Hey guys, like usual I went a little to far off the beaten path today with my buddy and his wrangler and got our selves Ina little fix. We eventually made it out but not after I remembered of the idea of being able to put a winch on the front and then when or if needed is able to attach it the back of the rig. I have heard of this set up before but I can not find it any where or even if it is really possible, and if it is out there I was wondering if someone can point me in the right direction.

 

Its easy and what I use. you need a receiver hitch front and back. Buy what is called a winch basket/cradle. Bunch of different ones.. I recommend one with handles.

http://m.kmart.com/index-g.html#/t-m...p-02815126000P

http://www.jcroffroad.com/product/MMWRC.html

http://www.4wd.com/Jeep-Winches-Jeep...bUQaApdD8P8HAQ



After that, just run some good sized welding cable to the front and rear of your jeep.
Use quick connections like this: (they twist together/apart)

http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/Hoba...gtMaAthw8P8HAQ

And you are good to go! I also made some jumper cables that use the same connectors.

I would also get the wireless controller for whatever winch you have as the rear is impossible if you have to drive as well.

Pros: Winch isn't out in the elements 24/7 subject to theft/Sun etc. Can use front or back. Easy to switch back and forth.

Cons: Can be a pain if you get stuck before hooking it up. Negatively affects departure/aproach angle as it sticks out. Kind of looks ridiculous.

 

For the cons it only affects your angles if it's hooked up. But then if it's not it's kind of a pain in the *** to get it out of the trunk. But would be the same amount of pain in the *** to move it to the rear if you left it on the front so it's a wash.

I have a multi mount winch. Haven't got around to making a rear cable for it yet though. I have everything. Just been lazy for the last two years.

 

Looks ridiculous haha.

 

Yes it is very possible. If you make or purchase a front bumper that you can mount a receiver hitch to you can buy a winch cradle that you can mount in either the front or back receiver. He made it so that he can just plug in his wiring in the front and ran cables through the cab to the back and can plug it in there also.
Went wheeling with him in the snow in January. His is the blue one you can see the cradle that he can switch to the back by just pulling a pin and plugging it in. He used these in the front and the back for quick connects.

http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-...ch/SW1551.html
Here is the location of our wheeling trip;
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f36/sn...-gulch-204269/

 

What about a full-size winch up front and an ATV winch in rear, somehow mounted permanently but inconspicuous. They are rated up to 3000 lbs. Wouldn't that be sufficient for backing yourself out of most situations?

 

my outlook is they stick out too far and kill your approach angle. but if you leave in in the jeep and get stuck in mud, especially if the bumper is under mud or water, it's very hard to line up the receiver, especially if you're on a slippery slope. they are very heavy.

another option is just mount an 8000lb winch in the rear with a fabbed up mount between your frame rails, then just open the hatch and winch yourself out.

or, learn to use a few ****** blocks in the proper configuration to do a reverse line pull. you need a few trees and ****** blocks for this to work effectively.

or don't wheel alone and have someone else pull you out from the back.

 

I also wanted to suggest this, but could not figure out the geometry to get it to work..

 

I drove into a swamp here. Don't ask why but I did hahah, not sure if an atv winch woulda helped the ruts I made were swallowing my friends 35's

 

 

I would rather have one good winch inside the truck with me that I could break out and mount front or rear, whichever is needed. Seems like the winch wouldn't do me a whole lot of good mounted up front if the front is buried. And while I appreciate the skill involved in reverse winching, it just seems like it would be a whole lot easier to mount it on the end where you need it and pull straight out.

 

Thanks for that!..

Will a winch work underwater? saltwater?
When I have needed one, the frontend was buried in swampy marsh and jeep at steep angle. Had to use a farm-jack on the sliders to even out jeep, then drove it off the jack.

 

In that case, you can ask a shark to help push

 

Yes. Most of them will work underwater... I would definitely spray it off thoroughly after salt water though... especially if using synthetic. Though on a beach you would need another rig to winch to or a land anchor of some sorts.

 

Best bet is a front permanent mounted 9-10k in a dedicated winch/bumper with the controls mounted on the inside of the cab. Using ****** blocks is the cheapest way to go and I did it for many years in the towing business for extreme angles.


I have a 9.5k front mounted unit and just recently bought a cheap 10k winch to use on a rear hitch mount, I dislike this because of the weakness of the mount involved if any angles are involved, nothing you can do about it. But on the rare occasion that one is needed for a straight pull I can use this one that is kept in the cargo area.


I'm using 0 ga. welding cable from the battery back to the rear for the winch. Will just use the hand held control for this one because of the very limited use if any.


Each to there own but IMHO a winch/bumper combo is the safest/strongest way.