General Automag
Adventurer
We need some recommendations for a winch and perhaps a different front bumper for our 2001 Chevrolet Silverado. It's a 1/2-ton extra cab Z-71 with a short bed. The vehicle is mostly stock. We plan to install ReadyLift's http://www.readylift.com/c-35-chevy-silverado-1500-1999-2007-classic-4wd-6-lug-25.aspx 2.5" torsion keys in the front and their 3" blocks in the rear. This should improve the approach angle in the front and allow us to install 33" tires. (We occasionally tow and haul and want to keep the factory "rake" so the truck will sit level when you have a trailer attached or heavy load in the bed).
We had an accident yesterday in our Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Someone pulled out in front of us and we could not avoid hitting them broadside. The FJ40 took the hit well and can be repaired, but I believe the same hit to our Chevrolet truck would have caused a lot more damage. Since the Chevy truck is over 10 years old now, the "book" value is a lot lower than it used to be, and we don't want a hit like this to "total" our truck in terms of an insurance settlement payout. (We plan to keep this truck for many more years, so a good bumper up front is sort of an insurance in its on right)
We are looking first at the Warn winches, simply because we have had great luck using an 8274-50 on another vehicle. We know that the Warn 8274 is a great winch, but I don't believe that this particular winch will fit on a full size Chevrolet. Warn's Transformer winch mounts/bumpers http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=28 look all right, but I'm not sure that setup would withstand a hard hit from a deer or minor front or head-on fender bender.
The grill and light guards that mount where the tow hooks go are simply not strong enough, so we're not interested in these.
Does anyone have any good winch/bumper combinations that they've been satisfied with? If so, please post some pictures if you have them. Thanks for your recommendations!
We had an accident yesterday in our Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. Someone pulled out in front of us and we could not avoid hitting them broadside. The FJ40 took the hit well and can be repaired, but I believe the same hit to our Chevrolet truck would have caused a lot more damage. Since the Chevy truck is over 10 years old now, the "book" value is a lot lower than it used to be, and we don't want a hit like this to "total" our truck in terms of an insurance settlement payout. (We plan to keep this truck for many more years, so a good bumper up front is sort of an insurance in its on right)
We are looking first at the Warn winches, simply because we have had great luck using an 8274-50 on another vehicle. We know that the Warn 8274 is a great winch, but I don't believe that this particular winch will fit on a full size Chevrolet. Warn's Transformer winch mounts/bumpers http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/newthread.php?do=newthread&f=28 look all right, but I'm not sure that setup would withstand a hard hit from a deer or minor front or head-on fender bender.
The grill and light guards that mount where the tow hooks go are simply not strong enough, so we're not interested in these.
Does anyone have any good winch/bumper combinations that they've been satisfied with? If so, please post some pictures if you have them. Thanks for your recommendations!