That was a very clean installation. It looks really smart and that fairlead looks great. Sounds like you have a similar experience to me using it loads in winter and not at all in summer.
Great video and love the way you did this. There is still one thing niggling me and that is wondering if there is conclusive info on what this or any bumper install does to airbag functionality, retracting steering column? Or to insurance for that matter. Still I am going ahead with it 😂
Most bumpers, or in this case the winch cradle, are going to reduce the effectiveness of the crumple zone, absolutely. You’re smart to think about that. They replace the lightweight bash bar up front with something massive and metal. That being said, it doesn’t affect the airbag sensors and best I can tell shouldn’t affect things like steering wheel collapsing function in a crash. How much will something like this or a full bumper or other modifications affect an impact i obviously can’t officially say. What comes to mind are the strict modification requirements in Australia where they have restrictions and need engineering approval on modifications to be street legal. Their bumpers need to retain collapsibility and impact absorbing (see ARB) where as a lot of custom jobs or bumpers in the US have no crumple or weak points built in- it’s often not something a manuf thinks of and costs a lot more to evaluate.
Hmm, it cuts up your bumper so the valence hides it which is nice. With this particular hidden mount I don’t think you could do it clean, but there might be others that require less cutting. Otherwise I’d look into one of those low pro units that is metal and you cut out the entire lower portion of the bumper.
Have you ever used the integrated recovery points that come with the rago winch? I want to see how they hold up. Is the winch is not bolted to the frame?
The Rago mount replaces the front bash bar and bolts straight to the frame. I’ve used the built in recovery points a bunch, they’re great! That’s 90% of the reason I went with Rago, for some reason it was the only one with recovery points built in for these hidden mounts.
Cool video. Great work. Now, at this point, do you wish you would have gone with a stump bumper - like the Covert (CBI) or Greenlane Offroad? Seems like similar cost and effort for the install and a few hassles if / when you need to use it. Thx again for sharing.
Dang! The quality is really nice. Seems there aren’t many options for hidden winch cradles, if I were to do it now without options I’d get one of those mid-bumper replacements that replaces the center bottom section entirely.
That was a very clean installation. It looks really smart and that fairlead looks great. Sounds like you have a similar experience to me using it loads in winter and not at all in summer.
Thanks man! Yeah definitely a winter tool for me too. Nice insurance in the summer, but I typically never need it.
Thanks for the video - I'm a total newb and this helped me consider some options.
Glad I could help!
Great video and love that Yankum fairlead!
Thanks a bunch! Looking forward to getting lots of use with it this winter 😎 ☃️
Great video and love the way you did this. There is still one thing niggling me and that is wondering if there is conclusive info on what this or any bumper install does to airbag functionality, retracting steering column? Or to insurance for that matter. Still I am going ahead with it 😂
Most bumpers, or in this case the winch cradle, are going to reduce the effectiveness of the crumple zone, absolutely. You’re smart to think about that. They replace the lightweight bash bar up front with something massive and metal. That being said, it doesn’t affect the airbag sensors and best I can tell shouldn’t affect things like steering wheel collapsing function in a crash.
How much will something like this or a full bumper or other modifications affect an impact i obviously can’t officially say. What comes to mind are the strict modification requirements in Australia where they have restrictions and need engineering approval on modifications to be street legal. Their bumpers need to retain collapsibility and impact absorbing (see ARB) where as a lot of custom jobs or bumpers in the US have no crumple or weak points built in- it’s often not something a manuf thinks of and costs a lot more to evaluate.
I wonder if this can be done on an SR5, I don't have the valance like you guys.
Hmm, it cuts up your bumper so the valence hides it which is nice. With this particular hidden mount I don’t think you could do it clean, but there might be others that require less cutting. Otherwise I’d look into one of those low pro units that is metal and you cut out the entire lower portion of the bumper.
Have you ever used the integrated recovery points that come with the rago winch? I want to see how they hold up.
Is the winch is not bolted to the frame?
The Rago mount replaces the front bash bar and bolts straight to the frame. I’ve used the built in recovery points a bunch, they’re great! That’s 90% of the reason I went with Rago, for some reason it was the only one with recovery points built in for these hidden mounts.
Cool video. Great work. Now, at this point, do you wish you would have gone with a stump bumper - like the Covert (CBI) or Greenlane Offroad? Seems like similar cost and effort for the install and a few hassles if / when you need to use it. Thx again for sharing.
Thanks dude! No I’m okay with this, I like the OEM look. One day maybe I’ll do a full bumper but in the mean time I like keeping it low key.
You don't need to access the control panel? Does that just work the remote or are there other things you need to access that for?
I have an access panel from the engine bay to reach the clutch. And I have a plug extension that relocates the remote plug up in the engine bay.
Rago doesn't make these anymore :(
Dang! The quality is really nice. Seems there aren’t many options for hidden winch cradles, if I were to do it now without options I’d get one of those mid-bumper replacements that replaces the center bottom section entirely.
Thx4 share. Have fun. Stay safe. Checkout "breaking down the AZ fatal offroad recovery" by CO 4x4 rescue & recovery vid for important info.