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Everyone,
Just installed the Warn M8000 on my 2005 Unlimited. Thought I would throw out a couple of comments and pictures (more pictures in my gallery).
1. The install is fairly easy from a conceptual point of view. Bolt on the winch to the bumper. Run winch cables to battery. Connect.
2. Things to look for because it is a long way from concept to the driveway.
- You will need a mount kit. Even if your bumper is pre-drilled to fit the winch, you will need a mounting plate of some sort to mount the fairlead as the fairlead mounts to the bumper, not the winch. My Shrockworks bumper came pre-drilled, with a fairlead mounting bracket, so I was all set.
- You will need to get a solenoid mounting bracket if you want to mount it to the winch. The M8000 comes with a remote, vice built-in, solenoid. This could allow you to hide the solenoid under the hood somewhere, mount it on the bumper, or mount it on or near the winch. But, no mounting hardware comes with the actual winch itself. You either have to fabricate or buy a mount depending on what you want to do.
- Depending on your bumper, you might not be able to get to the mounting bolts. With my bumper, I found that the frame effectively cut off access to the front two bolts. This required me to basically take the bumper off (not the entire way, I unbolted it, used jack-stands for safety, and mounted the winch while the bumper was "unattached" but still "on" the vehicle). So, depending on how much stuff you already have on your bumper, this is at best a little extra work, at worst, a headache.
- Beware short mounting bolts. The mounting bolts come with the winch, but the are 1 1/4". You may find this a little short depending on how thick your bumper is and how thick the mounting plate is. To be safe, I went and got Grade 8 (the kit comes with Grade 5) 1 1/2" which were just fine.
- When mounting the solenoid to the protective drum bars - be aware that the allen bolts that hold them in are self-tapping. Why does this matter? Because, if you try and tighten them too much, they strip. This is why my solenoid ended up on the front right of the winch, instead of the preferred left rear (see photo below and above).
Anyway, this was a relatively easy install that never drove me crazy, but definitely lived up to the "doubling rule." If you think it'll take an hour, plan for two.
Anyway, a good, economical, quality winch, for occasional use. It meets my needs just fine.
SJK SENDS
Just installed the Warn M8000 on my 2005 Unlimited. Thought I would throw out a couple of comments and pictures (more pictures in my gallery).
1. The install is fairly easy from a conceptual point of view. Bolt on the winch to the bumper. Run winch cables to battery. Connect.
2. Things to look for because it is a long way from concept to the driveway.
- You will need a mount kit. Even if your bumper is pre-drilled to fit the winch, you will need a mounting plate of some sort to mount the fairlead as the fairlead mounts to the bumper, not the winch. My Shrockworks bumper came pre-drilled, with a fairlead mounting bracket, so I was all set.
- You will need to get a solenoid mounting bracket if you want to mount it to the winch. The M8000 comes with a remote, vice built-in, solenoid. This could allow you to hide the solenoid under the hood somewhere, mount it on the bumper, or mount it on or near the winch. But, no mounting hardware comes with the actual winch itself. You either have to fabricate or buy a mount depending on what you want to do.
- Depending on your bumper, you might not be able to get to the mounting bolts. With my bumper, I found that the frame effectively cut off access to the front two bolts. This required me to basically take the bumper off (not the entire way, I unbolted it, used jack-stands for safety, and mounted the winch while the bumper was "unattached" but still "on" the vehicle). So, depending on how much stuff you already have on your bumper, this is at best a little extra work, at worst, a headache.
- Beware short mounting bolts. The mounting bolts come with the winch, but the are 1 1/4". You may find this a little short depending on how thick your bumper is and how thick the mounting plate is. To be safe, I went and got Grade 8 (the kit comes with Grade 5) 1 1/2" which were just fine.
- When mounting the solenoid to the protective drum bars - be aware that the allen bolts that hold them in are self-tapping. Why does this matter? Because, if you try and tighten them too much, they strip. This is why my solenoid ended up on the front right of the winch, instead of the preferred left rear (see photo below and above).
Anyway, this was a relatively easy install that never drove me crazy, but definitely lived up to the "doubling rule." If you think it'll take an hour, plan for two.
Anyway, a good, economical, quality winch, for occasional use. It meets my needs just fine.
SJK SENDS
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