Superwinch EP9 on ARB Bumper

[cnskate]

Can I fit a Superwinch EP9 on my ARB bullbar bumper? Looks like I might need the remote solenoid kit. Thanks

 

[Count_Fred]

Mine looked like it was going to be very tight, and a pain to get in and out, possibly even needing to mount the winch to the bumper and then the bumper to the vehicle.

I had some 1' wires made between the solenoid and the winch and mounted the solenoid to the frame rail near the winch.

Drilled a hole in the ARB on the flat in front of the headlight to put the socket for the winch control.

Cheers,
JFS III

 

[IBCRUSN]

I assume you meant to say you have an EPi9.

Provided you seal up the existing boot where the wires enter the housing (would act like a forward facing scoop) and drill a hole on the bottom (backside when installed normally) for drainage I don't see any reason it won't work. Superwinch does have a statement in their installation manual that one should not install the solenoid in an inverted position so any other position should be fine.

As a side note, due to the mounting foot and the overall width of the winch you'll need to fab two 3/4"-1" spacers in order to mount the winch with adequate clearance for the motor and gearbox housings. I can upload a couple pictures tonight showing how I installed my EP9 which is the same basic winch but the solenoid pack is separate.

 

[Count_Fred]

An EPi9 is going to be a much bigger pain to mount than an EP9. I know a few people who have ordered an EPi9 by mistake and given up on trying to make it work. Not saying it can't be done, but needed to seal it up is always going to be a risk point, and something that should be checked regularly to make sure it's holding.

Cheers,
JFS III

 

[cnskate]

Mine looked like it was going to be very tight, and a pain to get in and out, possibly even needing to mount the winch to the bumper and then the bumper to the vehicle.

I had some 1' wires made between the solenoid and the winch and mounted the solenoid to the frame rail near the winch.

Drilled a hole in the ARB on the flat in front of the headlight to put the socket for the winch control.

Cheers,
JFS III

It's an EP9. So it sounds like it fits but solenoid relocation is necessary? Superwinch sells a kit for that, but probably cheaper to make one. Thanks

 

[Count_Fred]

I never even realized Superwinch made a kit. I just stuck it where I could drill and tap some mounting holes, and then headed to Industrial Welding Supply and asked them to make me some cables. Couldn't have been more than $15 for the short bits of cable and letting them crimp on the ends.

Cheers,
JFS III

 

[IBCRUSN]

It's an EP9. So it sounds like it fits but solenoid relocation is necessary? Superwinch sells a kit for that, but probably cheaper to make one. Thanks

I'll post up pics of the final product for my EP9 install later tonight. I relocated the solenoid pack to a bracket welded to the ARB.

Other than purchasing 5' of 2 GA or larger welding cable there's no reason to buy a kit, you can make it happen on the cheap.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

I have an EP9.0 and relocated the solenoid under the hood in front of the primary battery

Mounted the remote plug on the bumper

But I never use the wired remote because I have dash controls

 

[coax]

Can I fit a Superwinch EP9 on my ARB bullbar bumper? Looks like I might need the remote solenoid kit. Thanks

I have been meaning to do a write up of my ep9 install on an arb since, like you, I didn't find much info on the subject though Snake Eaters thread had some good info in it. In the meantime you can check some pics here, but like stated above, its not a straight forward installation, and can take quite a bit of time to do. At the minimum you will need spacers, solenoid relocation, and redrill the fairlead OR get a Warn one OR go synthetic with hawse OR modify the bumper.

I'll post up pics of the final product for my EP9 install later tonight.

Wanna combine threads and keep the superwinch/arb info in the same place?

 

[IBCRUSN]

Wanna combine threads and keep the superwinch/arb info in the same place?

This thread is as good as any since the the title of the thread is Superwinch EP9 on an ARB.

I don't have pics of the whole process, these shots were taken to assist a guy that's currently over in the sandbox come up with a plan to install an EPi9S on his ARB. All that's needed outside of the winch is ~5' of 2 GA or larger welding or car audio power cable, a small piece of angle iron and two nuts/bolts.

Rotate the gear housing so the clutch handle is on top and accessible. This pic shows the 1" bar stock used as the spacer. I do not recall the length of the new metric bolts but add 25mm to the bolts supplied if using 1" spacers.

I did open up the slot to ensure the rope was in proper alignment with the winch drum. If you've got a few $$ burning a hole in your wallet there are a couple folks that offer offset rope fairleads.

The location of the solenoid box is handy but painting the back side can be a PITA to achieve adequate coverage. I'm not very concerned of any of the surface rust as the bumper will be replaced far before the rust really takes hold.

The following measurements are as installed to give you some idea of the clearances. Bear in mind I have a 1" body lift that netted some additional clearance. Measurements are taken from the aft side of the ARB mounting surface.

For those entertaining the purchase of the EPi9 or EPi9S there is enough room to make to work but you'll need to address a couple items prior to installation.
- Use 3/4" bar stock for the mount base spacers as the extra .25" may be needed.
- Seal the hood where the cables enter the solenoid control box (page 14, figure 14, item # 50 in the current install manual for the EP series winches)
- Drill a hole in back side (the bottom when installed) of the solenoid control box (page 14, figure 14, item # 49) to ensure water is able to drain.