When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi, I recently installed Warn's "Semi-Hidden" winch mounting kit on my 1999 F-250, before heading to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari. Yes, they allow pickups - although I have to admit, the short wheelbase Jeeps do make rock crawling look a lot easier! (But less FUN!)
Overall, the kit went pretty well, considering that this was my first winch installation. It does make the bumper stick out about 5 inches beyond factory original, but it does a nice job of burying the winch behind the bumper. I chose this product for two reasons - it stows the winch nicely to keep it out the way, and it was a lot cheaper than any other winch mount bumpers I could find elsewhere. It was Warn's part number 62289, and I installed Warn's 12,000 "VR" series winch.
If you're considering doing the same, here's a few thoughts:
1. Expect a LOT of rusted stuck bolts when removing the old bumper. The truck is only 14 years old, with about 140,000 miles, but easily a third of the time I spent doing the installation was spent breaking or sawing old bolts to get them apart.
2. Many of Ford's bolts are Meteric - even back in 1999! Surprised me!
3. Over time, I think the shape of the bumber/frame/front end became warped, and the new parts don't all fit together the same as the old ones came apart. Nothing that can't be dealt with, but expect the holes not to line up.
4. Concrete is cold when working on your back in the early Spring!
5. Mounting the Winch's control box is a challenge - there's not a lot of room under Warn's "skirt" to fit it in. I ended up using large hose clamps instead of the supplied bracket.
To Warn - suggestions for improvement:
1. The 3/8 x 1 1/4" carriage bolts are too short - I had to buy longer ones.
2. The license plate mount is a joke. 31 states currently require front plates, Warn's bracket would have been destroyed in Moab this Easter! I bent mine around and drilled and mounted it next to the winch.
3. The Warn instuctions leave a lot out and really could use a few more pictures. But, like I said, this was my first winch installation.
All in all, I am satisfied with the products. Although I haven't had to use them yet, I do feel a little better equipped now when out on the trails!
I realize this is an old post. I would like to see some pics of the install, but they are no longer in your album. Could you post some again, or send me a PM and I will give you my email.
Has anyone installed the warn hidden winch mount part number 98055 on a 2017 SD F-350 King Ranch with adaptive cruise control. I contacted warn but they were not able to help at all, very disappointing. Everything seems to be attached to the bumper so I think it will work if the wiring harness will push out far enough.Thanks.
Last edited by Kenna01; Dec 24, 2017 at 11:44 AM.
Reason: unlink
I have the Warn hidden kit on my 2005 front end. It works great. If the kit you are looking at for your 2017 is for that year model, I am sure it will fit fine. You are correct that you may need to stretch or re-route the harness, but I bet it will work.
1. The 3/8 x 1 1/4" carriage bolts are too short - I had to buy longer ones.
2. The license plate mount is a joke. 31 states currently require front plates, Warn's bracket would have been destroyed in Moab this Easter! I bent mine around and drilled and mounted it next to the winch.
Agreed. On both counts.
I substituted many bolts and nuts that Warn supplied. The principal concern I had was that Warn used "nuts on a stick", where Warn welded a reach rod (stick) to the nut so that one could insert the nut into the box of the frame through the tow hook opening, and thus keep the nut from rotating while the bolt is threaded through the outside vertical web of the frame.
I didn't like that welded stick on a regular nut arrangement. I wanted the same quality of flagged flange nuts that Ford used OEM. When Ford issues a nut with an anti rotation feature (called a flag), Ford's supplier doesn't weld the flag on... they press the flag on over the flats of the nut right up to the flange. This way, the strength and integrity of the metallurgy of the nut remains unaffected by weld heat. So I ended up substituting various nuts and bolts that Warn supplied with parts from Ford... no doubt because I'm nuts. And at the time, I had good access to factory parts, so it didn't cost as much to do.
Warn maybe could supply better hardware, but the quality of Warn's kit over all, including the main event... which is the winch carrier itself, is peerless in design, fitment, and execution, making the hardware sins very forgivable.
The license plate thing...
The issue with Warn's substitute license plate bracket isn't that it is flimsy. Even the OP admitted that he used Warn's piece of metal supplied, and was able to bend it around to suit his tastes. The reason why he did so, and why I didn't use Warn's supplied front license bracket at all, is because the bracket is designed to hang the license below the roller fairlead, significantly reducing the approach angle. That is why the OP states the bracket would be destroyed... not because it is flimsy, but because of the location where Warn intended for it to be mounted.
I found that simply putting the license plate on the roller fairlead cover easily solved the problem, without blocking air flow to the transmission cooler. The roller fairlead cover is tethered, so even if it falls off, it won't get lost. The factory holes for the original location of the stock front license plate bracket were used to anchor the tethers.
The 4 to 5 inch forward extension of the front bumper can coordinate quite well with fender flares...
The largest public utility company on the West Coast routinely outfits their company vehicles (Ford Super Duties) with the Warn Semi Hidden kit. I've had a chance to see the kits for all the various body styles of Super Duty over the years, since my storage building is adjacent to the corporation yard of this utility company. For every design iteration of the Super Duty, Warn did an excellent job designing the integration of their kit with Ford's grille and bumper design.
I substituted many bolts and nuts that Warn supplied. The principal concern I had was that Warn used "nuts on a stick", where Warn welded a reach rod (stick) to the nut so that one could insert the nut into the box of the frame through the tow hook opening, and thus keep the nut from rotating while the bolt is threaded through the outside vertical web of the frame.
I didn't like that welded stick on a regular nut arrangement. I wanted the same quality of flagged flange nuts that Ford used OEM. When Ford issues a nut with an anti rotation feature (called a flag), Ford's supplier doesn't weld the flag on... they press the flag on over the flats of the nut right up to the flange. This way, the strength and integrity of the metallurgy of the nut remains unaffected by weld heat. So I ended up substituting various nuts and bolts that Warn supplied with parts from Ford... no doubt because I'm nuts. And at the time, I had good access to factory parts, so it didn't cost as much to do.
Warn maybe could supply better hardware, but the quality of Warn's kit over all, including the main event... which is the winch carrier itself, is peerless in design, fitment, and execution, making the hardware sins very forgivable.
The license plate thing...
The issue with Warn's substitute license plate bracket isn't that it is flimsy. Even the OP admitted that he used Warn's piece of metal supplied, and was able to bend it around to suit his tastes. The reason why he did so, and why I didn't use Warn's supplied front license bracket at all, is because the bracket is designed to hang the license below the roller fairlead, significantly reducing the approach angle. That is why the OP states the bracket would be destroyed... not because it is flimsy, but because of the location where Warn intended for it to be mounted.
I found that simply putting the license plate on the roller fairlead cover easily solved the problem, without blocking air flow to the transmission cooler. The roller fairlead cover is tethered, so even if it falls off, it won't get lost. The factory holes for the original location of the stock front license plate bracket were used to anchor the tethers.
The 4 to 5 inch forward extension of the front bumper can coordinate quite well with fender flares...
The largest public utility company on the West Coast routinely outfits their company vehicles (Ford Super Duties) with the Warn Semi Hidden kit. I've had a chance to see the kits for all the various body styles of Super Duty over the years, since my storage building is adjacent to the corporation yard of this utility company. For every design iteration of the Super Duty, Warn did an excellent job designing the integration of their kit with Ford's grille and bumper design.
that was a wise move not us I g the nut on a stick. I had a plow mounted by a dealer that used that trick and it was a nightmare removi g it. I couldn't get a wrench on it and had to cut it off,all four of them.
that was a wise move not us I g the nut on a stick. I had a plow mounted by a dealer that used that trick and it was a nightmare removi g it. I couldn't get a wrench on it and had to cut it off,all four of them.
Good point... the nuts on the stick had no corrosion control. They couldn't be zinc coated or phosphate oiled, due to the fact that they were selected to be intentionally welded on.
The corrosion control on many (but not all) OEM Ford fasteners is excellent by comparison. Even on vehicles in salted road states, one can often see silver colored hardware standing out against a background of rust colored cancer in under chassis photos.
