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omg

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i gotta keep eye on the sale. missed out.

@Kevin Mojito with maximus 3 jl winch mount kit and apex winch, how long did it take to install the whole thing. did any 'tweaking' around required? any gotchas? was there everything included in the 2 boxes or any additional stuff required? did you end up getting the license plate kit.
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jasonlauren

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I did, slightly. I used the Warn winch plate. I'm guessing the JCR plate is going to mount the winch in the same place. But maybe, just maybe it will raise it just a tad to where the lever clears the bumper. I took an angle grinder and a metal grinder disc and ground out the bottom portion of the lever. I did this after I installed the winch. Doing it before would be much easier. I didn't explore removing the lever to do the grinding. I saw at my HFT the one they had on display had the lever removed so I'm guessing it's possible.
Awesome... last thing— with the Warn plate, was there enough room for the wiring between the winch and the grill? And did you run the wire through the grill or did you have it follow the fog light harness wiring?

you think you can take a top down birds eye view of the space between your winch and grill?

thanks!!
 

jasonlauren

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So, I think I’m going to order the warn winch plate to mount this apex winch.

Looks like poison spyder sells a 3/16 inch winch spacer. Gonna order a pair to see if they help with the lever rubbing problem, hopefully eliminating the need to shave the lever down.

I was also reading that the warn winch plate may cause issues with re-fitting the factory steel skid plate since it pushes the bumper forward by a fraction or so of an inch. Been reading that some people drilled out the skid plate. Gonna see if I can reinstall everything without having to drill.
 

Kevin Mojito

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@Kevin Mojito with maximus 3 jl winch mount kit and apex winch, how long did it take to install the whole thing. did any 'tweaking' around required? any gotchas? was there everything included in the 2 boxes or any additional stuff required? did you end up getting the license plate kit.
I ended up going with the Warn Plate. Maximus you will need to buy the license plate mount. it pushed the price up $50 over the Warn set up. When it's just steel plates, I'm cheap.....
Nothing to mount the winch, even with the front Maximus loops. I'll get some pictures tonight. I still need to wire it in. I went for remote set up. That's gong to take a little time.
 

Kevin Mojito

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So, I think I’m going to order the warn winch plate to mount this apex winch.

Looks like poison spyder sells a 3/16 inch winch spacer. Gonna order a pair to see if they help with the lever rubbing problem, hopefully eliminating the need to shave the lever down.

I was also reading that the warn winch plate may cause issues with re-fitting the factory steel skid plate since it pushes the bumper forward by a fraction or so of an inch. Been reading that some people drilled out the skid plate. Gonna see if I can reinstall everything without having to drill.
Of the winch plate's I have looked at, they all push the bumper out the width of the plate material. With that in mind the skid plate rear 2 bolt holes will need to be reamed a little.
As far as pushing the winch up for the lever, you can or just trim it. I going to trim mine.
 

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MileHigh

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Awesome... last thing— with the Warn plate, was there enough room for the wiring between the winch and the grill? And did you run the wire through the grill or did you have it follow the fog light harness wiring?

you think you can take a top down birds eye view of the space between your winch and grill?

thanks!!
I can take a picture today. For the wiring, the positive wire that comes out the back does rub against the grill. I'm not seeing any issue yet. I'm sure over time the paint will get rubbed off where the wire is. It's behind the winch and you'll never see it unless I remove the winch. It was a concern but after installing I don't see it as a concern anymore. It looks fine. I ran the wires along the bottom of the grill to the passenger wheel well liner. I ran it up under the edge of the liner where the liner meets the grill. It then ran up behind the headlight under some black foam and then back towards the battery. I'll get a picture of my set up for ya.

As for a spacer on the winch plate. That is not a bad idea. I like the lower profile but it would alleviate the lever issue. However, trimming the bottom of the lever really isn't that bad and it looks fine. It's easy to do. Especially if you do it before mounting.

I used the Warn winch plate but it is the most expensive on the market. I used it because Warn, apparently, has worked with Jeep to engineer their winch plate to work with the stock steel bumper. However, others have used JCR and other plates with the same success. So, you could go with different plate and save $$. Or go with Warn, it does work.

One more note, you will need to get different bolts to mount the aluminum fairlead. The bolts that come with the Apex winch are nice but they're not long enough. I ended up going to Fastenal and special ordering two stainless steel carriage bolts with two Acorn stainless steel nuts. It looks good!! Using a carriage bolt coming from the inside is the best bet. You won't be able to get a wrench inside. The warn plate does allow for the carriage bolt to lock in so all you have to do is tighten the acorn nut on the outside. I believe I ordered 2" length bolts. Size I think was 5/8", or maybe 1/2" Mount up the winch and measure your needs. The bolts that come with the Apex are just shy of 1&5/8" in length. Fastenal will have what you need either in stock or they will in their distribution center. The closed end, acorn, nuts look really nice and give it a finished look.

Pictures coming shortly.....
 

jasonlauren

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Of the winch plate's I have looked at, they all push the bumper out the width of the plate material. With that in mind the skid plate rear 2 bolt holes will need to be reamed a little.
As far as pushing the winch up for the lever, you can or just trim it. I going to trim mine.
I committed and ordered the Warn winch plate. I also ordered those Poison Spyder zeon winch spacers to see if I can avoid shaving the free spool lever. Found them both on Northridge4x4, and was able to use the forum coupon code for a little discount. Might not get prime shipping, but that's fine.

I'll update you guys once I get all the hardware and get the installation going.
 

jasonlauren

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I can take a picture today. For the wiring, the positive wire that comes out the back does rub against the grill. I'm not seeing any issue yet. I'm sure over time the paint will get rubbed off where the wire is. It's behind the winch and you'll never see it unless I remove the winch. It was a concern but after installing I don't see it as a concern anymore. It looks fine. I ran the wires along the bottom of the grill to the passenger wheel well liner. I ran it up under the edge of the liner where the liner meets the grill. It then ran up behind the headlight under some black foam and then back towards the battery. I'll get a picture of my set up for ya.

As for a spacer on the winch plate. That is not a bad idea. I like the lower profile but it would alleviate the lever issue. However, trimming the bottom of the lever really isn't that bad and it looks fine. It's easy to do. Especially if you do it before mounting.

I used the Warn winch plate but it is the most expensive on the market. I used it because Warn, apparently, has worked with Jeep to engineer their winch plate to work with the stock steel bumper. However, others have used JCR and other plates with the same success. So, you could go with different plate and save $$. Or go with Warn, it does work.

One more note, you will need to get different bolts to mount the aluminum fairlead. The bolts that come with the Apex winch are nice but they're not long enough. I ended up going to Fastenal and special ordering two stainless steel carriage bolts with two Acorn stainless steel nuts. It looks good!! Using a carriage bolt coming from the inside is the best bet. You won't be able to get a wrench inside. The warn plate does allow for the carriage bolt to lock in so all you have to do is tighten the acorn nut on the outside. I believe I ordered 2" length bolts. Size I think was 5/8", or maybe 1/2" Mount up the winch and measure your needs. The bolts that come with the Apex are just shy of 1&5/8" in length. Fastenal will have what you need either in stock or they will in their distribution center. The closed end, acorn, nuts look really nice and give it a finished look.

Pictures coming shortly.....
Thanks for the heads up on mounting the fairlead.

My last concern was the potential fitment of the winch with the positive wire coming out of the back of the winch. I'm okay if it rubs up against the grill a little bit; just wanted to make sure it fits in between there.

I appreciate the pictures when you get a chance!
 

jasonlauren

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nice work, mojito! Where did you mount the control box?
 

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Kevin Mojito

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Working on that this weekend. I took everything out of the top cover. I only have the relay now, it should fit between the fender and battery. The wireless controller looks like it will go under the passenger side cowl cover. Wireless switch and wire plug will go under passenger side front seat on a bracket. I'll get some pics soon.
 

jasonlauren

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Looks great, MileHigh. Thanks for the pics!
 

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Few shots of the remote mount style. It makes the winch nice and low profile.
I think most of the "B" on the handle will need to be trimmed. Should still have more than enough to turn.

driver.jpg
It looks like there is a set screw on the bottom, can you just re-index the lever? it wouldn't match up with the sticker but at least you wouldn't have to trim it.
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