PSA: My winch was installed upside down for 2 years

I pulled into a mud pit last Saturday and watched my winch line come off the drum all wrong. A buddy with a lifted Jeep walked over and just stared at it for a second before saying 'you know your fairlead is on the bottom, right?' I had bolted the whole thing on without thinking back when I built my front bumper. Two years of thinking it was just a cheap winch and it was user error the whole time. Anyone else ever get a basic install direction wrong and just live with it?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy3512mo ago

your fairlead is on the bottom" lmao classic.

tyler4922mo ago

Hmm I gotta disagree a little. Having it on the bottom is actually pretty common for winching in tight spots where you need that extra wrap around the drum. Keeps the cable from digging into the frame or bumper too. Seen plenty of guys run it that way without issues, depends on the setup. You tried it both ways or just going off what looks right?

ericb6615d ago

Sorta gotta push back on the winching from the bottom thing though. When you wrap the cable under the drum like that, it actually puts more stress on the first layer and can cause the cable to crush or pinch against itself, especially under heavy load. Fairleads on the bottom are fine for a straight pull in a tight spot, but if you're doing any kind of angled recovery, the cable can rub against the frame or crossmember and fray. Most winch manufacturers actually recommend the cable coming off the top for a reason, it keeps the line spooling evenly and stops it from binding up on the lower wraps.