Winch mount on a Max II

[MOOSE1963]

I am looking to put a winch on the front of my MAX II. Is the mounting plate mounted to the front only or will I need to install some supports

[Mike]

*moved to correct forum*

[apob4401]

Winch plate

There does need to be some support on the inside. The factory winch mounting hardware is very expensive and specific for winches only. Meaning no additional locations for lightd, tow hooks ect. If you have access to fabricate your own I would do that. I made my own out of 3/8" aluminum flat stock and it came out really nice. I am working on posting pics. There are also several others on this site that have done the similar things. "search" for winch mount in the forums!!! Good Luck

[SiliconTi]

The winch mount is easy and cheap. I bought mine from Richard's Relics for $100. All it needed was paint and the correct holes drilled for my winch. What you see on the outside is the plate the winch mounts to. On the inside, behind the winch is a big steel plate. These sandwich the plastic between two steel plates. I'v used my winch a few times and though the plastic flexes quite a bit, it has held up OK. (I have a MAX IV.)

[rrknapp]

Winch mount on the inside

I bought a 3000lb Warn winch to mount on my Max II. It seems the $100 mounts don't justify the cost, so I have been thinking of making my own. I think mounting it on inside of the body with only the Roller Farilead on the outside. I'm not sure how I would attache it just yet but was wondering why I don't see this more. It seems like a good idea; the winch would stay dry and out of the way.

What am I missing, why is this not more common?

[Raleigh Trainer]

I bought a 3000lb Warn winch to mount on my Max II. It seems the $100 mounts don't justify the cost, so I have been thinking of making my own. I think mounting it on inside of the body with only the Roller Farilead on the outside. I'm not sure how I would attache it just yet but was wondering why I don't see this more. It seems like a good idea; the winch would stay dry and out of the way.

What am I missing, why is this not more common?

1. New winches are waterproof, or at least highly water resistant, so keeping them dry isn't a concern.

2. How to you plan to reach the spool clutch when deploying the winch? It is easy to get to in the standard, front of tub location. It is a waste of battery, motor life, and time to use the electric motor to spool out the line every single time you need to use the winch.

3. I would want any source of spark (e.g., electric motor) away from my gas tank, especially since the gas tank is already sitting in my lap <g>.

[rrknapp]

I got off of work, open the lid and re-thought it. You are right on all counts.

Although, I did think about creating a water tight access door in or above the grill, kind of like a small hood.