Rough country winch mount unbox/ INSTALL tips.

[Raskew]

Installed the RC winch plate with a Badland Apex 12k synthetic. Big fan of the clean angular look of the winch and mount with the control box relocated (which I still have to mount and wire in). Fits the front of the Bronco in proportion and styling. Preserves almost all of the approach angle.

Visibility is not terrible with the control box relocated... but not sure it will still be useful cresting a ridgeline while staring at my hood. It sure screws with 360° view, though... showing absolutely nothing to the front. (... and if you've got to stare at the back of a winch... not the worst thing in the world staring at a "Badland" logo while you're sitting in a Badlands.)

My biggest issue is with the left parking sensor relocation. Keep getting error messages. I'll switch the sensors and the wire extenders and see if the problem follows the parts.

No issues so far with ACC.

Was not expecting to have to pull the bumper to move the sensors. There's 90 min I didn't budget for.

Overall pretty happy except for the sensor error.

Edit: The rectangular shape of the winch ends minimizes the room allocated for the sensor relative to round ones.

Removed both sensors. Switched sides. Added one of the RC stick-on rubber pads directly to the back of the sensor and used the bolting on of the sensor plates to firmly seat the sensor against the winch housing. Worked great.

No issues with parking sensors or ACC. Needs a camera relocation solution.

I'd like to see where you install the control box when you get it down. Thanks

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[‘21OBX]

Installed the RC winch plate with an Badland Apex 12k synthetic. Big fan of the clean angular look of the winch and mount with the control box relocated (which I still have to mount and wire in). Fits the front of the Bronco in proportion and styling. Preserves almost all of the approach angle.

Visibility is not terrible with the control box relocated... but not sure it will still be useful cresting a ridgeline while staring at my hood. It sure screws with 360° view, though... showing absolutely nothing to the front. (... and if you've got to stare at the back of a winch... not the worst thing in the world staring at a "Badland" logo while you're sitting in a Badlands.)

My biggest issue is with the left parking sensor relocation. Keep getting error messages. I'll switch the sensors and the wire extenders and see if the problem follows the parts.

No issues so far with ACC.

Was not expecting to have to pull the bumper to move the sensors. There's 90 min I didn't budget for.

Overall pretty happy except for the sensor error.

I just reached in the bumper and popped my sensors out. But have been there before and knew where to press

I'd like to see where you install the control box when you get it down. Thanks

I have the exact setup waiting to go on plus the LOD Frame reinforcements. I’m tempted to get out there and do it but it’s HOT AF right now.

 

[okbob]

I just reached in the bumper and popped my sensors out. But have been there before and knew where to press

I have the exact setup waiting to go on plus the LOD Frame reinforcements. I’m tempted to get out there and do it but it’s HOT AF right now.

I was wondering if they could be popped out with the bumper being removed some how. 102-106 degrees here until Monday, I'm in no hurry to put it on lol. Supposed to be in the 80's early next week, I can wait.

 

[akturbo]

I just reached in the bumper and popped my sensors out. But have been there before and knew where to press

I have the exact setup waiting to go on plus the LOD Frame reinforcements. I’m tempted to get out there and do it but it’s HOT AF right now.

Any tips on getting the sensors out? Haven't tried, starting this on Friday. Thanks! https://s3.amazonaws.com/roughcountry/install/921510660.pdf

 

[‘21OBX]

Reach in push the top tab up and the bottom tab down. You do not need a lot of force. Then push the sensor in.

 

[66GT]

I just reached in the bumper and popped my sensors out. But have been there before and knew where to press

I have the exact setup waiting to go on plus the LOD Frame reinforcements. I’m tempted to get out there and do it but it’s HOT AF right now.

Reach in push the top tab up and the bottom tab down. You do not need a lot of force. Then push the sensor in.

After I spent over an hour pulling off my bumper (and the mounting brackets) to accomplish exactly the same thing... I'm trying to unsee and forget that friggin video exists. Damn you.

A dark part of me is hoping you really struggled with the assembly and trying to plug in those sensor extensions.

 

[Bronco1988]

Not quite done yet, Need to cut the plastics and longer bolts for the light bar and relocation of the control pack. Factor 55 ultra hook is inbound as well. There is some difficulty and modding needed if using a warn winch though.

This is the exact picture I was looking for... Winch with control pack relocated. Looks even better now that you can still see the Bronco letting! Where did you relocate the control pack to?

 

[66GT]

I just reached in the bumper and popped my sensors out. But have been there before and knew where to press

I have the exact setup waiting to go on plus the LOD Frame reinforcements. I’m tempted to get out there and do it but it’s HOT AF right now.

If you are using the Apex 12k with the RC mount, you will probably be interested in this workaround.

The winch is so rectangular and blocky on the end sections that there is way less room for clearancing the sensors on the winch plate away from the winch than if it were a typical cylindrical housing.

The instructions call for placing about a 1/4" piece of foam rubber on a plug for the sensor housing that makes it almost 2" long all together. Then it says to sand off the portion of that plug that would interfere with the winch housing. Worst. Design. Ever. (Especially since there is probably only about 1" of clearance with the Apex winch.)

I decided to leave out the "plug" completely... attached the foam rubber directly to the back of the sensor... and then put the sensors in LAST (the hole is just big enough to go in through the front side).

I folded the plastic extensions around the foam rubber to create tension between the winch housing and the sensor mounting... and then used the screwing-in of the front plate to compress the foam and the plastic shroud to hold it in place.

Here's the end result of my method... hopefully it demonstrates what I'm trying to explain.

 

[‘21OBX]

After I spent over an hour pulling off my bumper (and the mounting brackets) to accomplish exactly the same thing... I'm trying to unsee and forget that friggin video exists. Damn you.

A dark part of me is hoping you really struggled with the assembly and trying to plug in those sensor extensions.

I haven’t installed mine yet that may be the hang up. My bumper has to come off anyway to do the frame. Ford has you install some when you do their setup so I figured I should as well.

 

[Bronco1988]

Installed the RC winch plate with a Badland Apex 12k synthetic. Big fan of the clean angular look of the winch and mount with the control box relocated (which I still have to mount and wire in). Fits the front of the Bronco in proportion and styling. Preserves almost all of the approach angle.

Visibility is not terrible with the control box relocated... but not sure it will still be useful cresting a ridgeline while staring at my hood. It sure screws with 360° view, though... showing absolutely nothing to the front. (... and if you've got to stare at the back of a winch... not the worst thing in the world staring at a "Badland" logo while you're sitting in a Badlands.)

My biggest issue is with the left parking sensor relocation. Keep getting error messages. I'll switch the sensors and the wire extenders and see if the problem follows the parts.

No issues so far with ACC.

Was not expecting to have to pull the bumper to move the sensors. There's 90 min I didn't budget for.

Overall pretty happy except for the sensor error.

Edit: The rectangular shape of the winch ends minimizes the room allocated for the sensor relative to round ones.

Removed both sensors. Switched sides. Added one of the RC stick-on rubber pads directly to the back of the sensor and used the bolting on of the sensor plates to firmly seat the sensor against the winch housing. Worked great.

No issues with parking sensors or ACC. Needs a camera relocation solution.

Looks great! Do you have pictures of where you relocated the control pack to under the hood?

 

[ChrisInSC]

This is the exact picture I was looking for... Winch with control pack relocated. Looks even better now that you can still see the Bronco letting! Where did you relocate the control pack to?

I used the BAMF bracket, here is a pic before I finish and added a circuit breaker. It’s the only spot I could place it as I have my twin arb on a bracket on the opposite side.

 

[66GT]

Looks great! Do you have pictures of where you relocated the control pack to under the hood?

Figuring that out now. Just pulled off the rear bash plate and deciding how I want to fab up a bracket to mount in the area where the RC hidden winch mount goes. (Damn you lucky 2.3 owners! Arrgh.)

 

[Bronco1988]

I used the BAMF bracket, here is a pic before I finish and added a circuit breaker. It’s the only spot I could place it as I have my twin arb on a bracket on the opposite side.

Thank you. I was thinking of a similar location.

 

[Bronco1988]

Figuring that out now. Just pulled off the rear bash plate and deciding how I want to fab up a bracket to mount in the area where the RC hidden winch mount goes. (Damn you lucky 2.3 owners! Arrgh.)

Yeah I have a 2.3 so I'd definitely looks like I have more room in the engine bay.

 

[66GT]

Figuring that out now. Just pulled off the rear bash plate and deciding how I want to fab up a bracket to mount in the area where the RC hidden winch mount goes. (Damn you lucky 2.3 owners! Arrgh.)

Ok. Problems.

1. The box is just HUGE.

2. It's way to big to fit in BAMF location in front of the battery.

3. The only viable space is near passenger firewall... right next to the turbo. Nope.

4. The heat exchanger leaves no room under the bash plate without relocation.

5. I want to cut off the casing parts that make it so big... but I opened the case there's a better solution.

6. None of this stuff is waterproofed. They put a nice rubber cover over the power switch and remote cable... which gives you a false impression of watertightness... because from the underside (surprise), the edges have up to a 1/4" gap between the two halves of the casing. Some of the components (like the bluetooth relay) don't look like anything I'd expose to any weather at all. WTF?

So since the "guts" of it look small and removeable, I'm inclined to get a waterproof electronics project box and reassemble all that kit in a MUCH more manageable (and protective) casing.

Loving the winch. Hating the control box. Part of me is considering just putting it back on top of the winch... but I risk wanting to throat-punch myself every time I looked at it.

So this is no longer a 'tonight' project. For now, a couple of frosty Guinness adult beverages will help me decide the plan of attack.

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