"Sweet Rig!!! Lots of innovation and incredible attention to detail! Can't wait to see it live."
zukrider previously posted:
"Nice. Great work. You could even mount the winch in the bed under the tool box for good and run the line out the back. Would really save bodily wear and tear!"
Thanks for the kind words.
Zukrider- you are correct stating there would be enough room under the tool box to mount the winch. Although, there would not be room for the cable as the fuel cell is in the way. I mean, where there is a will there is a way, but routing the winch line would be a nightmare. Also, it would require me to carry the extra weight of it at all times. And as I previously stated, that is something I do NOT want to do. Part of the purpose of the rig was to be "lightweight". My experience has taught me that if I want Toyota axles to hold up to dual cases and 37" tires, the rig needs to light. Best examples I can give is that I have broken axle 3 front shafts/joints this year in this truck. Two of which were Longfields. Every break happened while fully loaded with trail spares, tools, extra winch, other recovery gear, etc. While I have wheeled the same lines harder while being lightly loaded, only a few spares and the minimal amount of tooling, and didn't break.
Another reason behind keeping the extra, or rear, winch easily removable, is that I use it frequently with my trailers and on other vehicles. Nothing makes loading a disabled or parts vehicle/equipment onto a trailer all by yourself, quicker, easier, and cheaper than a good winch setup. That is unless there is a large forklift around. But I am not able to bring those with me everywhere.
Hope this helps explain as to why I have the rear winch removable.