Front hitch

Have any of you installed a front hitch on your Tacoma?
I'm looking at winches and the removeable hitch winch seems a better option than paying hundreds of dollars to add hundreds of pounds on a bumper?

 

Either can hold a winch, only a bumper can offer more protection and hold a winch.

There's more to the concept than winch carrying.

 

I'll like to know people input on it too. After I lift my truck, I'm might go http://mobtownoffroad.com/product/3rd-gen-tacoma-front-recovery-bar/
With http://www.walmart.com/ip/Champion-Power-Equipment-10-000-lbs-Winch-Kit-in-Black/23903423
I can't bring myself cutting something I paid 40k for

 

I installed a receiver on the front. Now I am wiring in connectors (2 ga. wire) on the front and back to plug the winch in. Adding the WARN interrupt kit with a switch in the cab to control power. When not in use, I plan to make some type of mount in the bed to securely hold the winch so it does not slide around.

 

Which reclever did you install?

 

Curt

 

Curt approach angle killer. Damn. I was hoping you could give a review on a high clearance one.

 

Where do you go that needs a winch like that? Surely nowhere in Dallas.

 

Sometimes a winch is used for other work than offroad recovery, especially on a farm or something similar--stuff like pulling logs/rocks out of the way and any number of jury-rigged, hillbilly applications. Not saying that is the case here, but it would be my use case. A hitch mount winch is great if you have a trailer too, as you can use the same one on the truck or take it off and mount it on the front of the trailer to drag stuff on.

 

Thanks 3dBdown. You are spot on. I do not off road (yet) since this is my daily driver. I plan to use this for "whatever"...no specific purpose. I have an extremely large toolbox that weights about 2500 lbs. The winch will work great to pull it onto a trailer when I move or need to transport the box somewhere. In addition, with all of the bad weather we have had in TX this year I have seen a lot of people in the ditch. With this, I can lend a hand if needed. It is funny at the kids baseball games....some dads like to park I the muddy field and then get stuck trying to leave. With this, my Taco can come to the rescue. My truck was only two weeks old when the Tornadoes hit Rowlett. I went to help a friend whose trailer park was completely destroyed. I used the Taco to pull his trailer remnants out of under the rubble. I could have used a winch then too.

 

This is my exact plan as well. Front and rear receiver hitches and a warn winch Stored,mounted and locked in the bed when not in use. A winch permanently mounted on the front is good but just seems so limiting. being able to move it to the rear or take it in another vehicle just seems so practical.

 

Also, the front hitch is rarely used for trailering, but can occasionally be a big help if you trailer a lot. There will eventually be a day where nosing the trailer into a tight spot with poor visibility is 100x easier than backing in. I used to run operations for a company that ran a bunch of F-350 Powerstroke-Large cargo trailer configurations. We always put a front hitch on any new rig and it made all the difference a couple of times a year.

 

I thought about leaving it installed on the front, but it would be too easy to steal...even with a hitch lock. The winch itself is just bolted to the tray. So removal and storage is paramount. You will have to let me know what your ideas are for securing the winch in the bed. I am thinking of ways as well.

 

Do they have mounts for front and rear that can be easily removed when not in use? I've always seen them integrated into metal bumpers and wasn't aware there were different options. Guess I need to do some google search research... thanks for the previous replies.

 

Yes, that is what I have. I can move the winch to the front or back.

 

Here are pics of the connectors on the front and rear. Simpson Strong Tie brackets from Home Depot made the perfect mounting bracket.

 

how much did that front hitch cost?

 

I got it at Etrailer.com https://www.etrailer.com/fmr-2016_Toyota_Tacoma.htm $166.95 and free shipping. It is bolt on. You can keep the skid plate. You only have to remove the passenger side recovery hook.

 

That front hitch looks great, obviously you had to remove the air dam and this doesn't look like it hangs any lower. You wouldn't happen have a picture of it from a little farther distance or from the side. Your wiring brackets look very good also , I might copy that.

 

TRD OR's don't have the air dam....at least mine didn't. So I suppose if you have an air dam, that may have to be removed...not sure. Here are some pics for the front receiver.