Installing Badlands Winch on OEM FJ40 bumper

[mrjordann]

Hey, has anyone installed a harbor freight winch on a factory 40 bumper? I bought a new 12000lb winch and it didn't come with any instructions (or at least I can't find them) ... Never owned or installed a winch before.

Does anyone have experience or pics of during/after installation?

Thanks

 

[middlecalf]

Never done one, but did you get this too? https://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/62000-62999/62446.pdf

They have manuals online. Depending on which one you got: https://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/63000-63999/63770-193175345493.pdf

 

[1911]

That's a lot of winch for a 40! And for the stock bumper, which is basically sheet metal. You'll need to reinforce it and make a heavy (thick) piece of plate steel to mount it on, preferably one that bolts to the frame.

 

[YODA 88 62]

This is how I adapted the harbor freight winch plate with an existing homemade bumper. The plate will need to be cut down. Holes will need to be drilled in the frame and winch plate if using the stock bumper. The plate is a good foundation to start with for the price.

Your steering setup will also come into play.

 

[mrjordann]

That's a lot of winch for a 40! And for the stock bumper, which is basically sheet metal. You'll need to reinforce it and make a heavy (thick) piece of plate steel to mount it on, preferably one that bolts to the frame.

Should I have got a 9000lb

 

[1911]

Should I have got a 9000lb

A stock 40 weighs in the neighborhood of 3,500 lbs, so an 8,000 lb.-rated winch is still more than double. The rule of thumb is about 1.5 x weight of the vehicle.

I run an 8,000 lb.-rated winch on mine, with an upgraded (higher hp) motor on it. I have pulled some really heavy rigs with trailers out of ditches and etc., but it is sometimes a challenge to anchor the 40.

 

[mrjordann]

Never done one, but did you get this too? https://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/62000-62999/62446.pdf

They have manuals online. Depending on which one you got: https://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/63000-63999/63770-193175345493.pdf

Thank you! Just bought this mounting plate. Didn't know it existed. Honestly, I'm quite surprised the manual specifically says it fits an FJ40.

 

[Hilndr1701]

I also got the Apex 12,000, mainly because I'm not just thinking of winching myself but others as well. Also, for the price, why not?
I've always been a fan of removable whatnots and such so here's what I did.
I started with the thick C-channel bumper that the 40 had when I bought it and cut it down to fit the frame.
I had to have a friend weld a 1" thick piece of steel for a spacer that fits in between the hitch mount and the mounting plate.
Then tap and insert an M16 bolt on the top of the hitch, for stability.
He then welded the plate to the frame, with a lot of measuring and remeasuring, of course.
The new bumper from 4PlusProducts | FJ40 | Front Bumpers | Channel Bumpers - http://www.4plusproducts.com/fj40channelbumpers.html was mounted and a couple of thick pieces of angle iron were welded in the spot where the winch mount bottom protrusions sat on the bumper, mainly as extra support for offset winching.
Now the winch slides effortlessly into the hitch and on top of the bumper.
I have not wired it at the moment but I did mock the quick connector to the bumper where I think it should go.

I like the idea and I believe it will work fine. I trust my friend's welds better than mine.
I guess we'll see how it goes.

 

[Scott11cruiser]

I used the CCOT winch plate, it mounted up just fine.

 

[tyranny2k]

For those of you who HAVE installed the Apex 12000, I was able to fit into a Slee Short Bus bumper by moving the control box to an bumper assessor plate (needs to be modified but works for now). It's in and working, I went back and did an idiot check of instructions and noticed that the instructions call for EIGHT 8.8gr bolts to secure winch to plate. I have four in. There aren't 8 holes in my winch plate. Id have to drill them. Where do the other 4 go? How did I miss this?

 

[Living in the Past]

A stock 40 weighs in the neighborhood of 3,500 lbs, so an 8,000 lb.-rated winch is still more than double. The rule of thumb is about 1.5 x weight of the vehicle.

I run an 8,000 lb.-rated winch on mine, with an upgraded (higher hp) motor on it. I have pulled some really heavy rigs with trailers out of ditches and etc., but it is sometimes a challenge to anchor the 40.

Not sure you can have too much winch. Weight of the vehicle would play into it if your lifting a vehicle. A 40 buried in mud up to the body then moving horizontally is something else. The down side of electric winches is heat in the motor and alternator/battery size. All these effect how fast motor heats. Viltage drop is a big part of it. Smaller motor will heat quicker doing the same amount of work. In the end does make any difference in the size of the winch it still requires the same amount of work to get the job done.

 

[rstoddard]

I used the CCOT winch plate, it mounted up just fine.

View attachment 3044952

Do the recovery hooks bolt on top of the CCOT plate?

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Do the recovery hooks bolt on top of the CCOT plate?

 

[KRGfab]

Badlands 9000 winch and the HF winch plate, welded in between the frame rails, respooled the winch to run underneath the drum.

 

[B y r o n]

Badlands 9000 winch and the HF winch plate, welded in between the frame rails, respooled the winch to run underneath the drum. View attachment 3561757

When you say re-spooled do you mean that you reversed the controls to get it to feed from the bottom of the spool instead of the top?

 

[KRGfab]

When you say re-spooled do you mean that you reversed the controls to get it to feed from the bottom of the spool instead of the top?

Yes, I also pulled all the cable off and reattached it to the drum opposite of how it was originally installed, so it would feed from the bottom, and feed out on the control would still be out.