Winch Mount Options

idahotrophyhunter · 01-02-2013, 08:02 PM

Proud new owner of a 2008 CC 4x4. My wife bought me the 12000lb harbor freight winch and I want to mount it on my rig. What is the most inexpesive option for a mount to get this installed? Will the universal mount at harbor freight work? Do I need anything special.

smon · 01-03-2013, 09:32 AM

There are some dedicated front mounts that a couple of people have on here. they will probably chime in soon. There have also been some people who just mount a receiver to the front...that way they can use the winch at the front or the back. You can leave it at home for everyday driving.

deereepro4x · 01-03-2013, 09:49 AM

The only mount that can handle a 12000 pound winch is the mile marker winch mount.

**HRTKD** · 01-03-2013, 08:05 PM

This is the one I have: https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/tita...rd-p-4177.html. It's made by Mile Marker even though the web page doesn't say so. I bought mine from that web site in 2007.

Oh, you wanted inexpensive? Well, for starters there really aren't any inexpensive options except for putting in a front receiver hitch which in my (not so) humble opinion looks like crap. Should you happen to find something cheap keep in mind that your winch could (in theory) put 12,000 lbs of stress on the front end of your Titan. Side note: I had a lengthy discussion with the folks from Warn and they said they didn't think the mounting points on the front would support over 10,000 lbs.

An alternative is to put your winch in a cradle mount Warn Industries - Mounting Systems: Winch Carrier and use it on the back with the OEM hitch. Even the Warn cradle isn't rated for 12,000 lbs and it isn't inexpensive either. I don't mean to piss in your pudding but take a look at the weight of the Harbor Freight cradle (19 lbs) and the Warn cradle (32 lbs but that may include some wiring). If your Titan is in trouble which cradle would you trust?

If you use any sort of cradle then you'll need to be able to disconnect the power. Here is how I did it for my rear cradle: Hitch Winch with Quick Disconnect Power. It wasn't hard to do but it wasn't cheap. I considered building my own cable but I couldn't source everything for less money and less time than just buying it from Warn.

Here's my thread on a recovery I did a couple years ago: Titan Off-road Recovery.

When it comes to winching (not wenching!!) you can't think cheap. Cheap can get you killed. Rope/cable, snatch blocks, D-rings, etc can all break which can lead to a very dangerous situation. I replaced the steel cable on my winches with synthetic rope which is about twice the strength of the cable and it weighs much less.

**GRAVITY** · 01-04-2013, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HRTKD

Rope/cable, snatch blocks, D-rings, etc can all break which can lead to a very dangerous situation. I replaced the steel cable on my winches with synthetic rope which is about twice the strength of the cable and it weighs much less.

Absolutely, the strength to weight ratio is incredible.

Not to mention no wickers or splinters. Additionally, Dyneema/Spectra will "store" less energy when loaded than steel wire. As a result, the chance of injury from the line breaking when it fails is reduced. Additionally, it's exponentially easier to store, carry, splice, & install replacement line.

Just keep in mind that winches with drums that are cast with cost savings in mind, aren't necessarily able to withstand the focused stresses (like point loading) that synthetic lines can produce.