I purchased the SE model over the less expensive models as I thought the "extras" were worth it. This thread is mostly for SE owners to discuss the ups and downs specific to this version. The pro's are obvious, and I would still have bought the SE knowing what I know now having owned it for a month. So I'm going to focus on the takeaways.
The front LED bar has a quite narrow beam suited for driving on a long straight stretch - 'cause there's not much peripheral or flood illumination. I'll be adding a 54" light bar.
The under hood area is more crowded than the SE's underling models, so one needs to be creative in adding things. They place the accessory fuse/relay box over the right side well that many use for an aux battery (I relocated that fuse box on mine).
This picture is after adding a bunch of stuff . . . I think I'm almost done.
The 4,500 lb winch has a steel rope, which is fine, though some prefer synthetic rope (I will leave that for now, maybe putting a synthetic rope on later). The only control for the winch is a wired remote that plugs into an outlet inside the glove compartment. The remote works regardless of key switch position and has enough wire length that you can get out front to tend the rope. I added a wireless receiver Amazon.com: LIEBMAYA Wireless Winch Remote Control Kit for Jeep Truck ATV SUV 12V Switch Handset Waterproof: Electronics
that was easy enough to wire to the external (i.e. under the hood) relay contactor - piece of cake and works well. Some have reported intermittent running of the winch with this wireless control, probably due to RFI, so I took the precaution of wiring in a panel switch for power to the receiver, problem solved.
The added (Edit to add "by Honda") accessory fuse box has outputs for heater, wiper and the existing light bar. Not sure how many will be adding a heater, and adding a wiper will trash the polycarbonate included windshield in short order. Those outputs are wired to plugs behind the cubby behind the existing switch panel, so can repurposed. The single actual switch on that panel is for the front light bar. It's not illuminated - some may prefer that, but it requires a bit of feeling to find it in the dark.
The next two "gripes" no doubt apply to all the '21 models. Fasteners, screws and bolts, are way tighter than they need to be, and some of the 5mm hex drive heads are slightly damaged (as if the impact driver was still turning when yanked out of the bolt's hex). To insure a hex bit will seat properly, all the way in, tap it in with a hammer until you hear/feel it go solid. Failure to do that will often result in a stripped out hex indent on the bolt.
Shift cables may not be adjusted optimally. I had to tweak the 2WD to Turf adjustment cables to get it to shift properly.
All that said, I like the machine and would buy it again.
The front LED bar has a quite narrow beam suited for driving on a long straight stretch - 'cause there's not much peripheral or flood illumination. I'll be adding a 54" light bar.
The under hood area is more crowded than the SE's underling models, so one needs to be creative in adding things. They place the accessory fuse/relay box over the right side well that many use for an aux battery (I relocated that fuse box on mine).
This picture is after adding a bunch of stuff . . . I think I'm almost done.
The 4,500 lb winch has a steel rope, which is fine, though some prefer synthetic rope (I will leave that for now, maybe putting a synthetic rope on later). The only control for the winch is a wired remote that plugs into an outlet inside the glove compartment. The remote works regardless of key switch position and has enough wire length that you can get out front to tend the rope. I added a wireless receiver Amazon.com: LIEBMAYA Wireless Winch Remote Control Kit for Jeep Truck ATV SUV 12V Switch Handset Waterproof: Electronics
that was easy enough to wire to the external (i.e. under the hood) relay contactor - piece of cake and works well. Some have reported intermittent running of the winch with this wireless control, probably due to RFI, so I took the precaution of wiring in a panel switch for power to the receiver, problem solved.
The added (Edit to add "by Honda") accessory fuse box has outputs for heater, wiper and the existing light bar. Not sure how many will be adding a heater, and adding a wiper will trash the polycarbonate included windshield in short order. Those outputs are wired to plugs behind the cubby behind the existing switch panel, so can repurposed. The single actual switch on that panel is for the front light bar. It's not illuminated - some may prefer that, but it requires a bit of feeling to find it in the dark.
The next two "gripes" no doubt apply to all the '21 models. Fasteners, screws and bolts, are way tighter than they need to be, and some of the 5mm hex drive heads are slightly damaged (as if the impact driver was still turning when yanked out of the bolt's hex). To insure a hex bit will seat properly, all the way in, tap it in with a hammer until you hear/feel it go solid. Failure to do that will often result in a stripped out hex indent on the bolt.
Shift cables may not be adjusted optimally. I had to tweak the 2WD to Turf adjustment cables to get it to shift properly.
All that said, I like the machine and would buy it again.
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