Question for those with ARB winch front bumpers

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Greetings,

I recently purchased a FZJ80 that has an empty ARB winch bumper. Plan on installing a Warn winch next weekend.

My question is what size bolts are used to mount a roller fairlead using the ARB vertical bracket? This requires running the bolts through the vertical rollers.

Thanks in advance!

 

[toddsmith1]

It is 6 inchs long from the bottom bolt head. its just a little over a half an inch thick. Dont have a caliper handy. Looks to be about 9/16" thick

 

[devo]

I used to have a set of those bolts. Do you need a pair?



devo

 

[toddsmith1]

Yes

 

[toddsmith1]

Yes

I may have read your response incorrectly
Clarify "Do you need a pair". Yes you need two, but I don't need any.

 

[80t0ylc]

You may find that, depending on the fairlead used, you may have to drill new holes in the fairlead to match up with the holes in the ARB bumper. It's been 20+ yrs since I mounted mine, but here's some pics for reference. I initially mounted a Ramsey 8K and several yrs later switched to a Badlands 12K. A roller fairlead was included with the Badlands, but I kept the Warn Roller fairlead that I used on the Ramsey. A quality winch should include the hardware to mount it. You may need to substitute the hardware supplied to get it mounted, depending on winch. I also needed to use spacers due to the angles of ARB and length of the 12K winch.

Notice unused hole in fairlead? Newly drilled hole is offset from vertical centerline of fairlead for this bumper. IIRC, fairlead needs to be snugged up high to align with bumper and spool.

Pic from other side for perspective.

Pic of spacer to allow clearance for winch ends away from inside of bumper taken looking down

Another pic of spacer from bottom. Spacers were obtained from local machine shop stock, 1"x 2" thick bar approx. I had shop cut to length and drill holes. I also removed and painted spacers after pic to avoid corrosion.

HTH to get your winch installed.

 

[jht3]

I had to get my Dremel out with a carbide bit to grind down some nubs on the inside of where the fairlead tucks. Otherwise I couldn't use the long bolts, and the fairlead was mounted too low. Not a terrible job, but a bit annoying due to the lack of space and angles to really get in there cleanly. Hit it with a couple shots of primer and spray paint.

 

[george_tlc]

Or install synthetic rope and run a hawse.

cheers,
george.

 

[80t0ylc]

Or install synthetic rope and run a hawse.

View attachment 3192116

cheers,
george.

Yeah, you could do that. Synthetic rope is so much easier to work with and safer for rookies. But, on the other hand, if you have an ARB, it seems like such a waste not to utilize a bumper that was designed for a roller fairlead that's reinforced for side pulls. Also, if you haven't used the rollers on wire rope, they can be used for synthetic rope. It helps to be OCD and watch the rope in the corners for binds and snags.

 

[george_tlc]

After moving to a hawse, I can't see going back to rollers etc (for synthetic rope). I have the same setup on my oz patrol as well. With the hawse you don't need to worry about side pull pinching and the hawse will happily deal with side pulls given where it is bolted to.

Anyhow, between synthetic and the hawse, you lose a bunch of weight hanging off the front of the vehicle as a side benefit. And yep, synthetic is so much nicer to deal with.

cheers,
george.

 

[jht3]

Or install synthetic rope and run a hawse.

View attachment 3192116

cheers,
george.

I do have synthetic rope. I just prefer the rollers on the ARB. It looks right to me.

I had synthetic and a hawse on my old truck.

 

[george_tlc]

Not sure how a roller fairlead "looks" right - but if you're after the vintage look then....

The hawse has worked great since moving to it 10+ years ago. I was happy to remove the original roller fairlead - buried in the garage somewhere at this point.

Anyhow, your vehicle, so feel free to do as you wish

cheers,
george.

 

[80t0ylc]

The hawse was used before synthetic became popular as a rope to use and also before roller fairleads. The roller fairlead was considered an improvement because it helped wire rope's longevity. My gut tells me that it would also help synthetic rope. Pulling at an angle and dragging whatever rope you're using across an edge, even a polished edge, instead of a roller has to induce more wear and stress on said rope. Problem is, not all angles will put the rope in or near the center of a roller. Wire rope handles the corners better because it holds up to rough use better. It's the main reason I've stuck with wire rope. True, you can't ignore maintenance of wire rope. It does wear and when it does, it can be treacherous to handle or use. I guess I'm old school in that I'd rather trust wire rope and a roller fairlead in a hostile environment. Just expressing an ol' fart's opinion. But respectfully accept what other people prefer and use.

 

[Nemesis1207]

This wasn't installed by me, it was already on my 80 when I bought it, but as per what @80t0ylc said, you might need to drill some new holes on the fairlead. Here's some pics of my Warn 8274 mounted to the ARB bumper:

Let me know if any more pics/info would help.

 

[80t0ylc]

This wasn't installed by me, it was already on my 80 when I bought it, but as per what @80t0ylc said, you might need to drill some new holes on the fairlead. Here's some pics of my Warn 8274 mounted to the ARB bumper:
View attachment 3193293
View attachment 3193294
View attachment 3193295
View attachment 3193296

Let me know if any more pics/info would help.

That's a slightly different ARB than I've seen here in the states. But it and the winch looks to have seen some "action". A lot of people say the 8274 is the best all around winch to have. I think I agree!

 

[alia176]

That's a slightly different ARB than I've seen here in the states. But it and the winch looks to have seen some "action". A lot of people say the 8274 is the best all around winch to have. I think I agree!

That's the "commercial" ARB bullbar that is made to accomodate the 8274 winch and a "flare less" 80 series. I belive this bumper allows the installation of this awesome winh w/o cutting into your plastic grill. Additionally, they're a tad narrower than the normal ARB bumper, apparently.

 

[ajax1]

That's the "commercial" ARB bullbar that is made to accomodate the 8274 winch and a "flare less" 80 series. I belive this bumper allows the installation of this awesome winh w/o cutting into your plastic grill. Additionally, they're a tad narrower than the normal ARB bumper, apparently.

Correct my buddy has one ordered from arb it is different then the one we are used to seeing here in the states. My buddies Offroad shop is arb dealer and he got it for him. Believe it was cheaper as well

 

[Corbet]

You can always run the plastic rollers with synthetic. I’ve had the old Viking ones for over a decade. Daystar were the only ones I found currently available with the most minimum of effort.

Roller Fairlead Rope Rollers For Synthetic Winch Rope Red by Daystar | Daystar Web

Buy this Roller Fairlead Rope Rollers For Synthetic Winch Rope Red by Daystar at Daystar Web. The #1 Truck Products in the world.

daystarweb.com

 

[Nemesis1207]

You can always run the plastic rollers with synthetic. I’ve had the old Viking ones for over a decade. Daystar were the only ones I found currently available with the most minimum of effort.

Roller Fairlead Rope Rollers For Synthetic Winch Rope Red by Daystar | Daystar Web

Buy this Roller Fairlead Rope Rollers For Synthetic Winch Rope Red by Daystar at Daystar Web. The #1 Truck Products in the world.

daystarweb.com

View attachment 3193802

That's pretty cool, I didn’t know that was an option. My 8274 still works fine, but could use an overhaul, one of the many jobs on my todo list. I've debated synthetic vs steel cable in my mind, but thought I'd have to switch out the fairlead if I changed to synthetic. This option feels a bit better for me. Still not set on synthetic though, I'm 50/50 on it.