DIY LR4 hidden winch attempt fail

bruno3288

New member
So, I was looking at Hidden LR4 winch mounts and thought, "Hey, I know I can make this cheaper.". So, I took a stab at it and failed. The problems all stem from it being the 2014 SCV6. I started with the Harbor Freight winch plate, then I bought a 1/4" sheet 37" x10" and had it welded by a friend all the way around the winch plate.


When I went to go bolt it up that's when I ran into some problems. The intercooler on the SCV6 Protrudes so much that I had to cut out the center of the plate.


I cut the plate and then I have to cut a slot for the metal piping.


I try to bolt it up and realized I can't find the holes.


Because of the the intercooler I had to bolt the tray to clear the bottom of the intercooler. This is where more problems arise, I tried to put the bumper cover on and It wouldn't fit. I had to scale the winch mount plate down from 37" to 25". I scaled it down by cutting angles off.


I considered welding some of the cut plate from the back of the tray to the front to make side walls to add some rigIdity. This was done to keep some stability, it wasn't enough to clear the bumper without trimming. I tried trimming some of the bumper, but I didn't want to get too crazy cutting too much off. I've decided to give up on this DIY project. Mildly disappointed. I decided to purchase the voyager off-road winch mount to finish the project.

Had this been the V8 version I think I could have made it all work.
 

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gatorgrizz27

Well-known member
I’m doing something similar on my LR3 with the V8. Found a Warn VR8 on closeout for under $300, I couldn’t stomach spending $400 for the winch mount. I pulled the bumper off and mocked everything up, I’m using 4”x1/4” angle above and below the main plate to mount it to the frame.

It’s extremely tight getting the free spool lever to line up with the slot in the bumper, and I’m going to have to extend the wiring between the motor and control pack to mount it next to the winch off the motor. Still need to spend a day getting it wrapped up.

0F3FBFFB-8795-4736-9802-78737E7D1163.jpeg
 

spikemd

Explorer
That sucks. Way to much work. Just buy an ARB and bolt it up. Hidden winches seem nice until you actually have an incident. I was parked across the street and my Buddy's wife backed out of her driveway and right into the front corner of my LR3 with an ARB. $4k damage to her Volvo, completely smashed the rear taligate. ARB has a small scratch on it. If I had a hidden winch, my front bumper, lights and quarter panel would have been destroyed. After that, I will always opt for a full metal bumper.
 

Elumeno Pee

New member
I just posted a new thread about something similar, but maybe you guys can help. The mounting holes that you are using, are they the OEM winch tray mounts? if so do you have any photos that you can share? I am trying to fabricate a front 2" Receiver so I can put my winch tray up front and remove it when needed etc. I'd rather not weld to the body. Thx!
 

dylan22

Member
I went through almost the exact same process with my 14 scv6 (with the harbor freight plate) and ended up with a terrafirma hidden winch mount. I almost got an ARB but I prefer the hidden look and don't require full armor just yet.

Luckily for me, before I started chopping and welding I did not see how I could mount the tray without extreme fabrication of brackets to push it past the intercooler, and even the terrafirma tray still needed some grinding and trimming.

Get ready for a LOT of cutting when refitting the bumper - I had to essentially trim everything below the plate, and if you look up under the bumper it is all exposed.

Elumeno, the mounting holes for all hidden winch mounts are the captive nuts that the crash bumper uses - the winch takes the place of the crash bar.
 

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DieselRanger

Well-known member
So here is where the question of the time value of money comes in. Definitely could have made it work - eventually - if you really love DIY projects and have a bunch of tools and materials, and/or friends with tools and materials, and you're in no particular hurry.

Our you can buy someone else's investment at a higher cost, and be done much faster....
 

greiswig1

New member
I went through almost the exact same process with my 14 scv6 (with the harbor freight plate) and ended up with a terrafirma hidden winch mount. I almost got an ARB but I prefer the hidden look and don't require full armor just yet.

Luckily for me, before I started chopping and welding I did not see how I could mount the tray without extreme fabrication of brackets to push it past the intercooler, and even the terrafirma tray still needed some grinding and trimming.

Get ready for a LOT of cutting when refitting the bumper - I had to essentially trim everything below the plate, and if you look up under the bumper it is all exposed.

Elumeno, the mounting holes for all hidden winch mounts are the captive nuts that the crash bumper uses - the winch takes the place of the crash bar.

Bringing this old thing up again, as I have a Terrafirma hidden mount in hand and can't see how any amount of trimming would make it fit with the cooler(s) in place. Or if I did, I'd be concerned about severely compromising the strength of the mount itself. How did you make it work? From what I can tell, even if I trimmed off the entire cross-piece on the back of the mount (connecting the tops of the 4-bolt plates), the winch itself would still likely be hitting the cooler.
 
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Craig Butler

New member
There is a German couple that have a land rover YouTube channel called LRTIME ,they just did a nice hidden winch mount , but I think it was on the discovery 3, maybe similar to the 4?

They are quite funny to watch, very well done videos too.
 

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