Badland Apex 12,000 lb. Winch installed

[gammonspy]

I had an "amazing" time installing that dang thing. Loosened up the airbox and almost considered ripping it out. Hopefully your install went smoother.

LOL. I know what you mean. The two bolts by the airbox are indeed not easy to install.

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[wachuko]

When the thread was created I placed the order from TrailRecon website for the Grimm Offroad winch plate... and it is still on backorder...

I need to send them an email to see when they expect these to be back in stock so they can ship mine...

 

[Mightytalldude]

LOL. I know what you mean. The two bolts by the airbox are indeed not easy to install.

I pulled the air box, it just made it easier to install.

 

[wachuko]

When the thread was created I placed the order from TrailRecon website for the Grimm Offroad winch plate... and it is still on backorder...

I need to send them an email to see when they expect these to be back in stock so they can ship mine...

Quick update. TrailRecon was quick to reply the following:

"Latest update, was that they are in production. We should have them in the next couple weeks"

 

[Aj58]

Quick update. TrailRecon was quick to reply the following:

"Latest update, was that they are in production. We should have them in the next couple weeks"

Thanks for this!

I ordered one as well and was starting to wonder. I know they said around 30 days.

 

[Mr Miami]

I know there are a lot of write-ups for the Badlands Apex winch install but I thought I should add mine in case it provides someone some additional info.
The basics:

• 2024 Gladiator Rubicon X
• Stock steel bumper (Winch ready)
• Grimm Offroad Steel Bumper Winch Plate, GOR10067 (At Northridge 4X4)
• Badland Apex 12,000 lbs winch with synthetic rope

Plate install was very straight forward, no issues. The winch went in without any need for spacers (other than the two provided bumper spacers that come with the kit) or trimming the clutch handle.

I did not relocate the control box, nor did I re-route the wires to the side. I am happy with the fit. I used the provided disconnect switch which I mounted under the hood (Used zip ties in two of the holes of the housing, didn't want to try to create a bracket or do any drilling).

Here are some pictures:

@gammonspy ....

Did you do the re-route thing of the power cable on the control box? Does the Grimm winch plate allow any room between the winch and grill or did you run the power cable out the side of the box? You said you didn't drill anything so I am assuming you ran the power cable out of the back of the control box the way the Apex has it designed. If anyone else has used it I am curious about what I need to do while planning to do on the install.

 

[gammonspy]

@gammonspy ....

Did you do the re-route thing of the power cable on the control box? Does the Grimm winch plate allow any room between the winch and grill or did you run the power cable out the side of the box? You said you didn't drill anything so I am assuming you ran the power cable out of the back of the control box the way the Apex has it designed. If anyone else has used it I am curious about what I need to do while planning to do on the install.

You are correct. I didn’t change the cable configuration. I had enough room in the back.

 

[Stingray 5517]

I installed my Badlands Apex winch today. I'm not very familiar with using a winch so my initial question is? I installed a power switch and have it shutoff while not in use but do I have the engage switch in free spool or engage position while not using (Driving)?

 

[Bird Dog]

I'm doing the same install on my 2023 Rubicon and just waiting on the winch plate to arrive. I plan on reusing the 5 bolts with 8M nuts and split lock washers to "plug" the holes around the winch so it all matches.

 

[Stingray 5517]

Engaged

Thanks

 

[kbechtel]

You guys seem to have it easy, I installed a Hooke Road Grill, and the plate needed new holes to align to the Winch. That was the easy part. The bad thing is that the cut-off switch works in the "Off" position, and not the "on", I even tried changing the posts, but it didn't matter. The cables became very hot, and it killed my battery. When trying to jump-start, the jumper cables even got warm. I'm not too concerned about the battery it was old and needed to be replaced, but with the excessive heat, and the drain, I've not reconnected the winch when I replaced the upgraded battery. I have just sent an email to Harbor Freight, but I was wondering if anyone else had these issues and how they solved them.

 

[Aleph]

I’m installing the Badland winch on my new aluminum RockHard4x4 bumper and I’ve hit a roadblock with the mounting bolts. The provided bolts are M10, 25mm long (I believe), galvanized (I believe) grade 8.8 hex head screws with 1.50 mm thread pitch. Unfortunately, the 25mm mounting bolts Harbor Freight provided that go into the square nuts are too short for this bumper and I need to source longer 35 or 40mm ones. The provided bolts appear to be galvanized but I’m not totally sure.

I have several questions and hopefully someone on here can help me out.

• The texture and appearance look like they are galvanized. Can anyone confirm this? I’m having a tough time finding galvanized M10 bolts that will match the provided square nuts.
• Where is the best place to source a longer replacement bolt with the same characteristics as the provided bolts?
• Is it more advantageous to switch to imperial grade 8/metric grade 10 steel? Or is galvanized better for this application (outside, salty/wet/snow/muddy environment)? I know stainless steel will gall up unless I use anti-seize. If I do this, I’ll need to source a matching grade flat washer, spring washer, and square nut. This may not be worth the extra effort?
  

I’m somewhat of a noob at this and maybe I’m overthinking it but I don’t want the winch to rip off the bumper because I used improper hardware.

 

[Mr Miami]

I’m installing the Badland winch on my new aluminum RockHard4x4 bumper and I’ve hit a roadblock with the mounting bolts. The provided bolts are M10, 25mm long (I believe), galvanized (I believe) grade 8.8 hex head screws with 1.50 mm thread pitch. Unfortunately, the 25mm mounting bolts Harbor Freight provided that go into the square nuts are too short for this bumper and I need to source longer 35 or 40mm ones. The provided bolts appear to be galvanized but I’m not totally sure.

I have several questions and hopefully someone on here can help me out.

• The texture and appearance look like they are galvanized. Can anyone confirm this? I’m having a tough time finding galvanized M10 bolts that will match the provided square nuts.
• Where is the best place to source a longer replacement bolt with the same characteristics as the provided bolts?
• Is it more advantageous to switch to imperial grade 8/metric grade 10 steel? Or is galvanized better for this application (outside, salty/wet/snow/muddy environment)? I know stainless steel will gall up unless I use anti-seize. If I do this, I’ll need to source a matching grade flat washer, spring washer, and square nut. This may not be worth the extra effort?

I’m somewhat of a noob at this and maybe I’m overthinking it but I don’t want the winch to rip off the bumper because I used improper hardware.

 

[Mr Miami]

Hi Aleph,
I'm in the same position you are. I plan on putting my Apex 12000 on my new Rubicon JT and have read about possible issues with the length of some of the the bolts. Based on your comment, I found these on Grainger. If these work, just keep track of half of the pack(s) of whatever you are buying and I will split it with you. The ones I found are hot dipped coarse galvanized but they have zinc plated ones and fine threaded ones. I'm in no way an expert on this stuff but I'm sure someone knows more about this than I do.

 

[Mr Miami]

Oppsss .....

I misread your original comment. I see you are not using the original factory steel bumper so the length of the bolts may (or may not) be an issue for me with the Apex 12000. In any case, good luck in finding what you need.

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