December 18, 2024

Maximus-3 Winch Mount Installation

Offroaders Staff Jeep JK Rubicon Projects

In this segment we install the Maximus-3 Winch Mount. With the frame prep work completed, we were about to install new parts! The Winch Mount is a solid, heavy plate with impressive precision laser cutting and welding, and a factory matched powder coating finish making up the 14 pounds of steel. The Winch Mount fit snug but was not difficult to install.

Mount Vacuum Pump Relocation Bracket

Using a 10mm socket, mount the relocation bracket to the winch mount plate using the M6 bolts and washers provided with the relocation bracket.

Install Winch Plate from Below

Install the Winch Mount from below, passenger side first. Temporarily hold the winch plate up with a couple of bolts inserted into the bumper flange from the front side.

Clamp Winch Mount to Bumper Flanges

At this point you want to pull the winch mount all the way forward towards the bumper flanges so that the rear key nuts and bolts are mounted in the correct location. We used a set of quick clamps to pull and hold it forward. A larger size bolt and nut on each side would also do the trick.

Install Nut Keys, Washers and Bolts

With the clamps (or bolts and nuts) in place on the front-side of the winch mount and flange, lower the Nut Key inside the mounting pocket on the frame rail and hand tighten the 19mm bolts along with 19mm washers next to the winch mount.

Tighten, Torque Back Bolts

At this point we decided that bolts and nuts would work better than clamps to hold the winch mount in the correct forward position as we tightened and torqued the rear bolts to the specified 66.5 Ft.Lbs of torque per bolt.

Mount Vacuum Pump

The vacuum pump is easily removed with a quick disconnect fitting and sliding the other hose off the pump fitting. Though we could have removed it earlier, we just pulled it out of the way with a bungee. But now we had to remove it to relocate the pump harness behind the power steering line and above the swaybar. We then lightly persuaded the excess wire below the radiator toward the chassis frame.