Adding winch now or after a lift

[mikeromeo1968]

Winches are cool and very useful if you are going to be wheeling often or in situations where you would need to do a self recovery, there are few things that can do what a winch can.

If you are new to off roading or a 4x4 truck I would be surprised if you use it often enough to justify the purchase, added weight and the MPG hit but it's your truck.

Have you been in a situation where you have needed it yet? Have you been stuck in your truck ever? Have you ever needed to pull someone out yet where a snatch strap wouldn't work? If the answer to these questions is no, unless you are planning on drastically changing what you do in your truck I would say you don't really NEED a winch.

They do look really cool though and lets be honest a lot of what we do to and with our trucks is because it looks cool.

Just my two cents.

very good points and all that i have considered, appreciate your two cents
. part of the reason why i havent gone off road, other than the shore to camp and fish, was that i dont have any self extraction, other than a "come along". funny thing is i really dont think i need a lift, i dont rock crawl. so the reason for the lift would be for mostly just having a winch and maybe a metal bumper later on down the line. direct winch access had me concerned so i was thinking a remote would be the best option. i have two optoins for a lift 1st option is a 2.5" arb lift, 2nd option is s ruff country 3" lift. the arb has coil overs and new shocks. the ruff country is new spacer tophats up front and new shocks in the back. the ruff is cheaper but i like the arb for the ability to have options down the road.

 

[Signal]

Kinda far, NC here. That's an Engo 10K in it now, we also have some Engo XR10Ks that we use too that are a lot bigger.

I had a Engo 10k on my Xterra but everything was so rusted I couldn't get it off before we traded it in. I plan on getting another one and I saved my fireline. I can't wait to see your finished product. Finally a fabricator closer than CO or CA.

 

[NolanVoid]

What do you NEED first?

Bigger tires or the winch?

I personally will be adding a mild lift to stiffen up my springs and support the added weight when I'm loaded up for deer camp and family adventures. If I ever feel like I need a winch, I will change the front springs at that time.

Buy what you need. Sounds to me like you'll be super stoked on a lift first.

Also, don't buy a lift in anticipation of a front bumper or winch. Buy for what you are running or have in your garage ready to bolt on. Trust me, I over built my first CJ-7 to the point that it became a trailer queen and sold my badass FJ-60 to put a new roof over the family. I've wasted enough money on past rigs and had to learn the expensive way.

My '16 TP is still stock with 265's M/T's and it goes every I want. I'm not ready actually "wheel" this one yet.

Just my opinion.

 

[mrblah]

very good points and all that i have considered, appreciate your two cents
. part of the reason why i havent gone off road, other than the shore to camp and fish, was that i dont have any self extraction, other than a "come along". funny thing is i really dont think i need a lift, i dont rock crawl. so the reason for the lift would be for mostly just having a winch and maybe a metal bumper later on down the line. direct winch access had me concerned so i was thinking a remote would be the best option. i have two optoins for a lift 1st option is a 2.5" arb lift, 2nd option is s ruff country 3" lift. the arb has coil overs and new shocks. the ruff country is new spacer tophats up front and new shocks in the back. the ruff is cheaper but i like the arb for the ability to have options down the road.

winch access is extremely important even if you have a remote. Depending on which winch you get, You may have to engage the clutch manually, or to turn on and off your remote from the solenoid (unless you want to leave your remote on all the time, which is HIGHLY not recommended).

That LFD one looks oooh so good. I rather have winch access than a stupid light bar at that area. Too bad I'm invested into SSO at the moment.

Again, everything has its pros and cons. Hidden winches aren't for me, after actually having to use a winch.

 

[mikeromeo1968]

winch access is extremely important even if you have a remote. Depending on which winch you get, You may have to engage the clutch manually, or to turn on and off your remote from the solenoid (unless you want to leave your remote on all the time, which is HIGHLY not recommended).

That LFD one looks oooh so good. I rather have winch access than a stupid light bar at that area. Too bad I'm invested into SSO at the moment.

Again, everything has its pros and cons. Hidden winches aren't for me, after actually having to use a winch.

after doing more research i am going mount it so i can get to it. the hidden winch looks nice but if i cant use it properly it kind of makes installing it useless. iam only 5' 7" tall so trying to reach down into the front of the 4 runner makes absolutely no sense.

 

[mikeromeo1968]

hey! so party people i have finally installed the ARB OME 3" lift. OK4WD installed it. it was pricey but i wanted to get it done right with the ability to have some peace of mind not to worry about it. i dont have air tools or a vehicle lift to facilitate. i went with the heavy springs front and back. i was worried the truck was going to ride like shit. but it rides pretty decent. the ride is really firm but body roll and traction is the best its ever been. definately go with arb ome.