Front-End Hitch Installation

I'm planning on installing a front mounted hitch so I can move my winch to the front or the back whenever I need it. Has anyone done this?

Mobtown has exactly what I'm looking for here: https://mobtownoffroad.com/product/toyota-tacoma-front-recovery-bar/

Has anyone installed this or a similar one? If so, was it an easy install?

 

I just did the mobtown, went pretty smoothly however the bumper fit back on super tight. Better than loose I guess. Install was pretty straightforward and took about an hour, mine didn't come with any hardware so I had to source bolts to reconnect the factory crash bar onto the mobtown recovery bar.

Basing the rest of the install off of this thread for the most part. Same switch and I bought a 2GA rear power kit off Amazon with anderson connectors.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/receiver-winch-install-front-and-rear.368480/

 

That's a NICE install thread. That's the way to do it.

 

Here is some info on my setup. The Warn 8274 & cradle is too heavy to be 'portable', so just finished rebuilding a M8000.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/winch-disconnect-switch-warn-8274-hitch-mount.227680/

 

I am doing exactly what @Larueminati linked.

I had originally planned to use the mobtown front receiver, but got my hands on an ARB deluxe bull bar front bumper and plans changed. I want to cradle the winch, so it is not subjected to winter corrosion.

Install of the mobtown is very straight forward, you will need those extra bolts like he mentioned. I bought mine 2nd hand and it came with them

 

This is exactly what I was looking to see. Thank you for the pics!!! I'll be ordering mine shortly! woohoo!

 

Let us know what you end up doing to run power to the rear.

 

I'm going to run some 1 gauge cable to the back. I just bought this and will be mounting it soon:

$99 Energizer Jumper Cables, 30 feet, 1 Gauge, 800A, Booster Battery Cables with Permanent Installation kit and Quick Connect Plug for SUV & Trucks with up to 8-Liter Gasoline and 6-Liter Diesel Engines

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GU4O3GG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3NZBJP047W6G0&psc=1 The reviews have people using it to run 12k lbs winches with no problems.

I'm going to get a BadLands 9k lbs winch from Harbor. That's plenty of pulling power to meet the need of my truck (5.5k lbs x 1.5 = 7500ish). I have had a lot of people saying they have never had an issue with it and give it the thumbs up for the hobbyist.

It would cost over $500 to get this front brace shipped. It's a hard justification when a complete bumper is only a few hundred more.

@llamasmurf Just out of curiosity, it looks like it is all just 2" square tube with just some holes drilled in for the bolt pattern of the frame. Is that about right? I'm a novice welder, but pretty confident I could simply build one of those myself. The hitch I could get from TSC. The steel I could get from...well, anywhere. The hook mounts would take a little more effort.

 

Good questions, but I never measured any of it when I had it. So I do not know what size the tubing was. I have sold it, so I can not take any measurements for you.

 

Thanks for responding. It looks more like 2.5" or 3". I'm going to have to research...

 

Okay, so I've been kicking around the idea of making my own front hitch for my truck. Places were willing to charge upwards of $500 just for the hitch mount and did not include shipping. So after some researching and rough design work (and being stuck at home for so long due to the virus) I went to work.

It took me about 8 hours total to build with the tools I had. Feel free to knock my weld job. I know I suck. This was my first actual weld project. lol But I love doing it and I think it turned out great. Especially after I painted it and hid the welding splatter. Hah Hah

The hardest part was mounting the rear buckle for the hitch mount. I had to put the bumper plastic in place and hold the hitch bracket in place. Then spot weld the rear mounting bracket from underneath in order to get it exactly right to match the cut out in my front bumper. (see pic img_6107.jpg)
I cut a hole in the grill of the bumper to match the hitch bracket neck. The grill was flexible enough to bend it around the outside edge after mounting the hitch.

Additional note, i've never done any steel work before and thought I should make it bulky. So I bought 4" square tube to begin with. That was WAY off. So I bought some 3" steel. To my, it's still too big. I should have gone with 2.5" and that would have probably allowed me to include brackets for the original bumper mounts. But the 3" fits perfectly.

It's also good to note that I have a 2" Roger Brown body lift on my truck. So what you see here would be taller than a truck without a lift already in place.
Hopefully this is helpful for someone out there!

 

Looks pretty good to me, I like it!