Damage while using winch on improperly installed Rough Country High Mount

[BAUS67]

Let's dig into this a bit more. Do you have an angle finder? I would like to know how many degrees difference you have at these 3 points.

View attachment 497702

Well to me they look like they are all the same angle, but I am at work right now and don't have a way to check until I get home.

Here is a pic I took last night if that helps at all.

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[Tricky Dick]

Well to me they look like they are all the same angle, but I am at work right now and don't have a way to check until I get home.

Here is a pic I took last night if that helps at all.

By eye all three of mine are a little off from each other I think, so there may have been some movement afterall. Whether that happened as a result of the improper installation is undeterminable.

 

[PWillette]

Well to me they look like they are all the same angle, but I am at work right now and don't have a way to check until I get home.

Here is a pic I took last night if that helps at all.

I can confirm...everything is flat and on the same plane, no different angles.

 

[Hemisfear]

Let's dig into this a bit more. Do you have an angle finder? I would like to know how many degrees difference you have at these 4 points.

It's that weld bracket to frame rail is what gave way for me.

 

[‘21OBX]

Man when I first read this, I read it as "do you have an angle grinder" blink blink blink

Me too

 

[Tricky Dick]

Man when I first read this, I read it as "do you have an angle grinder" blink blink blink

Sung to the tune of "Do you wanna build a snowman"




You're welcome.

 

[Jdc]

Sung to the tune of "Do you wanna build a snowman"




You're welcome.

Fahk. Now that's stuck in my head.

 

[V1Rotate]

3 days ago LOD saw record sales and scaled production just to try and keep up with a booming market.. Now layoffs and record return requests/cancelled orders

 

[Tricky Dick]

3 days ago LOD saw record sales and scaled production just to try and keep up with a booming market.. Now layoffs and record return requests/cancelled orders

I feel like such a clown. I almost hope my horn face plates are bent a little so I can save a little face!

 

[V1Rotate]

I feel like such a clown. I almost hope my horn face plates are bent a little so I can save a little face!

It was not a total loss as I (and many others) are now significantly more familiar with the front end of their Bronco and stress points lol It’s been fun!

 

[JonDW29]

It was not a total loss as I (and many others) are now significantly more familiar with the front end of their Bronco and stress points lol It’s been fun!

Definitely this. I learn a lot on this site. When I'm ready to go winch up front I now have far more info, which is a good thing!

 

[Tex]

that’s the reason ford is supposed to reprogram the airbag timing when they install the ford performance setup.

Do they delay it or advance it compared to stock?

 

[huey]

Let's dig into this a bit more. Do you have an angle finder? I would like to know how many degrees difference you have at these 4 points.

I can measure - but silly question
I see the 4 points but what angle are you wanting to measure?
from the surface plane of the bracket to what?
the surface plane of that bracket should be flat

 

[Tricky Dick]

I can measure - but silly question
I see the 4 points but what angle are you wanting to measure?
from the surface plane of the bracket to what?
the surface plane of that bracket should be flat

Just the relative flatness of each point, it should take any ground slope out of it. Say one measures 90 degrees, one 87, one 85, etc.

 

[dgorsett]

Yep, mine had the same appearance. I cleaned up some of the welds and slag on there before I installed my fairlead. What I really don't like is that there's no room for a conventional fairlead in there, only the RC, and it's certainly not the nicest fairlead I've seen. Very abrupt chamfering and none on the backside (though it's not 100% necessary on the back as long as your line is well centered). What I'd like to have is the Yankum grooved fairlead and I toyed with the idea of just getting longer bolts and using the RC fairlead as a spacer so it would fit...but I think that would really put the yankum fairlead in peril and unprotected on the rocks. I'm not super happy with it, but it's still one of the best options currently for a Bronco in my opinion.



It's really not that big of a deal to power spool it out, especially with a wireless controller. The Apex 12K unspools fairly quickly under power, and a lot of hidden winches have to be power spooled out in other vehicles too. Warn makes a winch with a wireless actuator for the clutch, presumably geared toward hidden winch mounts, so if it would fit in the RC tray that would be the ideal setup aside from cost. There are benefits to a hidden winch, such as keeping your winch and line cleaner, less UV damage with synthetic line, better clearance angles in some cases, more protected from trail damage, lower CG and better weight distribution, etc. which can outweigh the negatives of being able to reach the clutch lever depending on how important all that is to you.

Personally, if you're still on the fence, I'd wait and see what Lobo does with their hidden winch setup before making a decision. It looks real promising, especially if combined with a high mount intercooler.

Just a couple notes on mine relative to your experience:

I'm happy with the welds/finish on my V2. I used the fairlead that came with my Rugged Ridge winch, not the RC one, it has the same exterior profile. There are a few available with the same exterior profile as the RC but will cost $50 or so you shouldn't have to spend.

I made a tool to release the clutch by reaching down in front of the engine. My Rugged Ridge has a T handle which is easy to grab with the tool. Some winches have an angle clutch handle that would be harder to grab with the tool. To free spool the engine would have to be off, disengage, spool out, engage, start engine, then winch. Hopefully I won't forget a step when in the excitement/frustration of the stuck mode, slow and steady.

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