Smitty X2O Gen3 / Grimm Install

[Bird Dog]

After finding a new take-off factory steel bumper & skid plate and waiting 2 months for Grimm to ship their winch mounting plate the winch install project is finished. I went with the Smittybilt X2O G3 over the HF Badlands I had been considering. For $50 more I got a smaller (albeit heavier 67lbs vs 76lbs) winch, 18 additional feet of line and a better warranty IMHO. Plus I just didn't care for the giant brand signage on the HF but that's just me. The Grimm plate install was straightforward and easily accomplished. After reading other posts I will note that Grimm does now include longer bolts to mount the fairlead. Also included are 5 M8 nuts so that the factory holes on the bumper that were exposed by removing the winch blank-off plate can be returned to their original factory appearance. I did not use the height spacers that were included with the plate. That said there was no grinding or removal of metal needed to mount the winch with plenty of space on either side. Additionally the clutch free spool handle did not have to be modified to clear the bumper. Not sure how useful it will be but the Smitty has a small LED light on the control box that is tied back to one of the aux switches. If I ever need the switch for something else I'll just disconnect. Next up is a leveling kit to get rid of the additional rake. All-in-all I think this is a good set-up for my needs.

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