Electric Winch Install

I will post some pic's of my install on a M35A3.

Hard Head said:

MRAPS are heavier and they come standard with an 18k electric winch. Be careful of the junk on GL right now as you can purchase a like new warn 18k in excellent shape with all the accessories for 850 or less delivered. As with anything electric you must size your wire to have a less than 3% voltage drop if you want to increase the duty cycle of the winch. Also, electrics are easier to install and they are sealed to prevent damage from submerging the winch in water. I have 2 on my 923A2. The other thing about a winch is the rating. An 18k winch is what the 3rd layer is rated, the second is 14k, and the first layer is 12k. So any winch will loose quite a bit of its rated capacity with the winch cable extended to the first layer. Around 33%. Just something to think about.

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Sorry bud you need to check with any winch manufacturer and you will find you have that backwards they are rated by the first layer which is the first layer wound on the drum.

Is there any stories of an electric winch equipped 9 series which self recovered after being stuck?

74M35A2 said:

Is there any stories of an electric winch equipped 9 series which self recovered after being stuck?

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Yes- It starts out like this........ In a galaxy far far away lol

I've found that if you can fit, build, or afford the larger winch, get it. I've had two 10,000lb Garwoods on Velvet (my former BIG M715), a 20,000lb winch nested into the nose of my deuce crane truck, a modified 10,000lb Garwood pin on for the nose of my 406, and a 20,000 level wind unit on the rear. That unit has pulled and pulled and pulled and never failed. If the truck drags, lock the diffs and dig down then pull harder. It's testing parts sometimes, but these style big units **when used correctly** will keep pulling. The downfall is you MUST be running unless you have a small engine/pump combo somewhere. Biggest problem you'll see with the Garwoods is people will not be attentive to the line spooling in, stack it up on one side and blow the bottom cross bar out of the drive side (or pull in the lead chain or clevis with same result) and your winch is then parts. Level wind will 90% cure that but you still gotta keep an eye on it.

Oh, and for the departure angle folks, and Humvee folks, this is for you- ...a buddy of mine now owns it and remove the jungle gym so the frame could flex as designed. Tires are 405/75R20 Michelin XM-47's. 42" tall so a 44" wall. Unimog 416. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsQ7kjr8C9w

Figured I would bump this one back up for those who need a bigger electric winch than the 18k warn.

I picked this Sherpa 4x4 winch up out of Australia for $1075 including shipped to my door via FedEx in under a week. The fedex guy was mad at the 130lb box.

Rated for 25,000lbs on their site but said the cable will pull up to 31,000lbs easily. nearly a 9hp motor. Available in either 1/2" cable or synthetic rope ( your choice) @ 115ft for the same cost. Available in 12 or 24v as well.

They have 9,000, 12,000, 17,000, and this monster as well. The winch is just sitting up there on the cross beam for now for size reference.

For the cost it is worth a try. Especially with some of the testing they did like an hour running underwater and sitting in saltwater for 8 weeks.

If you need winch extension plates a certain surplus seller here in Memphis sells them for around $160 for the set.

I will report back once i get it mounted and use it.

Awesome price, hopefully as good as they claim. I cant find much for reviews on Sherpas, other than their own propaganda. I’m sure you’ll beat the snot out of it and let us know.

If it turns out good, I think I’ll get one and make a dual receiver hitch type mount so I can use it in the bed, rear of the truck, or on the trailer. 130lb that’ll keep me buff moving it around...

Let me know if you need any welding lead. I should be able to get my hands on a bunch of good used stuff.

Jbulach said:

Awesome ....... need any welding lead, I should be able to get my hands on a bunch of good used stuff.

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I use the heavy jacket stuff from tarmac, 2/0 I think if it's available. I'l like to buy a 100' of that for the weld trailer upgrade.

Jbulach said:

Awesome price, hopefully as good as they claim. I cant find much for reviews on Sherpas, other than their own propaganda. I’m sure you’ll beat the snot out of it and let us know.

If it turns out good, I think I’ll get one and make a dual receiver hitch type mount so I can use it in the bed, rear of the truck, or on the trailer. 130lb that’ll keep me buff moving it around...

Let me know if you need any welding lead. I should be able to get my hands on a bunch of good used stuff.

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Just buy 3 of them instead. You're big $. I could not get you to come work for me no matter how much I offered!

Leave it yellow. Put a Fisher Price decal on it.

74M35A2 said:

Just buy 3 of them instead. You're big $. I could not get you to come work for me no matter how much I offered!

Leave it yellow. Put a Fisher Price decal on it.

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I'll give 2 a shot. If I didn't have a back window I'd run a 3rd out of the cab though.

^ Now theres the guy with all the money!

Run the front and rear winch cables up over the top and connect to opposite ends of the truck, turn the lights off, throttle the alternator up, and let the winches eat. You’ll have room for #3 in no time...

74M35A2 said:

Just buy 3 of them instead. You're big $. I could not get you to come work for me no matter how much I offered!

Leave it yellow. Put a Fisher Price decal on it.

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I’m cheap, it’s the drive. I can do the work here in my shop, just imagine another 10k+ square feet you could hide MV parts in. I’ll bet that engine transplant would be done in no time.

M915 series bumper with the 1.5" shackles. I used Two 3/8" pieces of flatbar with a top connector plate to reinforce both sides.

Bumper is held on by 1/2" angle iron with 3/4" bolts for the shackles. and 5/8" bolts thru the frame on both inner and outer.

74M35A2 said:

Leave it yellow. Put a Fisher Price decal on it.

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DeWalt decals would match his hand tools....

A Hydraulic is > 18k electric, which is > no winch at all. So ...

I got a Warn 18K severe duty. I also have an 18k regular. Both are 24v. I have the severe duty mounted on the truck now, but had the regular 18k when I was taking pictures.

Personally, I don’t mind the look of the extended bumper, but I wanted something different, so I made my own bumper. It’s not finished to my liking, although, I do believe it would pass the pull test. If it didn’t pass, I’d have a warped bumper. So, I have reinforcements I am going to add. The truck had to go to the ranch to work, so I haven’t had a chance to finish the bumper.

The bumper is made from a triangle of 1/2” steel. It’s solid. I have since removed the bars from it. Looked nice, but wasn’t useful. I had lights mounted to them, and just didn’t like it. May try another configuration with a bar and lights. We will see.

Custom bumper. Fits my needs. Low maintenance. Safer to use.

Nice.

Some mounts I make

I make mounting plates for many vehicles. I have them in 5/8 or 3/4" thickness. I laser them so they are exact and every bolt gets the same stress in the mounting plate. I would highly recommend that you reinforce the frame and bumper when you extend them. I wrap the entire front frame with another frame that I now bend after laser cutting the holes. It is more exact. I also had to make the gussets thicker and also fill in under the entire clevis mount. The winch mounts to the frame not the bumper. In fact I sandwich the bumper to make it stronger and protect the winch from a front end tree or rock attacks! The one in the picture below has a bent 5/8 mounting plate behind the bumper and a 3/8 plate in front.

I bought some mounting kits from Hardhead. They are serious mounts! I didn’t use it on mine, we put them on my friends trucks.