Hidden Winch Mount
The previous winch mount has worked well for many years except for a few things -- it blocks some air flow to the radiator, it makes the vehicle several inches longer, and my pants kept snagging on it. So, it's time to hide it behind the bumper.
I found a nice product from a Cherokee forum member and placed the order for his version that hides behind the factory bumper.
I also switched to synthetic rope during this project.
Here's the starting point and new mount.
After some cutting of the crossmember, it was time for a test fit.
The crossmember had to be cut to make room for the winch.
Every modification with this build has the goal of keeping the vehicle looking stock. So, after a trial fit of the bumper end caps, I saw an issue in the design of this mount for my application -- the clevises were completely hidden by the end caps! So, off they go and new ones welded in.
The clevises had to be cut off as they were conflicting with the bumper end caps.
The winch mount was marked for cutting to make room for new clevises in a different location.
The bumper skin was modified to allow the clevises to protrude and a gusset added to support the fairlead.
Several hidden winches make it so you cannot see nor access the winch rope on the drum. So, I cut an opening which will later be filled with an access hatch.
The solenoid control box needed to be relocated. After looking at several options, I chose to mount it to the bumper where the vacuum canister was at (it's been relocated under the hood).
However, I also wanted to relocate the plug to a more accessible location so after removing the plug, a cap was made.
I wanted to relocate the plug to a more accessible location so after removing the plug, a cap was made.
Finally, I switched out the clutch lever for the socket adapter from Boostwerks and then made my own handle.
I switched out the clutch lever for the socket adapter from Boostwerks and then made my own handle.
Hidden winch mount and bumper all fully assembled.
The winch solenoid control socket was relocated to a more convenient location.
A 3D-printed handle for a socket extension to control the winch clutch mode.
Hidden winch mount and bumper all fully assembled.