JK rear winch and shower install

[toymaster]

This thread was originally posted July of 2013.

Been back in country for two weeks now. I've gotten a few things done on the jeep between the honey-do list. The main two are an on-board shower and installed an Engo 9K I got last year.

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With the recent advent of cheap winches I could not resist installing a rear winch. Always wanted one may never have to use it but for now I like it being there. Places I go hauling my trailer I can see the day where it would be nice to have a winch out back.

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I planned a fancy cross member mounting but after staring at the placement for a few hours and building several versions in my head I decided the KISS method is best. I used a flat piece of plate welded to the hitch. I happened to have 1/2" plate at the house so I used that but I'm sure 3/8" would do nicely as well. With my design 1/4" would be too thin. Even with the control box on the winch there is still room for a 3" stretch. All in all this design is the lightest way to install a rear winch on a JK.

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The hitch is a RR copy of a factory one, the rope was sourced from Woods http://www.jeepswag.com/ , and the bumper is expedition-one. The rope looks good. The rope is a 3/8" but is more like 7/16" when not stretched; it dwarfs the viking 3/8" rope that I run on the front winch. With 100' the drum is full. If the wraps aren't tight there may be issues. Time will tell if I leave it 100' or take off some.

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The pics are pretty self-explanatory....

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No fancy CNC plasma cutting here. I used a good old fashion torch. If you are wondering I have the steel C clamped to a skid steer bucket.

After grinding, welding, and paint she looked like this...

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It sits a little higher than the hitch, higher than the factory muffler. The lowest hanging point is the exhaust tip.

A view from level...

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Thanks to my 1" body lift the gap above the factory cross member and body is perfect for this design. The first rope wrap is just above the cross member thanks to the angle from the fairlead and drum height. The last wrap is about 3/8" below the body. Even if the frame or body flexes all points where the rope could touch is smooth. There was just a small factory weld splatter on the cross member to smooth out.

 

[toymaster]

After a couple of days camping who doesn't want a shower?!


I used a Helton brand heat exchanger (sourced from Kurt) mounted with two 3" quick fists bolted to the battery tray. The quick fists and temp valve were ideas are from Borrego60 http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/63643-03-Tundra-helton-heater-install/page2 . The quick fists put the HE a good distance from the motor and tray. The HE case does heat up to the water temp so ~215 degrees.

Since the HE is tied to the heater core loop the factory HVAC temp dial can be used to control the water temp. The HE is plumbed inline with the heat hose so a slightly different configuration was used versus the standard one Kurt usually carries. For this app it is a better fit than the style with all ports on one side or as I like to call it the joker hat look. Also, I got the shower HE model in hindsight I'd get the hot water model. It takes two passes to get 50 degree water to hot; one pass gets it warm. If you just want a warm shower and to only use the vic's HVAC controls to regulate the temp get the 'shower' model HE. If you spring for the $60 temp valve the 'hot water' model would be best.

In addition, I mounted a temp valve on the front cross member so the water does not get too hot. Top right hose is the hot water input, bottom port is the cold water, and the output is the top left port. There is a dial on top under the cover to adjust the temp limit.

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I made a bracket out of 1/8" x 3" flat bar. One QD is for the cold water input, the other QD is the hot water out and the pump needs a 12v socket. The exp-one bumper has an empty space by the winch that works perfectly for the connections.

The 12v socket may get upgraded to a more weather tight one and I need to find some rubber caps for the two QDs.

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Here is the pump, switch, and shower head with a built in flow valve.

All plugged in and ready to use.

A better shot of the 12v pump that can be placed in any water source.

I'd say the whole shooting match weighs less than a 1lb.

 

[toymaster]

I finally got around to installing interior controls for my winches and air compressor. I have a warn powerplant HD on the front and an Engo 9k winch outback. A kill or master switch is installed to arm the winch switches. The Warn PP has a manual switch to either use the motor to operate the winch drum or air compressor. This switch also makes and breaks a micro switch that sends power to the controller to power either drum direction solenoid or just one solenoid for compressor operation. When the manual switch on the winch is in the compressor position the interior switch light comes on. When the manual switch on the winch is in the winch position power is sent to the kill/master switch and allows for either winch to be operated. When the master switch is on the lights on the winch switches come on. In short, the lights let you know when each switch can be used.


Now I do not have to haul around two different winch controller/remotes. When I have the jeep stationary and trying to move another object I feel more comfortable being on the outside controlling the winch instead of inside so, I will still probably carry the Warn remote.

Before picture of the Tuffy full metal console.

 

[toymaster]

Installed a LED back-up light above the license plate.

 

[JeepN95YJ]

This thread was originally posted July of 2013.


The pics are pretty self-explanatory....

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Thanks to my 1" body lift the gap above the factory cross member and body is perfect for this design. The first rope wrap is just above the cross member thanks to the angle from the fairlead and drum height. The last wrap is about 3/8" below the body. Even if the frame or body flexes all points where the rope could touch is smooth. There was just a small factory weld splatter on the cross member to smooth out.

Nice install.

How do you access the free-spool lever?

 

[toymaster]

^^^^^^^You have to reach under there. It is not too bad. If I was stuck in a mud hole then it may be a different story but, where I am mud is not a problem.

 

[mikeJKUR]

Nice work.

 

[WhileInTheWild]

^^^^^^^You have to reach under there. It is not too bad. If I was stuck in a mud hole then it may be a different story but, where I am mud is not a problem.

So what problem is the rear winch solving then? What situations do you find yourself in that you would need to winch backwards? I would have though that would have primarily been in mud where the front end dipped down much deeper than you were expecting.

 

[toymaster]

So what problem is the rear winch solving then?

Check out the first post in this thread for an example of one possibility. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/145427

May be an answer to question I never ask. However, my hobby is creating capability and a rear winch is a luxury I have always desired. The mod also fit into my plans for a battery in the rear of my jeep and at ~$300 the winch was to inexpensive to not buy. That brand also tested extremely well some years back in a winch 'shootout'.

I do envision a time where I have to drop my trailer to go up a hill and then winch the trailer up to me. Having a rear winch will just make that easier. It also allowed me to leave all but one snatch block at the house. If you do an internet search you will find how you can pull a vehicle backwards with a front mounted winch if rigged properly but, it requires a lot of anchor points. Anchor points can be hard to find. Just doing a straight pull backwards is simpler, quicker, and cleaner.

The winch is permanently mounted outside of the passenger area vs. the blocks being loose and taking up room in side of the passenger compartment. With syn rope, aluminum fair lead, and the way I have it mounted the weight difference between two HD snatch blocks was not very much.

The scenario you mentioned of dropping off the front end into a hole is very likely in all environments. The last time I recovered a vehicle they had driven a truck in to a narrow but deep creek. The front end when down, water flooded the engine and cab. They were stuck there for 2 days. Oh, I am a solo vehicle traveler and a lot of time have kids with me. If I get into a 'situation' one time and the cheap winch saves the day then the money and 1/2 day install was well worth it IMO.

 

[Lucky j]

Time to get a wire less remote control.

Love mine for my front and rear winch installation.

Question. It must be pretty hard to know of the cable is still going in evenly on the spool.

But I'm just like you. Just gives you more pulling options with straight foward rigging.

 

[toymaster]

^^^^ Yep that is a down side to using winch control inside of the vic. I have seen the time where I needed to steer and winch so I would pull the control wire tight and bring the control into the driver's seat with me. You just have to get out and check for the rope winding up on one side. Got to listen to that voice in your head. I do like to rig up a double pull using a pulley so most of the time I have a good amount of rope out, this gives me a little extra time to keep pulling before I have to check.

The main reason why I wired the switches was so I could leave the cheap'o rear winch controller at home, talk about cheesy. One less thing I have to carry.

Also, I have the Warn PP air compressor wired up so all i have to do is flip a switch to make it come on. Usually you have to get the controller out, plug it in to winch and then flip the switch on the controller. I figured as long as I was working on it I might as well install switches to operate everything.

 

[Lucky j]

I was always curious how a winch with in cab control mannage to real in the cable back in after using it. I mean when you are by your self.

With the wire less, you have no wire to worry about and you can always be where you wnat to be for the situation you are in. And yes, I do cary a regular controler (in a seal bag) in a seat back pouch just in case.

 

[toymaster]

^^^^ Excellent point. Couple of things come to mind. One, a winch should be rewound under pressure and a human holding back on it ain't enough to do it correctly. Of course, this is what we all do, including myself, still it is not per the instructions. Two, the added in cab wiring did not negate the factory plug for the wired remotes. I went as far as contacting Warn directly to see if they sold the female cord end for the Warn PP so I could mount it on the Engo. This would give me the ability to just carry one controller. However, Warn does not sell this part, you have to buy a whole winch to get one . Right now, for the rear Engo, I would just string out the cable and let it wind up how it liked then, when back at the house wind it up more correcter.....

I think you are slowly talking me into the necessity of having a wireless remote. Just did some interweb searching and could not find one for the PP. Any one of the wireless remotes could be made to work on the Engo in very short order. Seems sad though to have more money in the winch cable and controller than the winch itself.

 

[MTSN]

That brand also tested extremely well some years back in a winch 'shootout'.

I had that exact winch on my 100 series, and I only had to use it one time. That time it was stuck so bad in a marsh we had a forest service guy come down to look at it, and he said he was betting it would take a helicopter to get the truck out. Ya it was bad. We took a buddy's Tacoma about 50 feet in front, chocked the wheels down with these clamping steel units, and I used the winch with snatch block and extension line, and the winch miraculously pulled it out! There were about 15 people there and everyone was shocked it could manage it. I was extremely impressed, and it paid for itself many times over with it's single pull I used it for!

 

[Espo78]

If you have the dimensions of that plate you built for the rear winch I bet you could sell some! That's a great mod.

Also do you know if you can buy the quick disco shower head seperately? I already have running water but only a sprayer right now. A shower head would be great. My water is stored in the rear bumper and gets pretty warm as it is so I don't think I need the heat exchanger...at least not yet.