Brush Guard & Winch Mount

Jan 1997

Background | Info Request | Decisions | Installation | Notes | Cost | Postscript

Background

My original goal was simply to find a way to put tow hooks on the front of my Cherokee. Due to the lack of frame up close to the bumper, anything I did was going to require additional bracing. Once I realized this, I figured I might as well install a brush guard on which I could put tow hooks and maybe a winch. (The factory tow hooks and mounts from Jeep are almost $100, so why not go for whole enchilada?)

Info Request

I sent for information from SuperWinch, Ramsey, Warn, and MileMarker. I also asked rec.auto.4x4 for suggestions. I got an email the same day from Warn and from an ARB dealer. I also received catalogs and info from Ramsey, Warn, and MileMarker. SuperWinch did not respond in any form even though I specifically asked for a catalog to be sent.

Decisions

After digging through all of the info, I had some decisions to make.

1) Replace bumper or use a kit that incorporates the factory bumper?

Due to cost, I wanted to retain the factory bumper.

2) Electric vs. Hydraulic Winch

Initially, I liked the advantages of a hydraulic winch: fast, quiet, low battery drain. However, as several people pointed out, it only worked with the motor running. I could envision quite a few situation where I would need the winch, and many involved a dead motor. I decided to go electric when the time comes to get a winch. I needed to make this decision now so I could be sure to get a mount that would hold my winch of choice.

With these two factors, and the fact that SuperWinch never even responded, the short-list included Warn and Ramsey.

I ended up choosing Warn due to their great reputation for reliability and customer service, and the fact that they were willing to send me installation instruction before I made my decision, and answered all of my questions promptly and willingly via email. Their prices were also considerably less that SuperWinch and ARB (I never checked on prices from Ramsey).

The final choice: Warn Industries, Combo System

Installation

One of the best features of the Warn kit was the detailed drawings and well written text of the installation instructions.

1) Remove Bumper

This was pretty easy. A couple of days ahead of time, I started spraying penetrating oil on the bolts so I did not have any problems getting them loose. There were two gotchas here that were not mentioned in the instructions however. Make sure that you disconnect any wires that feed fog or driving lights that are connected to the bumper. Trying to disconnect them while holding the bumper in place would not be any fun. Also, there is a vacuum bottle attached to the inside of the bumper on the passenger side. You must detach this before removing the bumper, or you will pull out the vacuum line by mistake.

2) Drill holes in bumper for upper brackets

The instructions have a good drawing that shows exactly where to drill two holes in the bumper. Unfortunately, the curves of the bumper make it hard to get the exact measurements needed to place the holes. Luckily, the whole system has enough give to it that it doesn't matter if you are a little off. Just make sure not to tighten any bolts until the whole thing is assembled, or you will never get it all to fit together. Trust me (and the instructions) on this one. ;-(

3) Attach new brackets to bumper

To do this, you need to remove the spring clip nuts from the original brackets, and install them on the additional brackets that come with the kit. Be careful when removing the clip nuts. They are brittle and break easily. If you do break them (like I did) it is a lot harder getting the bumper back on because you have to hold the nuts in place while you line everything up.

4) Reinstall bumper

This isn't too bad, but longer bolts would have made it a lot easier. The additional brackets add just enough width that it is a little bit hard to get the original bolts started into the spring clip nuts. It is even harder if you broke the clips (see above) and have to hold them in place while trying to start the bolts.

5) Enlarge hole in frame for lower brackets

The instructions show a hole in the frame that you must enlarge to install the lower brackets. Drill it out. No problem.

6) Attach lower brackets

On my rig, there were small brackets that hold some of the plastic trim that were too close to the hole to allow the lower brackets to fit. (See Figure) I had to remove these and cut the ends back by about a 1/4" to allow everything to fit. On the driver's side, I had to loosen the power steering unit to get one of the mounting bolts for the bracket to go into its hole. The instructions mention that there may also be a skid pan that needs to be notched, but I did not have that on my truck.

	Grey = Frame Yellow = Lower brackets from kit Green = Brace that needs trimmed (On on each side) (Click here to see Photo)

7) Assemble winch mounting kit

This is pretty easy if you left all of the fasteners loose up to this point.

8) Tighten all fasteners

Self explanatory.

9) Install grill and brush guards

I would suggest doing this before everything is tightened. Other than that, it was easy. If you are installing a winch at the same time, it must be done before you install the grill guard.

Lights, License Plate, Action

At this point, you are ready to install your license plate and fog/driving lights. The kit comes with brackets to hold your plate under the winch mount. I have mine there for now, but I'm not sure how well protected it is there. I may move it up to my bumper at some point.

There are several holes in the kit for mounting other goodies such as lights. Find ones that work for you. The ones I used put the lights under the winch mount, and probably use holes that I will need to mount the winch someday. Oh, well. I'll deal with that when the time comes.

You did remember to reroute the wires for your lights didn't you? Neither did I. Loosen everything and route them where you want them. ;-(

Tow Hooks

Oh, you wanted to install the tow hooks you bought? No problem, the instructions say that there are two holes on each side that fit standard tow hooks. Hmm, where are they? Well, they are the ones that you used to hold the winch mounting plate brackets. This means... That's right. Time to disassemble again and install the tow hooks by bolting through the brackets. You need longer bolts than the ones that come with the kit, but luckily the tow hooks from Warn (purchased separately) come with bolts that work.

Notes

Winch options

The product catalog shows that the only winch that will fit on the Cherokee with this kit is the M5000. In a footnote, however, it mentions that kits above a certain revision (which all are now) can accommodate the X8000i or XD9000i both of which seem to be better choices due to strength and the integrated solenoid design.

When I mentioned this in an email to their customer service, I got the following response:

"Please caution him, however, that we stand by our catalog recommendation of using only the M5000 winch. The footnote he referred to applies to the Combo Kits themselves (19730 & 21824) which are used on many vehicles. His hardware kit 19746 is limited structurally to the 5000 winch as indicated. The attachment points on these Cherokees are not adequate for the full power of the larger winches and we've done our pull tests only up to 6000 lbs. to certify our former M6000 winch. He can still install the X8i if he really wants to, but we will not warrant any part of the kit or any damage to his vehicle. I know others have done this and really don't have problems because the vast majority of winching situations are below 6000 lbs. with this size vehicle."

Loss of clearance (approach angle)

Since the lower brackets are quite a bit lower than the bottom of the bumper, the approach angle is significantly reduced. When the lift is installed it should overcome most of this problem, but it is something to be aware of for now.

Does not reflect headlights

One of my concerns was that the top bar of the brush guard would be high enough that the headlights would reflect off them and be a distraction when driving at night. Luckily, they are well designed and to not interfere at all. In fact, you cannot even see any of the brush guard from the inside of the truck.

Cost

Postscript

Lights & License Plate

2/8/97 - Well, the first good hill made it clear that the fog lights and license plate have to move. Luckily the lights were on swivel mounts, so they just rotated up against the winch mount. So did the license plate, but it had to bend to do so. Time to find a new place for them...