Warn 10/S, Bulldog Winch plate, OE Steel bumper fitment issues

[Lochsa]

Just curious if anyone has successfully installed a Warn 10s with a bulldog winch plate. When I bought the combo from Northridge I was told it would work without modification. Unfortunately the winch plate is not notched as the side of the frame rails are. See pictures, Ignore the bolts going through the frame rails, they are just to get initial alignment. It is tough to tell how much grinding I will have to do. The winch is sitting back probably a quarter inch from where it needs to be. Anyone else go through this install? Thanks in advance!

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[Northridge4x4]

Pretty much every single winch plate needs a very minor amount of grinding on the frame rails to fit a zeon on a JL / JT. It’s very minor amount like a 1/4 but we do it all the time without any issues.

 

[Northridge4x4]

Here is the Grimm OffRoad winch plate instructions that show some of the slight grinding you need to do to fit a zeon

https://support.grimmoffroad.com/Guide/Jeep+JL-JT+Steel+Bumper+Winch+Mount+Part+Number+10067/14

 

[Lochsa]

Pretty much every single winch plate needs a very minor amount of grinding on the frame rails to fit a zeon on a JL / JT. It’s very minor amount like a 1/4 but we do it all the time without any issues.

Thanks for the reply, I guess with the Bulldog plate because it sits behind the frame rails you get twice the fun. You have to grind the winch plate (which is a lot thicker than the frame rails) and the frame rails as well. Wish customer service at time of order when asked specifically this question would give the right answer. I probably would have went with the Warn winch mount if I would have known. Oh well, back to grinding.....

 

[Northridge4x4]

The warn winch install is a huge pain just an fyi. The Grimm plate is the easiest in my opinion but we are waiting on inventory.

 

[Tacklewasher]

Is this just an issue with the Zeon?
I have an Evo 12s and a Bulldog plate and just waiting for warmer weather to install.

 

[Northridge4x4]

Yes this is a Zeon issue.

 

[Lochsa]

The warn winch install is a huge pain just an fyi. The Grimm plate is the easiest in my opinion but we are waiting on inventory.

Ya know, I called customer service at Northridge prior to the sale and asked if the combination of the Bulldog winch plate and Warn Zeon 10s would install without any issue. Customer service said it would bolt right up, they had not heard of any problems. I have been a loyal Northridge customer since about 2008, Northridge customer service always gave me good beta. This time not so much. I guess I should have researched more as there are lots of threads, especially in JL forums with Warn Zeon 10s winch install complications. I am not a live to modify type of guy.

Anyway back to what I did to make this work.

The problem with the install is the Warn Zeon 10s: it is 24.25 inches long, which is wider than the space between the frame rail horns. If the winch you choose is 1/2 inch less than this number, you are probably golden. I am not sure any winch plate would help, unless the winch is placed more towards the radiator, and in that case doing anything with the grill would be problematic.

The first step for me was to grind baby grind. It was a little more time consuming because the Bulldog winch plate sits behind the frame rails, so its ears have to be ground down as well.

Once I got this first part done and touched up the frame rails and winch plate with paint, I reinstalled the bumper. Of course, with the bumper installed, then the inner upper mounting bolts lack clearance for tightening: the passenger side was the worst. Even grinding off the flange of the passenger side nut would not allow clearance for a socket, The driver side would work with the nut flange ground off. I suspect that when manufactured, the frame rail distance as far as the mounting horns has some variability. A quarter of an inch would make a huge difference.

In order to solve this problem, I removed the winch and reinstalled the bumper, leaving the winch plate installed, The rear, underneath winch mounting bolt holes are accessible with the bumper on, the fronts are not. I then drilled a pilot hole in the bumper from above marking the front two winch mounting points. I removed the bumper and used a 1" and 1/8" step bit to drill holes in the bumper. By doing this, I can mount the bumper with the winch loose. This allows me to cock the winch back and forth with easy access to the inner most bumper bolts, I can now run the bumper inner frame bolts down with the use of an electric ratchet, and then torque them as well. Future bumper removals and reinstallations will now be easy. Make sure to tape the bolt openings on the feet of the winch so the bolts do not fall out of the feet of the winch. I bought some plastic hole plugs to cover the holes once mounted.

After doing this, I then went to install the winch with the bumper on, and found the bottom winch plate bolt holes were not lining up. It turned out the internal bumper fog light plates were interfering. I removed the plates from the bumper, mounted them up against the bumper and marked the interfering area with a paint pen. I then cut out the area (and a little extra for good measure) with a cut off wheel. Everything was hit with touch up paint, Now everything lined up beautifully. With these modifications, I can now have the bumper on and off in about ten minutes.

Other issues I ran into:

I was planning on painting my tow hooks as I am getting rid of Rubicon red, Don't bother with a rattle can job as the tow hooks will scratch easily. I found some black ones on market place and went with that. From the factory they are powder coated and the finish is much more durable.

I have to run a front plate. I went with the Fishbone aluminum hawse fairlead license plate mount. It did not work well with the Warn hawse fairlead that comes with the winch, because of the protrusion on the top so I ended up getting a Factor 55 1.5 inch hawse fairlead that fits nicely

Overall, I ended up with a clean installation. I am happy with the fact that the winch sits below the radiator and is not blocking or causing turbulent airflow. My 2014 Jeep JKUR always had heat issues when towing during the warm California summers, so I am really sensitive about obstruction in front of the radiator.

Now back to my passion:

 

[Northridge4x4]

The problem with the install is the Warn Zeon 10s: it is 24.25 inches long, which is wider than the space between the frame rail horns. If the winch you choose is 1/2 inch less than this number, you are probably golden. I am not sure any winch plate would help, unless the winch is placed more towards the radiator, and in that case doing anything with the grill would be problematic.

You are right, with the Zeon winch, you've got to cut the frame tabs. No way around it.

The Warn EVO winches will fit with room to spare.

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