Warn 16.5ti in an ARB Deluxe Bar??? (1 Viewer)

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Jul 9, 2015
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Location
Richland, WA
I'm looking to put an ARB Deluxe bar and a winch on my locked '97. I was looking at a less expensive, non-Warn winch, but found a deal on a new in box 16.5ti for $1k. It's a deal I don't want to pass up, but I'm also not interested in hacking up the ARB bumper to make it fit. I've used the search function, and the results indicate that it *should* fit, but I'd like to hear more conclusively.

Has anybody mounted the Warn 16.5ti on an ARB deluxe bar on an 80? If so, I would really appreciate any information you have to offer.

Reportedly, the ARB fits the M12 perfectly. Dimensionally, the M12000 and 16.5ti are almost identical. Warn tells me that the fairleads are dimensionally identical. The one caveat is that the 16.5ti has an additional pair of mounting bolts on the rear/lower feet that are required for installation. The Warn rep said that these are essential when the winch is mounted feet down because of the shear load, and that the load is different when mounted feet forward, but of course he couldn't tell me that it was ok to omit the bottom bolts. I'm inclined to believe it'd be fine, but I could just drill two extra holes, assuming there's room on the bumper.

Here are the dimensions of the two winches:

16.5ti dimensions: 24.2" L. x 8.5" D. x 9.7" H.
M12 dimensions: 24.37" L. x 8.45" D. x 11" H.

Thanks guys.
 
The winch itself is 138 lbs. That's heavy man.

Up to you, but I'd say that's way too much effort and overkill for what you need.

Find a m9000/8000 off craigs for 500 throw some synthetic on there and go to town.
 
The winch itself is 138 lbs. That's heavy man.

Up to you, but I'd say that's way too much effort and overkill for what you need.

Find a m9000/8000 off craigs for 500 throw some synthetic on there and go to town.

Thanks for your opinion. I haven't found many used winches that were appropriate, and the ones I have found are rusted out and/or way overpriced. I thought about a m12000, but it weights 136 lbs, only 2 lbs less than the 16.5ti. I agree it's a lot of extra weight, but I'm not overly concerned about that.
 
I have a Warn M12K in my ARB - bolted right up.

FYI, you will be mounting the feet forward, not down. It's the 4(or fill all 6) -holes in the front of the bumper. So no worries on the 'feet down' issue.

If you like, PM me your cel, I can text pics of my install / answer any q's with a pic.
 
The winch itself is 138 lbs. That's heavy man.

Up to you, but I'd say that's way too much effort and overkill for what you need.

Find a m9000/8000 off craigs for 500 throw some synthetic on there and go to town.

WA & mud are a different animal. I had a warn M8K in the Lexus 450 & they don't compare.
 
@LINUS Thanks for the input. I'm over in Southeastern WA, but I end up in your neck of the woods several times a year. It sounds like you think this beast is a good bet? Are there actually 6 winch mounting holes in the ARB from the factory (excluding the fairlead holes)? The 16.5ti does have six mounting bolts and I understand the distinction about bolting it feet forward as opposed to down. Drilling another two holes in the bumper wouldn't be a problem, provided the winch will fit flat in the space, but it would be better if they were already there. I really don't want to trim or notch the ARB, though. That would probably be a deal breaker.

I'm reasonably confident the 16.5ti would lift the Cruiser off of the ground (provided the ARB stays attached to the frame).
 
@cbpeck - I want to say the M15K took literally a couple washers or a 1/8" of backspacing to keep from having to merely kiss that odd diagonal plate in the bumper with a grinder. That was forum talk, I only know the M8K & 12K / ARB combo from personal experience owned.

Unless you see by Warn the M12K/15K/16.5ti all share the same dimensions, I never checked Warn - I was going to run a M12K period, no matter if I had to cut/weld/grind.

The bumper IIRC had the six holes for the forward feet pre-drilled, but my bumper was a ~2000/2001 build & it's been ~15+ yrs since install, but I seem to recall the biggest issue was using a cherry picker to get the loaded bumper onto the frame.

The M12K I bought used needed re-clocking the clutch end, but it's a 3 minute job, even w/o directions - just saying to save you seeing it once you have installed.

Like I said, I can snap a few pics, save long-winded stuff. LMK!
 
I'd love any info, including photos that you think may be helpful. I don't mind using a couple of washers or spacers if need be. I just don't want to cut the bumper or the truck. At this point I don't have the ARB or the winch, but I expect that to change in the next two to three weeks.

FYI... Initially I'd been considering the 12k Harbor Freight for $290 because it was a small fraction of the price of the 12k Warn. And if you're going to go Chinese you may as well get the one with the largest production and lowest price. But when this new 16.5ti came up for $1k it looked like a great deal. I'd rather it be a 12k and/or a little cheaper, but it sounds like a hell of a deal on a great winch.
 
I flat own it. I'm firmly a Warn fanboy.

Reliability & you can buy all parts cheap, rebuild if you like every 5-8 yrs/ or by pulls. I've got a Warn on or going on everything except my E30M3. And the Camaro.

80, quad, Tundra (buying bumper), Wooldrige jet sled.
 
A 16k would help all those morons who get stuck in the dunes out around there as well (from Walla area orignally).
 
A 16k would help all those morons who get stuck in the dunes out around there as well (from Walla area orignally).


I pulled multiple bro dozers burried axle deep and some with ATV/dirt bike in the bed with my s***ty built 12k, 16k warn is slightly overkill.
 
Well, it was... interesting. I was all set to pass on the Warn 16.5ti and get a 13.5k Superwinch. Then the Craigslist seller came back at a lower price. I ended up paying $800 for the new in box Warn 16.5ti, a Warn Snatch Block & an unused Trojan deep cycle battery in a new battery box. Everything has been sitting for about four years, so the battery may be toast, but for $800 I couldn't pass up the package. Now it's time to decide if I mount it in an ARB on the front of the cruiser or flip it to someone else at a small profit. It's more than I need, but the Warn M12000 only weighs 2 lbs less, so I see no reason to downgrade, unless I was looking at a zeon or a non-Warn winch. I'm probably going to keep it and bolt it up. :meh:
 
Well, that's cheap. Nice pick up.

If you want to get rid of the snatch block. PM me a price shipped to 92104.
 
Zeon is kinda a PITA, full honesty - at least finding a bumper that fits mine (same thing, caught a smoking deal) on a non-platinum 10K-s.

The solenoid pack in the bridge works fine in a ARB (I'm guessing) - but I am prob going to need the solenoid relocate kit for a Demello bumper.

I've never used the ___ti series ones, but at that price NIB I'd run it & never look back.

Toss a Battery Tender / trickle charger on that deep cycle & let it sit 2 weeks, as long as it sits on a block of wood I've gotten back zombie status deep cycles.

And the ARB is the bumper of any winch bumpers that will hold it, I personally like the Slee Shortbus for looks but the winch carriage is quite a bit smaller.
 

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