DIY Winch in a Box.

[Furaites]

Due to lead times, lack of availability and lack of a decent fab shop, I am thinking of doing a DIY Winch in a box.

The Vehicle is a 2017 Nissan Frontier Pro4x, even stock it has been killer off road.

I am thinking of putting either a 9500lb Sherpa or Warn winch with Synthetic rope in a Pelican box. Drill a hole and seal it for the wired remote, and then drilling holes in the back of the box to mount the winch to a plate that is external.

Recovery would mean hooking get the winch to the truck via recovery points and then attaching the winch to the battery with quick connect clamps.

Thoughts or suggestions is appreciate.

 

[gatorgrizz27]

Why the box? You can get a multi mount style receiver hitch with an Anderson connector. You’d have to have the box open when winching anyways due to heat, and alligator style terminal clamps would likely weld themselves to the battery.

 

[Furaites]

A multi mount receiver is good, if I wanted to pull myself backwards… I do no have a front hitch point. I like the idea of the box to keep everything neat, tidy and together.

You have a point with heat generation, though they are getting better

 

[billiebob]

Just mount it. Warn has mounting plates for virtually everything. Bolt it on and done. Winches do not need a Pelican case.
IF you NEED to winch.... the last thing you need to be thinking about is installing it.
Think dark stormy night.... mid winter storm..... flash flood....

But a 9500# winch on a Nissan Frontier is over kill. The most common winch today is 8000# but 50 years ago the number one winch on a 3/4 ton forestry truck was a 5000# Tulsa 5E. No need for more than an 8000# winch on a Nissan.

Mines been in the weather for 8 years.... still looks new.

 

[mep1811]

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[grizzlypath]

A multi mount receiver is good, if I wanted to pull myself backwards… I do no have a front hitch point. I like the idea of the box to keep everything neat, tidy and together.

You have a point with heat generation, though they are getting better

Don't forget about snatch blocks (and rings)! Of course, that requires a couple trees or something to winch off of. You may be able to find a front receiver hitch for your Frontier though, they do make them bolt on.

 

[Furaites]

One, there are very few trees to winch/rig off.

Two, a 9500lb winch may be overkill, but an 8000lb winch was burned out by a buddy doing a recovery of a nearly bone stock 2 dr Jeep Wrangler.

3, when I am out of cell range 150km down a 2 lane highway, 10km down a gravel road and 5km into a trail it is hard to call for help. I do my best to have the gear to get the job done…and if I can get another truck onsite…we’ll be prepared.

The 4K winch is cute

 

[billiebob]

One, there are very few trees to winch/rig off.

if there are no anchor points any winch is useless.
A Warn M8000 will not break winching a bone stock 2door Wrangler. Stick to brand names. Do not buy the cheapest anything.
Best prepared is leaving a plan with a trusted friend. Lord knows there are plenty of worst case incidents where someone got hurt... or died... alone.

And take a few winching, recovery courses before spending a dime on the gear. Take the buddy who broke his winch too.

 

[Betarocker]

Isn't that a song by Lonely Island ft Justin Timberlake?

 

[Furaites]

Lol....ain't no off road courses, winches courses, recovery courses up here.

I use experience from growing up on a farm and getting the tractors out, or the trucks....or trying ro get the mechanic truck down a tractor trail ....

Your right that a winch is useless with no anchor point's but when you get a buddy by, worse comes to worse use them as an anchor...or a passing logging truck

Sadly no courses for off road rated stuff here, the offroad club here are chromed up pavement princesses and on top of it...getting ANY gear here costs a small fortune in shipping on top of product cost

 

[displacedtexan]

Lol....ain't no off road courses, winches courses, recovery courses up here.

I use experience from growing up on a farm and getting the tractors out, or the trucks....or trying ro get the mechanic truck down a tractor trail ....

Your right that a winch is useless with no anchor point's but when you get a buddy by, worse comes to worse use them as an anchor...or a passing logging truck

Sadly no courses for off road rated stuff here, the offroad club here are chromed up pavement princesses and on top of it...getting ANY gear here costs a small fortune in shipping on top of product cost

Did y'all keep all your winches in Pelican cases on the farm?

 

[Furaites]

No, we used chains.

 

[Curtis in Texas]

I have several winches mounted in the bumpers of my off Road Rigs, and I have a 12,000lb winch mounted on a reciever hitch plate.
That is the one that gets more usage than any other. Primarily because it will work with any vehicle I have, as long as it has a reciever hitch on it. I even use it on the front or rear of my SXS 4 wheeler.
It has come in so handy I built a reciever hitch on the front of my trailer for loading up broken rigs and cars.
Now I went a little overboard and built a set of jumper cables that will reach the back of all of my vehicles and installed some Anderson plugs behind all their grills.
The wife and I went skiing in Colorado in January and decided to take her 2WD 4 Runner rather than one of the aggressive off road vehicles. (30" of base up there and more snow expected! The 4 Runner is so much more comfortable)

I mounted the 12,000 lb winch in her trailer hitch and wrapped it in a garbage bag with duct tape. Figured that if we slide off road we'd want to back out of the mess we were in rather than deeper in. It was a perfect "Just In case" effort. So comforting to know I can pull the 4 Runner straight up a cliff if I need to. Or somebody else.
Used it Saturday with the trailer recovering a friends broken down car from a 7-11 parkig lot in Dallas.
i rigged mine with loops so I can move it around with a 2 wheel dolly and a motorcycle strap. Too heavy to pickup by myself and carry very far.

Use a quality hich locking hitch pin, some some Anderson plugs and your golden!