Got a question. I'm not thrilled with the factory location of the winch, seems pretty low and we do a lot of creek crossings, which lead to the concern of damage due to repeated submersion in water. Couple that with the inconvenient location of the free-spool knob being hard to reach. I like the looks of the aftermarket bumpers with the winch mounted on top of the bumper for ease of access, plus keeping it out of the water more often. My concern about it being up there is blocking airflow to the radiator. What are your guys' thoughts about that? Do you think it would hinder airflow on a 90+ degree summer day of riding (when the majority of our riding takes place)? Also, something I need to check is the added length, because my toyhauler only has a 10' garage.
I'm kinda thinking it won't block enough air to affect it, but you got to wonder why the engineers chose to put it where they did. Maybe it was purely for aesthetics? Also, I was looking at the attachment of some of the bumpers and I admit, I wasn't thrilled with the mounting points, looks like the winch could easily bend some brackets if you had a snatch block on a 4500lb winch trying to break the suction of the mud.
I have been known to over-think and over-engineer my projects from time to time though too...
I'm kinda thinking it won't block enough air to affect it, but you got to wonder why the engineers chose to put it where they did. Maybe it was purely for aesthetics? Also, I was looking at the attachment of some of the bumpers and I admit, I wasn't thrilled with the mounting points, looks like the winch could easily bend some brackets if you had a snatch block on a 4500lb winch trying to break the suction of the mud.
I have been known to over-think and over-engineer my projects from time to time though too...
