WARN Platinum 10-S & Factor55 thimble

Well this past Thursday, yep, New Years baby..my wonderful wife bought me a WARN Platinum 10-S and a Factor 55 Thimble with the titanium shaft.


Yes the thimble is yellow


I know I will be trimming the grill.
The winch will be installed on my Trail Gear bumper.
I will post up the install...looking to do it during a weekend of January.

 

Well this past Friday the temperature was warm enough for me to install my winch. but it came to fustration after fustration. First, my two welded on light tabs were not going to allow me to drop in the winch...so I spent a couple hours grinding off, cleaning up and reprinting my bumper.
Then Saturday morning, I decided to mount the fairlead...but as I tried to bolt it. The WARN logo on the Fairlead, was contacting the tubing...causing it to be about 1/2 diameter off. This would mean I would need to machine off part of the aluminum to make it fit.
So I figure i would do this later.

So I went ahead to drop in the winch, it went in fine.
BUT.. As I tried to bolt it up....again, the holes were 1/2 diameter off....the bolt pattern was correct. It was the distance to the backside of the winch plate, where it bends vertically.
Either the WARN Platnium 10-S is slightly deeper than the M8000...or Trail Gear did not bend the winch plate correctly.
I am leaning to a deeper/thicker winch.
So basically I no longer have my Lightforce lights and I have a brand new winch that I cannot use....AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!
I will post pics up later.

My choices.
1. Sell/return the 10-S winch and get a M8000.
2. Sell the Trail Gear bumper and get a different bumper.
3. Modify the bumper, add by welding on a steel plate and drill new holes.

Leaning towards #2... And it would not be another Trail Gear bumper.

So IF you own a Trail Gear bumper, it will NOT FIT the new WARN Zeon Platnium 10-S.

 

What is that thimble? What does it do?

 

Replaces the hook which is not the safest thing, because it could slip off during a pull.
The thimble: you use a clevus to latch onto the strap or another clevus.
http://factor55.com

 

Ahh thanks for the info!!!!

 

Go with #2... that's a nice winch. You've got so much work in your truck, you might as well get a custom bumper while you're at it! BTW, I think you're going to like your factor 55 too. I love mine, especially the way it sits against the fairlead.

 

I received an email from Trail Gear and they stated that their bumpers are only rated up to 8000... But their website states 9500... Either way their bumpers are not rated for heavy duty winches like the 10-S.
SO... it looks like I will have to get a new bumper...oh crap.....