I'm not an extreme off-roader blazing my own trails but have gotten myself into a couple borderline situations following dirt roads which ended up being rougher than I was willing to risk. I was able to get myself out with a little digging and moving rocks to create a turnaround.

Sooo... just to have some insurance in case the worst happens I'm looking at winch options for a 2nd generation Tacoma. 2014, extended cab, 4x4 with the 2.7 liter 4 cyl. engine.

At the moment I'm VERY interested in what I'm seeing called a hidden, front mount receiver that mounts under? behind? the stock bumper (possibly with some minor modification.) I DON"T want a replacement heavy duty steel bumper that doubles as a bulldozer blade nor do I want to permanently mount the winch but be able to use it front or rear as needed. I already have a receiver mounted on the rear so I'm guessing all I need to buy is the front receiver, a winch tray, and winch (with some accessories.) Sound correct? Is this a safe and reliable solution?

I know nothing about which companies are making quality products nor do I know anything about winches. How long should the cable be? What thickness? Are winch pulling capacities listed at their max? Assuming my truck, bed box and contents, and other stuff weights in at 6K lbs. Do I want a winch rated at 8K lbs. so I'm not running it too hard?

Truly clueless about all of this so feel free to reply with even the simplest of suggestions.

Dan

US Off Road is well regarded with the FJ Cruiser guys...

Looks like you'd have to trim the front bumper...but it's a good looking setup, in the end.

https://www.usoffroad.us/2012-...-tacoma-version-2-0/

- Brian

There's a huge aftermarket community for the Taco.

A couple good forums

https://forum.ih8mud.com/

and Expo portal

I would go 9K Lb. winch, not sure who makes a stealth winch fitting for the Taco.

I am looking for the same for my Xterra and a few guys make them..on the side

orion,

That's a nice looking unit but unfortunately it's a permanent mount. What I'm after is a front-mounting receiver with a portable winch on a tray that slides in & out of the front or rear receiver as needed.

dewhorse,

Thanks for the links. Lots of stuff to surf through there.

Oh yeah, its one of those things you store ski rope in. Because that's what 90% of them do. Me, I run jeeps and have been since 1977. I bought my first winch in about 1980 and have had one ever since. Well, not one, but a succession of them. I'm a died in the wool Warn fan because of it. Its also made in the US. I'm not sure how a guy with a Japanese truck views such things. I don't know of a single Japanese maker of the products, but there sure are a bunch China stuff. Probably the best buy for the buck is at Harbor Fright. All this century I've been running the synthetic line, aka Ski Rope. Its better because its much lighter.

And there's more to it than just the winch. You'll need some accessories. Its never just that simple. You'll need gloves and probably a "tree saver". In a bag that always goes along. Leave your food or cooler behind, but not the stuff you need to work the winch. I can add more, like a chain and even a snatch block.

Its why the slightly larger capacity drums are a bonus. You can double the pulling strength of the pull just by doubling the line. But a short line does you no favors. And you can even put more line on the drum than its rated for if its ski rope and not steel cable.

So I bought a new jeep last spring. It went to Utah with me last year, and then Colorado last summer. We did put the new winch on, complete with Warn synthetic. It remains unused. I'd like to think its because of my superior driving, but larger tires are the better excuse. Its OK with me if I never use it. Chances are I'll end up using it for someone else. I'm usually not in the best position to extract myself. Others usually are.

One problem with the portable mounts is the wiring. You can't use telephone wire to power them. It needs really heavy gauge line. I'd suggest welding lead, but that gets expensive. What many winch owners find is they're driving along and get stuck. So they get out their new winch and its dead. Most often a power supply problem. Chances are, you'll run into that too. Many folks opt for the Johnson connectors, like they use on fork lifts. Not the tiny ones. And then test the set up regularly. Like before every time you take it out. Permanent front mount winches usually don't fail. With front and rear, you double the number of connections and possible problems. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by KBobAries:

That's a nice looking unit but unfortunately it's a permanent mount. What I'm after is a front-mounting receiver with a portable winch on a tray that slides in & out of the front or rear receiver...

^^^ Sorry...I missed that in your post.

I'm sure someone makes a front receiver hitch for your truck. I'd search on etrailer.com

- Brian

Can't speak to brands (mine happens to be a Ramsey), but the receiver hitch mount system is handier than a pocket on a shirt.

I have receivers front and back on the Tundra plus one each on the hitch frames of my 10 foot and 18 foot utility trailers. A long pigtail on the back of the Tundra makes winching dead equipment onto the trailers a breeze.

Might be what you seek

http://www.hiddenwinchmounts.com/

Disappointment. I thought you said wenches.

You'll probably want a winch rated for 1 1/2 times the weight of your truck. Consider also getting a snatch block or two, a tree saver strap, and a couple of shackles. A good pair of leather gloves will protect you hands, and I always try to drape a blanket or jacket across the winch cable in case it snaps under load. There are some good "how-to" videos on how to winch.

This looks very promising. I'll give them a call monday with a couple of questions but they've been around for several years and seem to be viewed favorably on the tacoma forums I've been surfing.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg: ...I'm a died in the wool Warn fan because of it... Its also made in the US. I'm not sure how a guy with a Japanese truck views such things...

US made is a plus but quality above that. Tacomas come from Texas, partially.

...I've been running the synthetic line, aka Ski Rope. Its better because its much lighter...

That seems to be the trend from my limited surfing over the past 2 days.

...And there's more to it than just the winch. You'll need some accessories. Its never just that simple. You'll need gloves and probably a "tree saver"...chain and even a snatch block.

Yes, there's always the extras. There's padding in the budget for them.

...Its why the slightly larger capacity drums are a bonus. You can double the pulling strength of the pull just by doubling the line... And you can even put more line on the drum than its rated for if its ski rope and not steel cable.

Thanks for the tip.

...I bought a new jeep last spring...We did put the new winch on...It remains unused...Its OK with me if I never use it...

That's my plan: have it; not need need. It's just insurance. I have jumper cables, a booster pack, and an off-roader's compressor that ride around in my bed box. I've only ever used them to assist someone else.

...One problem with the portable mounts is the wiring. You can't use telephone wire to power them. It needs really heavy gauge line. I'd suggest welding lead, but that gets expensive...

If that's what it takes.

...What many winch owners find is they're driving along and get stuck. ...new winch and its dead. Most often a power supply problem... Many folks opt for the Johnson connectors, like they use on fork lifts. Not the tiny ones. And then test the set up regularly. Like before every time you take it out... With front and rear, you double the number of connections and possible problems...

I've noticed this in some threads elsewhere. Make sure there's a cutout at the battery. Obviously things might change as I acquire all the gear but the thought in my head is to have a single connector at the front and either buy or fabricate an extension cord when the winch is moved to the rear receiver.

Thanks for the detailed writeup.

Dan

quote:

Originally posted by BadDogPSD: You'll probably want a winch rated for 1 1/2 times the weight of your truck...I always try to drape a blanket or jacket across the winch cable in case it snaps under load. There are some good "how-to" videos on how to winch.

Thank you for those tips.

Dan

we have pulled out two trucks that had winches on them , they were not totally buried,
but !

one had an anchor point that would have pulled him in even deeper and the other did not have any where near enough rope to reach an anchor .

both were in Arizona.

the good news is , if you put the electrical wires to both the front and the rear,
you will be able t use the winch on either end of the vehicle.

will you be getting a second battery or better generator?

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:...will you be getting a second battery or better generator?

No plans for either at the moment. Is there a reason I shouldn't leave my engine idling while winching?

At my last scheduled maintenance appointment the mechanic mentioned that I should be budgeting for a battery. I plan to get the heaviest duty battery that will fit but nothing beyond that.

there is a bit of science involved not only on the mechanical side ( rope/wire diameter and tensile , weight, spool diameter, angle of pull, single and double or triple line pull and all of the earth that you have to bring with the vehicle)
the
there is the electrical science,
involving amp draw, voltage required, wire diameter , generator ability, battery ability and
heat generated by all of the above.

your o.e.m. equipment that came with the truck was not engineered to run a winch for an extended period .
charging cell phones, jumping other vehicles and an auxiliary light or two is one thing.

But the wrong winching scenario could fry a good portion of your electrical system.

just a word of caution

Back to the electrical system since it was brought up. There's no good reason not to leave the truck idling. Except that you'll find alternator makers publish a graph that gives power generation against rpm. Not engine rpm, but the rpm the thing is turning at. You can game that system with different size pulleys to achieve what you seek. All isn't as clean as you'd want. Some tiny cars have 100 amp alternators. If you run them at that output for any time, you'll melt the thing. You need or will want one that can produce its rated output for a longer time. Its also why you sometimes see folks winching take a break and sit around doing nothing but catching their breath. It lets the truck catch its breath, too. One fun little test is to try to hold the various wires to see how hot they get. You've got the discharge from the alternator, the battery wires, and then the winch wires. You'll be shocked at how easy it is to melt factory wires.

Back to welding lead. Its better for a lot of purposes, even to replace the factory phone wires (or equivalent.)

Once you've found you want a faster engine speed there are ways to get there. Cars with auto trannys sometimes use a solenoid or dash pot. When energized it jumps out. Just a little electromagnet. Usually with and adjustable reach. On old carburetors or on many FI systems, there's a flat on the linkage that you can make it hit. It allows you to throw a switch on your dash (or under the dash) and kick up your idle speed. While they keep auto transmissions from stalling, it can increase your engine speed to about whatever you want. Running it at 1500 rpm will usually help cool the engine, too.

While you're at it, running wires and all, consider putting a winch control on the dash. Its a lot classier than running the control cable up over the hood, around the mirror, and then inside to someplace near the driver. In the past I've used power tilt buttons off Mercury outboards. Its a quality switch that is designed for high moisture environments. Think the opposite of Lucas (prince of darkness).

Don't buy your snatch block until you've got the winch and rope. Some work better with synthetic than others. If you're going with synthetic, don't buy a used one with wire rope marks. It'll eat the new cable alive.

The hook on the end of the line can be replaced. The stock one may or may not make you happy. The big yellow ones supplied with some ropes is just awful. This cycle the one supplied by Warn seems serviceable. I was looking at the offerings from different makers at the "All-4-Fun" in Colorado last summer. Most seem bigger and even less easy to handle. But as luck would have it one of my friends won one in the raffle. Like a good friend, he gave it to me. But I told him I wasn't looking for a hook, I wanted a hooker. First time in years I've seen him speechless. If you want the glitter type of accessories, look at them all before you buy. To me, heavy is bad. Winch line doesn't usually stretch like a strap, but if something is going to be flying at my head, light is better. With synthetic, its just not an issue.

Look at Mobtown Offroad. Front reciever hitch that bolts onto Toyota frame. Also has recovery points up high.
Hi Lift jack doubles as a jack and come along as a suggestion instead of a winch.
Tacoma world forum is your best resource.

 
For terminating your heavy cabling front and rear, I like the Anderson Powerpole connectors. You might need to run one size larger wire to the rear to account for voltage drop over the longer distance. Or just figure what you need for the rear and use the same for the shorter front run.
 
If you have the 90 amp alternator, there is a 130 amp upgrade model that is pretty much a straight swap. I think the 130 comes with the tow package, so you might already have it.