Did anything like this winch mount really happen?

haha, yeah, i was at the office and snuck outside to take pics. i was trying to avoid getting run over, so i took it from the side

 

You fab it up yourself?

If you have time and energy to show us the parts, it would save some of us others time and effort. Why re-invent the winch plate.

Thanks.

 

Don't know what you're willing to spend, but WARN has what's called the Trans4mer. It's basically a Bull Bar with a 2" Receiver. The nice thing is that it's a modular set up, so you can add to it as you go.

 

I want

details?

 

Nope. A winch is already too heavy. Tacoma lean is supposed to be to the drivers side, not the front.

Wich bumper, front hitch etc, no thanks. Needs to be there when I need it, not when I think I might. Needs to be light enough so I don't have to modify suspension.

Even a light front bumper throws all that weight way out front, adding leverage to the weight.

 

will do.

 

Thanks, you're a pal.
So, did you do it yourself? Or was it some kit or shop do it for you?

 

measured and cut myself, then i took it to a shop to have it arc welded together.

 

Ya, I'm sure thats gonna work great.

 

Cool. Sucky part is taking the whole front apart a couple times I imagine. Of course my truck is still in the shop. But I've got a chunk of 3/4 inch steel that would make a pretty damn solid mount.

Interested in how you got the fairlead solidly mounted.

 

If you're worried about weight up front, you might want to look at replacing the front coils to compensate for the weight. ARB has a few options, but I'm sure there are others. It seems you are too focused on the weight issue, a receiver hitch adds minimal weight and the only time there would be a noticeable weight up front would be when the winch is attached. If you have a permanent mount, the weight is always up front. An advantage of a receiver mount is that you can run wires front and back, so you can winch in either direction (there are times that backing out is smarter and easier). Not saying either is better than the other, just food for thought.

 

CBI has been making hidden front receivers for years. Take a look at their design and see why it is the best out there!