~DISCLAIMER!~

 

the only thing wrong with running a front mount winch cable under the truck to pull yourself out backwards is getting the cable under it when it is sunk to the framerails in mud.

on my truck there is a clas III reciever front and back. the winch is mounted on a hitch plate, with quick connect cable ends. if i need the winch in the front it is there to use. if i need to pull backwards, i pull the pin, and put it in the rear reciever. the plus side to this setup is the 20 ft. 00 gauge welding wire jumper cables have the same quick connect on them. no need to get real close to anything to jump start. with plugs front and back, i can park up to 2 parking spaces away in any direction,(except dead rear) and still get to the dead battery.

 

I have heard of folks mounting pullies under the vehicle to winch backward. You would loose ground clearance though...

 

I second tjc's suggestion of a hitch mounted winch, unless of course you just want to buy 2 of them. Routing that cable would be a pain anyway but especially if you're stuck or worse yet in a situation where the truck isn't stable.

 

i've seen someone mount a PTO winch in the middle of their truck and they had the cable setup to where they would run it thrugh a series of roller fairleads that were mounted b/t the body and frame. this allows no loss of ground clearance and the ability to run the cable up front or out back. it was pretty slick but requires a good bit of planning anf good engineering... ya know kind of like the engineering SnoBlower is accustomed to

-cutts-

 

My solution was to mount a winch in the front of the truck bed and have a piece of 2x lumber across the back of the bed as a cheap roller of sorts that would not damage the cable if the rear of the truck was above the pulling point. Also helps to keep minor things in the bed better.

I do not do extreme off roading so a rear mounted winch is more important because if I get stuck I usually want to go backwards and pick a different line. Plus, a front mount winch is practically useless in deep snow and ice unless you want to make a hill. Being able to snow plow the drifts with your bumper/axle and then winch out back into your tracks is the only way to make progress without a snow blower if you get stranded.

Plus, on my trucks I usually have a headache rack or screen so if the cable breaks the only thing that happens is I have a heart attack. I yanked a F-350 once with my front BII tow hooks and when the chain snapped and went flyng over my open hood, I was glad it was not a cable coming at me.

So, if I am getting someone unstuck, I want the cable behind me where I am protected by my screen. Plus, a hole in the W/S really stinks in a rain or snow storm. So, I prefer a rear winch over a front, though both are better :-)

 

What my buddies do around here is make custom bumpers out of 2x6 rectangular tubing with receivers 18" center on center so they can move winch front to back, etc. Then they usually leave the winch in the tool box of the pickup and put it wherever they need it, this way winch is always out of sight of criminals but is there if you need it.

 

I am going to be using a Buckstop front bumper, so the winch will be out of sight. Also, I am going to be running a Mile Marker hydraulic winch so... they can steal it, but they are gonna have one helluva time doin' it. I had contemplated the "stuck to deep to run it underneath" factor, just must not have mentioned it.