97 tacoma winch bumber ideas

I'm looking to purchase a winch for my 97 Tacoma don't know if I should put a bumper with a mount on it or just a winch mount not really looking to spend a ton of money any ideas or pictures to help me out this will be my first winch on a vehicle
Thanks for any help

 

There's a few winch options out there that won't break the bank depending on what that means for you of course. I've seen some guys make mounts for theirs with their stock bumpers. The cheapest bumper that's aftermarket and set up for a winch is the Trail Gear Low Profile Rock Defense bumper. It's not cheap - just cheap when compared to the more custom-made-in-USA competition. I'm looking to buy a used one.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Trail-Gear/54...aeBQ0B1RejIB8c3ZoFlftXXVKUP9HK80cIaAu2_8P8HAQ

 

Ok i have seen this one before a like that but I like the homemade mount on a stock bumper sounds great to me I'm going to have to try to check into that thanks

 

@Wyoming09

 

That's the wrong TG bumper for a Tacoma but yeah it's a great option for solid and cheap.

 

Lol it was the right one according to my eyes looking for low prices

Here's the actual one:

http://www.jegs.com/i/Trail-Gear/54...91koNjw9hrG0ekuIxPoBjHWgDxRk011vZQaAsSL8P8HAQ

Oh and DIYs

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hidden-winch-1998-2000-bumper.406184/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-stock-bumper-winch-mount.470522/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-winch-mount-build-using-stock-bumper.349985/

There's probably some more - just search by clicking on first gen forum then search for "winch bumper" and limit the search to titles only and "this forum". That's a pretty quick way to get results. Here's what it looks like in case you're not a 16 year old that can utilize the internet 10x better than me:

 

The funny part is that the bumper is the same for the old pickups and the Tacoma but the piece that makes it fit the frame rails is different. That piece is very important though. They even show it on a 3rd gen pickup in the Tacoma ad page.

 

I've heard that piece alone stiffens up the front noticeably from people who have installed it without the bumper and test drove. If I had fab equipment I might buy it separately for $150 or so and build off of it so I have a good base that's easy to bolt on.

 

If you want quick and cheap get one of those receiver mount winches .

Make a plate to attach to the 4 bolts the tow hooks go to either weld or bolt the female receiver to the plate

The remote will reach in the cab

The electrical connection comes with a plug to disconnect from the battery

Making it quick to remove or swap vehicles with extra battery side connections

If your getting into hard core recovery then more permanent ideas should be looked into

 

I ran with a diy mount and stock bumper on my 96, then the tg bumper on my 2000. I paid 300ish for the bumper iirc, I li,ed the bumper better. You need to use a hawes fairlead with it, a roller blocks the receiver mount. No steel cable with a hawse, but synthetic is sooooooo much nicer anyway. But it can add to the overall cost.

 

Thanks for all the info i think im gonna do the diy method and see if i cant find someone local thats not going to break the bank
If im only using a winch for playing in the mud and not that often what size winch do yall recommend i have a 97 tacoma with a 3" lift on 31/10.50/15 a/t

 

8000 lb+

 

8k bare min, 9k is usually easier to find. You can't really have too much winch. well you can, but not really. If budget is a concern get a badlands from hf. If you're going going to be winching a lot go better if it gives you better piece of mind. I've run them on 3 rigs with no issues.

If you're talking real mudding, get a 12k, make sure you have a block or 3, and bring an extra rig. Once you bury yourself the stuck factor goes up substantially.

If it's looks you're after go as cheap as you can, most won't know the difference. And if you want to be called names go onto pirate and ask about hf winches