Winch recommendations for Knock-Off Mopar Steel Front Bumper

[Trauma PA]

Building up my JT for Overlanding. I want to install a winch on my Chinese Knock Off Mopar Steel front bumper. The included winch mounting plate looks pretty stout. Anyone out there have any issues mounting a winch to their knock off st
Budget up to $1000 if needed.
Thanks in advance.

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[SimonH]

We installed a MP concepts aluminum bumper on the JT, did not use the winch plate yet, others say its not so good, so we may use the original Mopar winch plate, on this bumper.

Fitment and installation as good, however we changed some of the cheap coated hardware, at the coating was brittle out of the bag.

from your post its not clear from what chinese bumpers you speak.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

What Chinese knock-off Mopar bumper did you purchase?

 

[ross neill]

I put a 9500 lb rough county on my jt it did lower front end so I add a 1 1/2 spacer lift your new bumper most likely is heavier than factory and adding a winch will cause sag in front coils springs when comparing winch keep weight in mind you might need a lift kit are hd coil springs after installation

 

[Trauma PA]

What Chinese knock-off Mopar bumper did you purchase?

This one.

 

[Trauma PA]

I put a 9500 lb rough county on my jt it did lower front end so I add a 1 1/2 spacer lift your new bumper most likely is heavier than factory and adding a winch will cause sag in front coils springs when comparing winch keep weight in mind you might need a lift kit are hd coil springs after installation

I have the 2.5” AEV Dualsport Lift. May need the 3” HD coils since I’ll be adding a winch up front and bed rack and tent to the back.

 

[ATXNelson]

I put the warn Evo 10s with no problems on the knock off bumper. I did use my factory tow hooks instead of the ones that came with the knock off bumper

 

[professorkx]

I run a warn Zeon 12S, but IMHO, that’s overkill for a Gladiator…and expensive. I have the same winch on my Adventure Motorhome, and if I ever get into a situation where my motorhome is stuck, I may be pulling with both winches to get the motorhome freed up, so I have the use case that warrants the expense of getting the best winch on the Gladiator.

With that said, in my opinion, the Badlands Apex 12k is a good choice, as you might only use your winch a few times during your ownership of the Gladiator. I also recommend using a Warn cover that is made for the Warn 10S and 12S, as this will keep water from getting into your winch. It has a zipper panel right above the winch activation arm and plug, so easy to use. I run this cover on all of my winches of that model after a Warn 10S had water penetration and needed to be disassembled for repair (the water leaked down past the activation arm).

If I didn’t need to prepare for a big motorhome getting stuck, I would have bought the Badlands…

 

[Trauma PA]

I put the warn Evo 10s with no problems on the knock off bumper. I did use my factory tow hooks instead of the ones that came with the knock off bumper

Good to know. I also used my factory tow hooks. I wanted to keep an Anvil/black theme. Didn’t want red tow hooks. I do like the Warn Evo 10s. Do you know if Warn winches ever go on sale?

 

[Trauma PA]

I put the warn Evo 10s with no problems on the knock off bumper. I did use my factory tow hooks instead of the ones that came with the knock off bumper

Did you use the winch plate that came with the bumper?

 

[ATXNelson]

I did use the winch plate that came with the knock off. It was pretty stout, seemed as thick as other ones on the market, and bolted directly to the frame. Feels safe. Guess, if there is ever an issue, I could switch it out for a more expensive plate.

Sometime last year Warn did a survey that gave a discount afterwards and that is what I used. Still wanted the Warn Zeon but discount not big enough. Also, the Warn Zeon is a tad bit longer and would have been a really tight fit. I'd just search around on the web for best price

 

[Bird Dog]

Might look at a Smittybilt X2O Gen 3. Just installed on my OEM bumper and there was plenty of room and no modifications were needed. They are about the price of a HF Badlands but smaller and slightly heavier. They also have a little more line on the spool.

 

[mgw750]

Ramsey 9500 on the knock off bumper and winch plate. It's a little on the tight side and the winch plate the bumper comes with is a little flimsy. Could stand to be reinforced or replaced.

 

[Trauma PA]

Might look at a Smittybilt X2O Gen 3. Just installed on my OEM bumper and there was plenty of room and no modifications were needed. They are about the price of a HF Badlands but smaller and slightly heavier. They also have a little more line on the spool.

Good advice. Definitely on my short list.

 

[RubiNewbCB]

This one.

Looks good can you share the link for it?

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