

[Frankman]

Thanks for the quick replies. I definitely think a backing plate to distribute the load is a good idea. If you dont mind, I would appreciate seeing some of your rigs winch pictures for ideas, thanks

[Reconrokon]

Here is a picture of the winch mounted from the outside. I will try to get some more detailed pics tomorrow afternoon and post them. The winch is used in this application to raise and lower the snowplow. RR

[Reconrokon]

Here are the pictures as promised. I thought I had used a aluminum plate for the backer plate, but it is steel. The section of angle iron under the winch is actually about 24" wide. This is probably overkill, but it is very solid. I feel comfortable pulling out just about any type of AATV, UTV or ATV without doing any damage to the body of the Max.
The first pic is the angle iron mounted under the front lip of the body of the Max. You cannot see it unless you are under the machine looking up. The backer plate is behind the gas tank on the front panel and is bolted directly to the winch mount.