Smittybilt XRC12 in 80 Series ARB

[greentruck]

Finally getting around to posting some pics of my recent install of a Smittybilt XRC12 winch with ARB bumper. The mechanical side of the install was rather straightforward other than a couple of little tricks. Wiring in a second battery, isolator and Blue Sea switch to feed a hungry 12,000 pound winch took a little longer.

The first pics are of the various parts. I used the 80 series ARb winch bumper. Other options are available, but I like the classic look of the ARB and it suits our expedition type build up well.

To help mount the winch properly in the bumper, I ordered an ARB 3500050 Spacer Kit. It's listed as being for a Warn winch, but in reality any planetary-style winch will likely require similar consideration and something similar to the kit parts.

The ARB 3500050 Spacer Kit consists of 4 think metal bars (1/2"?) with holes punched in each end. Placing them between the bumper and the winch pushes the winch back when mounting it in the angled nose of the ARB bumper. Wider/longer winches may be too wide/long to mount properly with the feet forward. This can cause broken castings if you aren't paying attention and crank the mounting bolts down without providing for this problem. If you have equipment to cut and punch similar pieces, you can do this and don't need the kit. The kit also includes a handy license plate mounting bracket (if needed in your jurisdiction) and a few other bolts, etc.

In my case, the 12,000 pound winch is supposedly the same dimensions as the 10,000 Smittybilt pound winch in the literature provided with the winch. I saw another install where it looked like the 10k winch may actually be narrower/shorter than the 12k. YMMV, but in any case, you want to provide enough spacers under the winch feet to be sure that you don't break anything when tightening down the mounting bolts.

The pics show the bumper on the ground, protected by cardboard face down. This is the easiest way to get things lined up and bolted together squarely when attaching the winch to the bumper.

 

[greentruck]

Next, you'll need to modify the roller fairlead supplied by Smittybilt to fit the metal "cap" that is welded to protect the fairlead.

Note that the bumper is shown upside down in these pics. It is easy to roll the bumper over, just make sure you protect its finish with cardboard, etc.

The first pic shows the problem. The fairlead frame is too big at the top of the vertical rollers, as it was designed for the Warn fairlead. No problem! The next pic shows where I marked the interfering places to be ground away with a Dremel with a black Sharpie. Then you can see how the fairlead frame now fits properly so the two lower winch mount bolt holes line up, while being protected by the cap as intended.

 

[greentruck]

This is what makes it easy for one old, out of shape guy to put the winch/bumper combo on the frame mounts. You build a jig out of wood. Mostly a couple of big 2xs cut to length, with a prop made of wood that is the right height to contact the underside of the fairlead, holding the combo level as you raise it up balanced on your jack. A little tricky to balance, but it works well.

 

[greentruck]

Here is the one tricky area with mounting the 12k winch in the ARB. In fact, it's actually a step before the last post (tired).

It's also the one step that may be controversial...

Since the 12k winch is so wide/long, it would require at least one and perhaps two more spacer plates under each foot to get the winch far enough back to mount without problems in the nose of the ARB bumper. I thought about this and decided such a heavy winch, even if grade 8 bolts were used, hanging so far back from where the feet are attached, might not be such a great idea.

Instead, I ground a small notch with my Dremel at the point where the winch's motor casing would interfere with the winch sitting properly. This allowed enough slack so that adding just two more washers under each foot bolt, along with the two spacers, was enough so that the winch could sit properly.

Where I ground the notch is a reinforcing gusset for the winch mount on the inside of the bumper. Fortunately, the protective lip for the fairlead also acts as a gusset on the oustide of the bumper. It's possible that the notch I cut may be the weakest point of the bumper and with a 12k winch, that might be an issue. The ARB was designed with an 8k, maybe 10k winch in mind. But looking at things makes me think that the notch won't cuase problems. If nothing else, the small clearance between the winch motor casing and the gusset is such that it will be easy to tell if a crack should develop from a hard pull.

The three pics show where the problem area is and the notch I made to solve the interference.

 

[greentruck]

Here are a few shots that show the fit of the winch.

Note when lifting and maneuvering to be careful not to damage the air conditioning drier under the left side of the bumper.

Before mounting the winch, be sure that the clutch and wiring connectors are located properly to suit your install. Following the manual, there are instructions on how to "clock" or rotate the motor and gear ends so that they are in a different, better place for your feet first mounting in the ARB.

The final shot looks down at the space behind the winch as it sits mounted in the bumper. In my case, I thought I left enough room after clocking so that I could attach cables to the ground on the motor. Maybe for someone with tiny hands...In the end, I found that it was easy to lay a couple of wood blocks cut to proper length to sit on top of the frame rails. With a little shimming, you can now loosen the motor and have it supported by the wood blocks. You can then access all the electrical connections easily, then bolt the winch back to the bumper -- all without a set of extra hands.

PS I'll followup later with some more pics and description of my dual battery install with the Hellroaring isolator. A 12k winch virtually begs for the extra capacity that the extra battery provides.

 

[80t0ylc]

.........The first pic shows the problem. The fairlead frame is too big at the top of the vertical rollers, as it was designed for the Warn fairlead. No problem! The next pic shows where I marked the interfering places to be ground away with a Dremel with a black Sharpie. Then you can see how the fairlead frame now fits properly so the two lower winch mount bolt holes line up, while being protected by the cap as intended.

Here's some feedback for ya. While I applaud your efforts here in posting pics and details and fitment of your XRC12, I have to ask, why didn't you just return the Smittybilt roller fairlead and get the Warn fairlead that fits? The "cap", as you call, it is for reinforcement on side pulls. It doesn't offer much protection. Did you not get the ARB installment kit with your bumper with the two long bolts? They replace the side roller pivot pins. The design distributes the load on severe side pulls to help the bumper more evenly absorb the strain. Straight on pulls, which is what's done most of the time, don't have the stress to the bumper that side pulls create. With that big ol' XCR12, you might just end up tweaking your ARB on an extreme side pull. Remember, the winch's feet are bolted to some relatively thin plate. IMHO, it would be best to use the design as intended. Just my .02 - YMMV

For comparison purposes, here's some pics of my Warn fairlead:

 

[greentruck]

Well, if I had only known...
ARB isn't exactly generous or thorough in the directions. In fact, if it wasn't for the internet, they're be people sitting around from here to Perth wondering what to do with the parts they've bought

OK, I can see how that would be of benefit -- and I now know what the heck those two big bolts are for.

I'll price a Warn fairlead, as that is a better way to skin a cat.

UPDATE: Wow, Warn is sure proud of their fairleads. Around $250! And up! Geeze, that's more than half of what I spent on the winch. I'll start saving and try not to get in any stucks other than straight ahead...
Actually, I'm not too worried. I'd guess that the worst stress the bolt-through option protects against is on pulls to the side that are sharply above or below bumper level. Never had anything like this on my old 8274 and it got abused like that several times without the extra reinforcement. Of course, that was 8k and we're talking 12k here.

This brings up an obvious question. Is there a non-Warn fairlead that matches its roller spacing?

 

[arndog123]

Just buy some synthetic rope and replace the roller w/ an aluminum hawse fairlead. Done.

 

[80t0ylc]

Well, if I had only known...
ARB isn't exactly generous or thorough in the directions. In fact, if it wasn't for the internet, they're be people sitting around from here to Perth wondering what to do with the parts they've bought

OK, I can see how that would be of benefit -- and I now know what the heck those two big bolts are for.

I'll price a Warn fairlead, as that is a better way to skin a cat.

UPDATE: Wow, Warn is sure proud of their fairleads. Around $250! And up! Geeze, that's more than half of what I spent on the winch. I'll start saving and try not to get in any stucks other than straight ahead...
Actually, I'm not too worried. I'd guess that the worst stress the bolt-through option protects against is on pulls to the side that are sharply above or below bumper level. Never had anything like this on my old 8274 and it got abused like that several times without the extra reinforcement. Of course, that was 8k and we're talking 12k here.

This brings up an obvious question. Is there a non-Warn fairlead that matches its roller spacing?

I hate to be a Monday-morning quarterback, but you should have posted questions before about the bolts. Yeah, the Warn is expen$ive - I paid $105 back in 2001 for mine so they've come up a fair amount. For a while Warn made replacement rollers for synthetic rope for this fairlead, but I can't find them now on the Warn website.

I think the biggest difference with the 80 series ARB winch mount and fairlead as opposed to mounting winches on other rigs is like I said before - the thin plate that the winch is mounted to. It really needs the winch mounted as designed to have the full strength. And yes, ARB's instructions leave a little bit to be desired, but I think shops like MAF & Slee have tech help websites and phone #s you can call. I shutter when I see folks that get the non-winch ARB bumper and cut a hole in it for the fairlead and think they are saving money. They may initially, but down the road they may have more trouble than they bargained for.

Just buy some synthetic rope and replace the roller w/ an aluminum hawse fairlead. Done.

That's not gonna solve any side pull problems. My understanding of the synthetic advantage is for straight pulls, minimum fairlead contact. You have an extreme side pull (45* or more) and you get heavy hawse contact on your synthetic rope. Yes, it can be done, but it's not recommended. Wouldn't want to re-use that line many more times.

 

[greentruck]

Warn 5742 Size Fairlead for 80 ARB Bumper

I hate to be a Monday-morning quarterback, but you should have posted questions before about the bolts. Yeah, the Warn is expen$ive - I paid $105 back in 2001 for mine so they've come up a fair amount. For a while Warn made replacement rollers for synthetic rope for this fairlead, but I can't find them now on the Warn website.

I think the biggest difference with the 80 series ARB winch mount and fairlead as opposed to mounting winches on other rigs is like I said before - the thin plate that the winch is mounted to. It really needs the winch mounted as designed to have the full strength. And yes, ARB's instructions leave a little bit to be desired, but I think shops like MAF & Slee have tech help websites and phone #s you can call. I shutter when I see folks that get the non-winch ARB bumper and cut a hole in it for the fairlead and think they are saving money. They may initially, but down the road they may have more trouble than they bargained for.

Well, I didn't buy the bumper or winch from MAF or Slee, so didn't think to call them. Not their problem, although as helpful as Slee has been on items I have purchased from them, I'm sure they'd have been happy to advise.

Searching around leads to virtually nothing on what is the proper fairlead for the 80 ARB. I even found a comment where someone noted that Warn has the dimensional info for their winches posted on their website, but nothing at all on their fairleads, so I'm guessing a little on what is actually needed. It should NOT be a state secret.

There's nothing patentable about the size of the fairlead. Even though it's an older item, ARB should provide proper info if a specific item is needed to properly mount a winch in their bumper. So I'm laying responsibility at ARB's door on this lack of info for the consumer.

After some research, I concluded that the Warn 5742 seems to be the correct part number. Poking around, I found where I can pick one up for $110. About twice the price of the generic fairlead from anyone else. If it was something special, like aluminum for weight reduction, I could see the reason for the difference, other than the name on the box.

I'm still wondering whether a like-sized fairlead is available from elsewhere? That info would be a handy addition to this thread, even though I'm hoping I have my issue resolved when the 5742 gets here. I can see where the bolt through the rollers and attached to the "lip" would provide additional reinforcement during pulls to the side. Why ARB doesn't pass this info along is a mystery, as I'm sure I'm not the only one who's encountered this conundrum before. Even the kit they specify for use with this bumper doesn't have a word about this.

OK, I think I've got enough details in this post so that someone else searching can find the info later. Thanks for pointing this issue out, Tom.

 

[80t0ylc]

Your welcome, Mike! And you're right. Several months ago someone else on a thread here on MUD was going through similar situation with fairlead and mounting. Here is a link with interesting reading. This link is referenced in a post in the previous link. Seems like the info should be put in a FAQ for those mounting ARBs and/or winches on an 80.

 

[greentruck]

The Warn fairlead arrived today and took me about a half hour to install, while I sipped my beverage after skipping ahead to Step 6

Basically, just unbolt the two lower winch mounting bolts that go thru the fairlead after taking the hook off the cable to get it out of the rollers.

I drilled the two lower bolt holes after installing the bolts through the topmost set of winch mounting holes in the ARB. When the Warn part was installed, it sat about a 1/4" lower than the XRC part underneath the lips. I used three washers between the top of the side roller and the lip to take up this space. This left no room for the washers on the two roller bolts, but it a ny-lok nut so I think it's good. The ny-lok nuts installed fully on the end of the bolts. If you now have all the info needed and do the install with the correct Warn fairlead, you can probably fudge things to get a better fit. The XRC winch mounting holes are the standard measurements.

It's safely secure after torquing them down so that the side rollers just start to roll freely. This is to minimize any potential for rattles, although the rollers have nylon bushings. This used to drive me crazy with the winch on my old FJ55.

I'll try to get more pics up soon on the electrical mods -- aux battery, relocated solenoid box, winch power cabling, etc.

 

[80t0ylc]

I forgot about the Nylock nuts on the ends of the bolts. Yeah, they're great - almost as good as the c-clips that hold the rollers on the original pins.

When I installed mine, IIRC, I shoved the fairlead under the lip on the ARB, as high as it would go, and used that as a guide for drilling the lower fairlead mounting bolts. These also located the winch, as they do double duty - they're the lower winch mounting bolts, also. Actually works out pretty slick. For my Ramsey, it set the vertical position for perfect alignment for the cable through the fairlead. The first wrap on the spool is centered in the fairlead.

I was more concerned with proper spool - fairlead alignment than using any existing holes in the ARB. If you check my above 1st pic and IIRC, the top winch mounting holes had to be drilled as the existing holes were too high to be used when I did it this way.

Anyway Mike, congratulations on getting yours mounted!

 

[McDowra]

Thanks for the write up!

 

[greentruck]

Tom,
The fairlead and the slot for the cable to pass through look good with this mount. There won't be any conflict there. I think If I had the right fairlead from the start, I could have gotten everything lined up so that I didn't have to correct for the fairleadbeing a 1/4" lower than ideal.

Another issue that came up in putting the spacers in place is that the XRC12 does not need a flat plate under each side of the feet. Each foot is separate, there is no continuous metal between them that bears on where a spacer would be. You can use washers as spacers. The two I have under each foot in addition to the bars that the ARB winch mounting kit gives should cause no problems. I did think using enough washers to avoid the notch cut in the bumper's bracing on the motor/PS side of the winch was going to be too many, as that would've required something like six under each foot.

McDowra,
Thanks for the props.

I've got more pics and will be adding to this in the near future. Too many holidays and deadlines for now, but soon.

 

[greentruck]

Wiring Things Up

Here are some shots of the wiring.

First, I wanted the Smittybilt XRC12 'noid box fitted undercover. It's one of the new electronic 'noids, but more protection is always better. It also makes for a neater install.

Got the kit of parts that CDan sends to install the AUX battery on the PS of the FZJ80. As he notes, careful when cutting into this box to make ports for wires, holes for bolts, etc. The fibers are tiny and just like glass.

I decided that the best place to install the winch control 'noid box was on the fan side of the installed AUX Battery Box. I relocated the receptacle for the winch control so that it was on the end of the control box, pointing up.

I repurposed the various mounting clamps Smittybilt provides to mount the 'noid box to attach it to the battery box. This requires some hocus pocus in tilting the metal attaching plate back and forth to wheedle in the various mounting screws. You'll figure it out eventually...
Trust me

 

[greentruck]

Once you get the 'noid box mounted, you then fit your cables from the appropriate connections down to the winch motor. After that's done, then you can finish trimming the 'noid box cover, install bolts in the 2-hole end of it, then rock it onto the mounted 'noid.

When doing this, makes sure you keep the top of it low enough so that your hood won't squash down on remote's connector when it's plugged in and you put the hood back down to see. Personally, I put mine where the hood is left at half-catch, as I would never close the hood with the remote plugged in and in most cases would leave the hood up to help protect the windshield, just in case...

I used some red vinyl tape to help cover the original hole for the winch remote receptacle, then wrapped over it with high quality clear tape to hold things down. This also allows a warning label about the fan being close by.

You can see the aluminum plate I fabbed to mount the Blue Sea switch sitting on the tape measure.

I dropped my well-protected cables from the 'noid through the splash shields into the front of the PS wheel well, then looped it back over the frame, through the ARB and thus to the lugs on the winch motor.

The negative cable for the winch motor goes to both batteries, up underneath the headlights in openings to the respective batteries.

The second photo shows where I mounted the Hellroaring BIC-95150B battery isolator on the BACK side of the AUX battery box. There's just enough room to get the BIC mounted, then install the aluminum Blus Sea switch mount above the BIC. The cable attached to the bottom of the Blue Sea is the hot feed to the winch control 'noid.

 

[greentruck]

Here are some shots with everything installed on the PS.

In the first, you can see how the A/C line has been protected. Mostly overkill, but you need to trim and adjust the AUX battery box as you install it to clear this line on the FZJ80.

Right above the A/C line and next to the radiator is the 50 amp circuit breaker that limits charge through the BIC, as recommended by Hellroaring. There is one next to the battery on each end of the cables that feed from the battery POS terminal to the BIC.

The XRC12 'noid box is easy to see, with it's relocated receptacle.

To the right oof the air filter housing is the relocated (with the Slee kit) washer bottle, with the fuseholder for the AUX battery winch feed mounted on another aluminum tray that is bolted through the same bolts that hold the washer bottle and cruise control unit.

Above that you can see the Blue Sea switch and the aluminum shelf it sits on, which is just above where the BIC is mounted, both on the back of the battery box.

The second pic is an overhead from the front.

The third shows an overhead shot along the fender, with a good view of the fuseholder.

 

[greentruck]

Here are a couple of shots of the DS battery box. Here I didn't have a good place to mount the winch lead fuse holder. I cut cable and attached it, where it lays down at the bottom of the space in front of the battery. A small bungie secures it there.

The 50 amp circuit breaker is attached to the back side of the battery box on the DS.

I took loose the brace that runs across the front of the radiator opening and used that to carry the hot wire from the main battery over to the PS where it attaches to the Blue Sea switch.

Most of the winch power cables are warped in some fashion to help protect them. The ends of hot cables are marked with red. Lots of big phat power running around, so wanted to do everything I could to protect against the possibilities of a short through wear on the cable jacket.

I also labeled things to help keep track of it all. The older I get, the more I CRS.

The main battery is a standard 85 month Interstate.

The AUX battery is an Interstate Marine Cranking battery. The only thing currently powered off of it is the winch, with it otherwise reserved per Hellroaring's recommendations to have no loads attached so that it acts as a true back-up battery. I decided I would be well aware of the perils of excess current use if I am running the winch. Of course, the Blue Sea swicth allows me to pull power only from one battery or from both.

I wired up my own remote for the Hellroaring BIC. Mike at Hellroaring was very helpful and it works great now that I went back and hooked up the red wire!
The cool thing was that it was still charging both batteries just as it should, even without the BIC remote being hooked due to my oversight. Must've been that night I worked on wiring until 2am...

 

[greentruck]

Another thought on the 'noid control box location...

This is actually nearly as high as you can get it anywhere under the hood, which will keep it up out of the water. Along with my custom greasing of winch itself to try to keep as much water and corrosion out as possible, I've made an extra effort to make sure the "infrastructure" that supports the winch is hardy.

With the dual battery install, extra battery box, custom cabling, etc I know I spent more on the install (excluding the ARB) as on the winch itself (~$500) in this case.

This is especially important on a 12k winch, but really applies to any winch. A lot of the problems people have with winch are due to taking shortcuts with wiring and locating controls, as well as poor mountings.

I know the expensive winches are better. You get what you pay for, but customers expect a lot no matter what when you start spending the kind of money even "cheap" winches cost. If you sunk all your money then cheap out on setting it up, you may have been better off by getting less expensive winch that you support it with good attention to investing in what it needs to work right.

Besides, if I burn up the "cheap" winch somehow -- not really expecting to BTW -- then the investment in producing a good installation will still be intact. Just hook up something else