Smittybilt XRC Gen3 12K & OEM steel bumper

[VABarn]

Has anyone done this combo yet? And if so, which winch plate did you use? I have looked at a few winch plates, and they say they are compatible with most major brands, but I found a warning on one of them and thought I would ask the forum before proceeding with any purchases.

Here is the warning from ROCK HARD 4X4™ WINCH PLATE FOR FACTORY STEEL FRONT BUMPER(https://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-90206.htm):

"99% of the popular winch brands fit our mounting plate including Warn(TM), Quadratec(TM), Superwinch(TM), Smittybilt(TM), and many more...... Currently new generation Smittybilt Gen 3 winches do not appear compatible."

Artec has a bunch of warnings, but doesn't actually say if it is compatible or not.

The fact that Rock Hard explicitly states it doesn't fit makes me believe Smittybilt did something funky with their screw placement...?

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[aldo98229]

I would stay away from Smittybilt.

For starters, everything they sell is made in China. With manufacturers looking to decouple their supply lines from China, it is anyone’s guess what’s going to happen to Smittybilt. Never mind trying to find spare parts in a few years.

I bought a Smittybilt air compressor a few years back. The air hose fitting broke right as soon as the 1 year warranty expired. They use a custom fitting; I couldn’t find a universal part to fix it with. A $0.50 part rendered the compressor totally useless! I went to 4WP to see if I could buy a new air hose. They called Smittybilt to see if they would sell me just the air hose, but they refused; they wanted me to buy another air compressor. Pffft...screw that. I rather pay more than buy another one of their products.

I bought a new air compressor of a different brand; have had it for three years now; no issues.

 

[VABarn]

I would stay away from Smittybilt.

For starters, everything they sell is made in China. With manufacturers looking to decouple their supply lines from China, it is anyone’s guess what’s going to happen to Smittybilt. Never mind trying to find spare parts in a few years.

I guess that means I need to stay away from Warn's VR series (made in China).... which means I probably need to double my price point for a winch.... have to ponder this decision for a bit...

 

[aldo98229]

Indeed, buying stuff from China has got us all used to getting more for less, and companies making record profits.

That’s going to have to change if we want to have more control over the production of goods, as is the thinking at the moment .

Good luck.

 

[Cthehentz]

I went with the 10k version of the Smittybilt on my factory steel bumper and the WARN mounting plate.

 

[gm920]

Has anyone done this combo yet? And if so, which winch plate did you use? I have looked at a few winch plates, and they say they are compatible with most major brands, but I found a warning on one of them and thought I would ask the forum before proceeding with any purchases.

Here is the warning from ROCK HARD 4X4™ WINCH PLATE FOR FACTORY STEEL FRONT BUMPER(https://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-90206.htm):

"99% of the popular winch brands fit our mounting plate including Warn(TM), Quadratec(TM), Superwinch(TM), Smittybilt(TM), and many more...... Currently new generation Smittybilt Gen 3 winches do not appear compatible."

Artec has a bunch of warnings, but doesn't actually say if it is compatible or not.

The fact that Rock Hard explicitly states it doesn't fit makes me believe Smittybilt did something funky with their screw placement...?

I believe the Gen 3 disclaimer is there because of me. I purchased the XRC Gen 3 9.5 K and the Rock Hard winch plate, when I tried to install it the aft tie bar was against the grill before the bumper bolts were fully tightened and there was approximately 3/4" clearance between the fwd tie bar and the bumper cutout. To their credit (Rock Hard) they offered to send another plate with relocated holes, but I felt that even if the winch moved fwd as far as possible it would still be difficult to mount the controls over the drum and have enough clearance to run the battery cables under the grill. I did not want to have to mount them over the motor or do a remote mount. So I returned the winch plate and exchanged the winch for the X2O 10 K, purchased Rusty's winch plate, as this is a combo known to work, and installation was a breeze. A little after action deducing, it seems the Gen 3 winches (at least the XRC) are larger in diameter. You can look up the specs on all the SmittyBilt's. The mounting holes are standard, but the larger winch is a very tight fit in the Factory Steel Bumper, might work on a different winch plate that sits lower inside the bumper.
Here is a link to the thread when I initially contacted Rock Hard thru this forum
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...and-smittbilt-winch.28883/page-4#post-1068197

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