SSO Slimline bumper & Warn Zeon (controller relocation?)

Hey all, sorry if I should have posted this in the technical forum but I figured it was related to the Warn winch, therefore recovery. Anyhow, I'm preparing my build out and still going over the plan. I noticed the Warn Zeon 10-S controller box does not clear the bumper support beams in the 3rd gen Tacoma. As per the Install thread by @Hodakaguy the suggestion is to cut the cross support and fab up some new supports to clear the controller.

My question is, why is this preferred over just mounting the controller box to one of the vertical pieces of plastic splash guards behind the bumper or just fabbing up a mount for the controller to sit on the cross support? Why cut out the factory support if the controller can be relocated? I don't think it would even require the relocation kit, the factory length should allow for it to be relocated close by without issue.

Thoughts?

I attached a photo from Hodakaguy's thread that shows the two vertical pieces of black plastic that I would like to mount it to.

 

That's a perfectly acceptable method as well, although I hesitate to mount it to anything plastic. You'll want something more rigid and durable.

It's all personal preference. Some people want a slip low profile, and so they'll spend the time fabing a mount, and extending the wires inside the engine compartment, or you'll wire up a switch in the cab to control the winch.

When I built my CBI bumper, I had initially planned to do a clean install and hide the control box inside the engine bay. I sat there for hours trying to figure out wire routing, how to fab a mount for it and where to mount it. Then, when it came down to it I just said F it and hacked up my grill. Took 5 minutes and I was done.

This is my trail truck, I'm not going to win any beauty contests, lol...


Problems with mounting it inside the engine bay is connecting your controller. If it's wireless, no big deal, but if it's wired, you gotta pop the hood every time, and that might get annoying after the 2nd time. If you wire a cut off switch and winch in/out switches in the cab, that's a nonstarter, too...

 

Yeah I went with the Platinum so I can remotely disengage the clutch and not have to pop the hood. I totally agree with it being better to mount to something metal, we may just fab something quickly as there's plenty of spots to mount to that move it out of the way without a true relocation kit.

and damn your rig has a pro hockey vibe to it

 

I mounted the control box on my winch under the hood behind the battery, and ran the plug for the wired remote into the cab so I don't have to pop the hood to use the winch.

 

Did you have enough wiring harness or did you have to buy the medium or long relocation harness to relocate it back towards the battery?

 

The heavy gauge cables were long enough to reach from the winch to the box behind the battery. I bought wire and required the plug myself. Go to post 8 on the thread below.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/elmer-is-getting-some-goodies.436304/

 

not too shabby

 

Thanks. It has worked out well for me. Let me know if I can be of any more assistance.

 

I'll update the thread when I get the bumper and get to mounting it all. Thanks for the support and ideas

 

Yeah, it has that certain "I don't care" look, lol

I didn't NEED to take as much of the grill off as I did, but I decided to make the cuts where those cross pieces attach, so there would be *less* weird pieces hanging in thin air.

So it looks totally stock. You can't even tell.

 

Totally unnoticeable

 

@midnight20pro what did you end up doing? I'm looking at the same issue. I ordered the Warn Zeon 10s Platinum and am going to order the SSO Slimline. Did you mount the solenoid near or far and which relocation kit did you use?

 

Hello,

I don't know if this is an option on your truck but this is what I came up with:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ux-panel-and-more.712981/page-3#post-26477405