[priapism]

I'm looking at grille / brush guards. I want a place to mount a winch and I, um, like the way it looks. Looking at the Westin black one.

I'm hearing it requires removal of the factory tow hooks to mount. Does this create any issues if someone has to yank you out of the muck?

Is there anything else that I should know about these things? I noticed a skid plate right in front last night when I changed the oil, I hope that won't get in the way, will it?

I have an 08 LE 4x4 CC. Looking for something kinda like this, but black:

 

[HRTKD]

My Mile Marker winch mount did not require removal of the tow hooks. See my web site here for the install writeup.

 

[willjames007]

My Westin required removal of tow hooks. In addition, it has not fared well against the elements. I drive my truck maybe 2-3K a year and it stays under a car cover all year long. Still faded and looks terrible.

I personally believe the best way is a custom bumper that can house all your winch and get that off road look as well.

 

[HRTKD]

The only issue I have with my winch mount is a spot on the bottom that I banged against a large boulder and took off the powder coating. Otherwise the finish is in good shape after almost four years.

 

[FlyFishMerc]

I have one on my Titan and there should be holes to mount a winch on the cross beam right in front of the Nissan Front logo.

Mine does.

 

[honda250xtitan]

Buy my bumper! You'd have to have a fabricator modify it to hold a winch.

 

[Call_Sign_Maverick]

Mine has the holes to mount a winch on it too. Specs are in my sig

 

[HRTKD]

Call Sign Maverick and FlyFishMerc, I hate to beat up on you guys but I don't think what you have are winch mounts. FlyFishMerc, I can't tell what product you have on the front of your Titan so I could be wrong. Maverick, if you put a winch on your Brush Guard it would twist that thing off like it was made of tin foil. My winch mount is made of 3/8" steel and weighs in at over 100 lbs just for the mount (mounting hardware of four equally solid brackets is extra). Here is information from the Aries instruction manual:

DISCLAIMER- BUYER ASSUMES ALL RISK AND LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FROM THE INSTALLATION AND USE OF
ARIES PRODUCTS. ARIES PRODUCTS ARE SOLD AS DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED
UPON AS PROTECTION FOR THE VEHICLE OR OCCUPANTS IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION OR ROLL OVER. ARIES
AUTOMOTIVE ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR INJURY...

Please understand that I'm not trying to be mean to you guys. I don't want the OP (priapism) buying a brush guard and trying to put a winch on it and ending up with catastrophic results.

Priapism, the brush guard you have pictured in the first post of this thread doesn't look like it would support a winch. If you want the same winch I have you can get it at 4x4Parts.com where I bought my winch and winch mount. It's on sale currently for $610: https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/titan-winch-mount-grille-guard-p-4177.html. I bought mine over the phone. Since I bought the winch and winch mount together they cut me a deal. The Mile Marker winch bolted right in to the existing mouting holes in the mount. I am not impressed with the quality of the winch itself though. It's been back to Mile Marker twice for repairs and I've hardly used it.

My winch mount is TOUGH. I hit a guardrail head on going at about 5 mph and there was no damage, no scratches, nothing.

 

[FlyFishMerc]

No worries you may be correct. As a matter of detail, I would say you are. I honestly cannot remember who the Mfg. is on mine.

 

[Call_Sign_Maverick]

i agree. When i purchased mine, there were options for the heavier duty brush guard with heavier steel to mount the winch. I opted for the cheaper one as i wasnt going to get a winch. It just looks like they used the same setup with the same holes for both.

Originally when i was shopping for them, i was looking more at the style front mount they have on police cruisers. Push bars they call them but same exact concept used to mount winches. Looks cooler but too tough to find

 

[priapism]

Great info, thanks. This is sounding complex and expensive, maybe I'll just get a "decorative" one and use my tow straps LOL

 

[Call_Sign_Maverick]

Aries BG's you can keep the tow hooks but in order to feel safe towing someone out you really have to crank down the bolts. I used an impact on mine just to be sure. Whole BG took a 5MPH hit when in a hurry to park, i ran into a little concrete stub wall. Didnt move an inch but left a few scratches on the rubber piece. I'd still recommend getting one, bro. But be prepared to feel like a bully once you get it on.....it just happens

 

[HRTKD]

With a tow strap on the front it is ONLY to be used to extricate your Titan. Never, ever use your Titan in 4x4 mode to pull someone in reverse. That's a quick way to destroy your front differential. This is a known issue documented on YouTube at least twice that I know of.

 

[Jeffatitan05]

I can second that pulling a truck out of a snow bank ( well anything really ) in reverse is a bad idea. I'm not sure why, I have done it with other trucks. Untill I yanked my brothers chevy 1500 ( with a trailer ) out of the snow I never had a problem with mine. After I saved him I had the legendary clicking up front.

 

[priapism]

Ooh, that's good to know. I'll be sure to use the tow hitch if I'm yanking people out.

Would that be covered by warranty? I've got 7k left in powertrain and would like to replace anything I can while I have time...

 

[HRTKD]

The manual is pretty clear about using the "recovery" hooks. As in, they are for recoverying YOU, not for you recoverying someone else. So if you blow the front diff pulling in reverse and you're honest with the dealer they may deny the claim. Why does it happen? Speculation is that the front gears are strong going forward but weak in reverse. Some of these failures are rather impressive. The front housing of the differential is just gone.

 

[Call_Sign_Maverick]

Good stuff to know. Thanks for the info guys

 

[xp1ericsdaman]

I was also looking for a winch mount brush guard. But am not a big fan of the mile marker. i found this https://www.4x4parts.com/nissan/titan-winch-mount-grillebrush-guard-p-4505.html Anyone know anything about it?