I just ordered the WARN winch 9.5ti Thermometric multi-mount winch for my baby. I ordered all the goodies with it i.e. front hitch mount and rear quick connect also roller fairlead. Between that and my LT315's I should be able to cause some damage!!

 

Warn is awesome!

 

Pickup Man,
Do you have a winch? What model and do you use it often? I figure if I get stuck by myself out in the middle of nowhere while I'm hunting it will more than pay for itself.

 

Sounds like a nice set up.

I used to have a 12000lb unit on the front of my F-250. Great winch, and Warn really stands behind the product. Only issue I had was that it seemed every time I really needed it, I needed it on the back of the truck, not the front. If I ever installed a winch again, I would probably do the rear mount set up like you. Make sure you get yourself setup with a ****** block, tree trunk protector, a couple of shackles and all those sorts of things. Really makes a difference.

 

Buy a heavy duty boat anchor. It doesn't matter how powerfull of a winch you have, if you have nothing to hook that winch to, you're screwed.

Been there...done that.

I don't carry it with me every trip, but if I know I am going to be getting in the deep stuff, it's the first thing I pack.

 

Usually I'm in the woods so there is always something to hook to, but I will keep that in mind. Thanks!!

 

Now if they'd make a double mount that allowed the switch from to rear and back.....

Ed

 

That is what I have on order. It is a hitch mount in front and you can use the regular trailer hitch in the back. Quick disconnects are located in both locations. I am considering the purchase of the wireless controller so I don't have to sit there with the wire hanging out the window when in use.

 

Key word....USUALLY.

My incident happened driving down a turn row in a sowbean feild. The closest tree was about a mile and 1/2 away. It's only happened once. I have only used the anchor once since then, and didn't really even need it then...I could have hooked up to a tree, but with the anchor, you are not limited to which direction you can pull towards (kinda hard to move a 200 yr old oak tree where you want to )

Is it worth buying one? Probably not. I would have given my right nut for one when I got stuck.

 

Sheesh chemgod, for an engineer, you sure are *Mr. Path-of-least-resistance* when it comes to thinking through mods for your truck (i.e. out-of-spec fitment of tires on your OEM wheels ) [j/k!].

Seriously though, you should read what WARN has to say about using wireless controllers with their products. Quoting from WARN's web site:

"Dear All WARN ATV, Self-Recovery and Industrial Winch Owners:

It has come to our attention some customers are inquiring about the compatibility of using the currently available Radio/Wireless Remote Control Devices with a WARN Winch.

Here is what you need to know:

IMPORTANT PERFORMANCE NOTICE ABOUT THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE RADIO/WIRELESS REMOTE CONTROL DEVICES

For WARN Self-Recovery winches, the currently available Radio/Wireless Remote Control devices clearly disable the WARN backup (redundant) winch switching control functions. This is because the Radio/Wireless Remote Control Devices utilizes three (3) control wires while the WARN remote switch utilizes five (5) control wires. The five (5) control wires are critical to proper function.

For all WARN winches (ATV, Self-recovery and Industrial), the currently available Radio/Wireless Remote Control Devices may lengthen the response time between the winch control functions of POWER IN and STOP, POWER OUT and STOP. These Radio/Wireless Remote Control Devices do not meet the WARN standards for operator control of any WARN winch product.

For over 50 years, WARN has been committed to providing dependable, reliable products you can trust. WARN strongly recommends that you DO NOT use the currently available Radio/Wireless Remote Control Devices with any WARN winch product.

If you have any questions, contact the Warn Industries Risk Manager at: Phone 503-722-3044; Fax 503-722-3000; E-mail: wilsonm@warn.com"

FWIW: I was kinda bummed WARN let down the '04 F-150 community, as they had announced last year (I posted about it in Aug '03) they would "soon" be introducing a hidden winch mount for the '04 F-150 trucks; but as of now, they have taken down all info regarding that product from their web site. They must of had some problems getting it engineered. Too bad, as that sort of sano full time winch mount is really nice, when done right.

As for the boat anchor idea: I would suggest leaving the marine hardware on the boat. There are far better anchoring tools to be had IMO for back country travel. The Pull-Pal is one of the handiest and best things to have in the winch kit. Even if you think you will have plenty of trees to anchor to, there are definitely times where having your choice of anchoring points is a decided advantage. At $289 for the RW11000, this purpose built winch anchor does not come cheap. But then again, there are times when having one of these would make it (as they say) priceless. See their web site here.


Pull-Pal RW11000

 

do you have a front bumper hitch? if so what company made it and how was the install? i have not seen any available yet.

 

Very true...but...I paid roughly $28 (with tax, no shipping) for my boat anchor. That thing is cool though!

 

If I still had my Jeep with one of their underhood welders (same company also mfg the Premier Power Welder), I could probably fab you one from my scrap pile for a fraction of what your boat anchor costs! Someone without a scap pile to pick from, probably could still *McGiver* something together from a quick run to ACE/HomeDepot/Co-op/Feed Store and have a welding shop finish it for what you spent on that boat anchor. Pretty low tech design to replicate.

Food for thought: Even with a winch and an anchoring device on onbard, a Hi-Lift jack is still a must for back country travel IMO.

 

FoMoCoFoMe,
You just can't handle not have the last work can you . I talk directly to the WRAN rep and just like car salesman I guess didn't mention anything about the wireless thing (he wasn't even aware one was out there). Thanks for the info though that may make the decition not to get one much easier.

DarkShadow04,
Yes, it is a front hitch mount that comes direct from WARN. I ordered through 4wheelonline.com. They are pretty new and hard to come by at this time. I should have the whole set-up by the end of next week.