Well T3 truck finally finished my front bumper/winch mount and I made the drive down to brenham this morning to have them mount it all up.

I am ready to hit the trails this weekend at Shiloh Ridge and show all the guys in my buddies jeep JK forum (its their big trip this weekend) how we wheel over here at FTE. They still don't think I am going to show up in my 1-ton CC....I talked to a guy today who thinks we are trying to B.S. them....little do they know

I will be swapping my BFG M/Ts off the white truck tomorrow morning because 8,000+ lbs + A/T tires + mud = one big mess

Let me know what yall think....good or bad

Outside T3


Close up of the winch/bumper

 

They did a good job, I like it.

 

Looks real good! Trail ready! Unlike most Jeeps!

 

Lets hope you won't need the winch...unless you're pulling a jeep outta the mud

Looks good!

 

I love the bumper looks great and i think you will find the functionality far exceeds your expectations!

dont hurt her too bad! i know shes a truck, but shes sensitive and needs TLC! do you have a pre-filter of some sort on your air filter? i'd be so paranoid about the air filter sucking in mud or water or dirt. thats why i had to build my bronco, so i could play guilt-free!

-cutts-

 

Nice bumper!!! That CB antenna in front like that would annoy the crap outta me though...LOL , but hey it works for you.

 

not many run that CB antenna up front thing anymore. Thats pretty rare.

It was one of those dual purpose things I belive. So you could tell if your load would fit as well.

*shrugs*

I personally like the duals behind the cab or the single on the roof.
hell, on my 91 I just had an antenna up there to look cool. It wasn't even pluged in!!!

The winch looks good.
I think I'd get a mount point for the clevis though and hook it up there, so its not flopping around every time you hit a bump.

 

Thats not a CB antenna, it's a speed-o-meter. When it bends back and hits the cab, let off of the throttle.

 

haha. Good one.

 

I am glad yall like it, I am pretty excited about finally being able to mount my winch (wich has been sitting on my floor for about 6mo now)

To answer everyones question about my CB antenna mounting location...
I decided to mount it on the front for 3 reasons.

First in my ARB catalog all of the ARB bumpers all have their antnenas mounted in the front and i figured that if ARB builds their bumpers like that, there is probably a reason. And when in rome...

Second, I was thinking "out of sight, out of mind" I knew that when I was off-roading I wouldnt be thinking about my antenna if I couldnt see it. I didnt want to tear if off while 4x4ing

Third, It just looks really hilarious hanging out in front

 

I really like that bumber. I have been wanting to put one on mine for along time but just havent found the right one for the right price. I live in College Station not far from there and have been there a few times looking and priceing them but I thought they were kind of high?

 

i have an nice cb ready to install in my truck but i cant decide where to mount it, i would mount it on the roof but when i have this thing on my truck it wont work, iv considered the front bumper or mounting it to the mirror bracket. let me know if it ends up annoying the hell out of you with it on the front bumper

 

Their prices were on the lower end for replacements (compared to ranch hand)
The bumper was $850 ($900 installed)
I am also trying to sell my old ranch hand style bumper to recover some of the costs of the new bumper so that will help a lot too

4x4Bronco: So far mounting the antenna on the front hasn't been an issue for me at all... I thought it would be bending back at higher speeds but it stays pretty straight even at 70 mph. I like it because the mounting location high enough to get really great reception but low enough to easily allow me to work on it/remove it/inspect it for problems if I need to. If anything comes up I will be sure to let you know.

On Edit 4x4 bronco: before I bought my "hard mount" I bought a magnetic mount antenna (the cheapest I could find at radio shack) and used that to find the best places to mount the antenna on my truck. I would move it around every few days and see how each new spot worked. When I found the best spot I picked up my hard mount and wired everything in.

 

There is only one downfall to mounting on the front.
Your reception and send is mostly foward.
The point of mounting on the cab roof allows more of a circular pattern.
Think of it like this. The truck is part of the antenna, depending on where you mount it.
The position wont effect much, but your signal will reach further forward then a traditional location.

Mirrior mounts you would want to run duals, otherwise you'll get more signal to one side the then the other. So when you run duals, it pushes your signal to the front and the back greater distances.

I think i'm going to do dual mirrior mounts on fire sticks.
My linear will blow up anything other then a k40 or fire sticks.

Ranch hand makes great stuff!!! I've seen it in person on a dodge. Very very nice.

 

I finally got the tires/wheels swapped out from the white truck....here are some pictures w/the M/Ts. I am ready to crush some jeeps...

Also I dont mind having most of my signal being shot to the front (I figured the cab would block most of the signal) becuase I am usually in the back of the pack when 4x4ing anyway