Scrubber3's long overdue build thread

[scrubber3]

It sure is. Yes the bumper looks great on the rig, but in no way fit perfect. lol I had to cut the truck, bumper, drill holes through several pieces of 3/8th inches steel, weld several spots, and cursed to the high heavens when I went through four 17 dollar drill bits. Yesterday I spent 12 solid hours mounting the bumper up to fit the Montero. Oh, and I did use grade 8 bolts just to be on the safe side. From what I gather, it would take around 51,000lbs to get the bumper off the front of my truck. I got the winch installed today and I had to cut into the front grill. No biggie to me though as the winch will be way more useful than the middle section of said grill. Just as I got the last turn on the last bolt to get everything wrapped up and done, a snowflake hit me on the noggin. If I haven't mentioned this before, the bumper was for an XJ and is called Logan's winch bumper. I cannot stress how much work went into getting it to fit the Monty though. I mounted/ fabbed the entire project by myself without the use of a cherry picker or hoist of any kind. I had to man handle it the whole way. Not very fun, but well worth it.

[eurosonic]

Wow your an animal. Those things are heavy!

[RichardT]

I mounted/ fabbed the entire project by myself without the use of a cherry picker or hoist of any kind. I had to man handle it the whole way. Not very fun, but well worth it.

Sounds like a lot of work, looks great though. What size Badlands is that? I have a Badlands sitting in my garage just waiting for a bumper to call home, sigh....spring break can't come soon enough....

[scrubber3]

It's a 9000. Got a steal on it. Got it and a 2 year warranty for 299. Tested it out today and it performed flawlessly. Very happy with it so far.

[Silverwulf]

Looks great! I had my share of wrench time during the last two weekends. Needless to say the wife was NOT amused!

[RichardT]

It's a 9000. Got a steal on it. Got it and a 2 year warranty for 299. Tested it out today and it performed flawlessly. Very happy with it so far.

That's cool, great price including the extended warranty. I think I went too big with mine, I heard you should have a winch with 1.5x minimum capacity beyond vehicle weight, so I went with the 12,000. I thought about returning it, but I figure that it should be able to handle anything I encounter, but I'm probably gonna switch to synthetic line to shave some weight off it (weighs 100lbs as it is, I could save like 35 lbs)


Sent from my iPhone

[scrubber3]

I heard synthetic line doesn't like rocks too much. I also heard that some are wrapped in a protective coating though, so I am not sure. IIRC you can put more synthetic line on a spool vs steel cable. I did manage to get some D-shackles today from tractor supply. Now I just need a snatch block. I have something going on with my parking brake not holding as well as it should be, so I will be checking that out soon. Probably just need an adjustment.

I believe the difference in weight between the 9000 and 12000 is around 10 pounds. I think you went with a good choice on the 12000 considering that fact.

[RichardT]

I'm surprised and happy the weight difference is only 10 lbs, makes me happier about the 12k. As for synthetic lines, I've heard various for and against, and like anything else, there are pros and cons to steel line and synthetic. Synthetic can be stronger, is lighter (think having to walk up a hill while pulling either lighter rope, or heavy steel cable), you don't have to watch for kinks which would weaken steel cable, and you don't have to worry that if it snaps it could take your arm/leg off.

On the other hand, you have to watch out for rocks, and carry a blanket or towel to put down so you don't fray the line, it can also deteriorate over time due to exposure, so you need to keep it covered.

Steel line is strong, won't fray as easily as synthetic over rocks, and is pretty durable. It can rust over time, and you have to make sure the line doesn't ever kink as this weakens it. It's a lot heavier (as we read in that article, every lb counts), and harder to work with, you need to always wear gloves to avoid cutting your hands. You have to stand clear of line, or put a heavy blanket over the line (many don't) when in operation as there's always a chance it could fail and seriously injure someone.

So pick your poison I guess? Our badlands will work with synthetic, but it's a little pricey at around $300 bucks, so it's not a priority for me to get it, bit it's deffinately on my list for the future.

Before the I get the line I still need;
Winch bumper (this spring)
33x10.5 15's (this summer)
Roof rack w/lights
Build my storage system in the back
Custom hitch or door mounted dual Jerry can holder (can't decide which yet)
Custom water tank for rear passenger foot well
THEN I'll get the line


Sent from my iPhone

[off-roader]

They make protective sleeves to protect synthetic lines from rocks for a pretty modest fee....

[scrubber3]

They make protective sleeves to protect synthetic lines from rocks for a pretty modest fee....

In that case I see a very nice alternative to steel cable. Without the sleeves, I wouldn't bother with it.