Al Gilliland

Has anyone installed a front hitch on a jk. I'm doing some off-roading but not enough to justify a new bumper and winch etc.

What I thought might work is having a hitch on the front then mounting a winch on a 2" hitch extension.

When needed the hitch/winch could be attached for winching purposes. Once done off-roading the winch could be stored away.

arjeeper

Frankly the only way to have a front row hitch that would be rated for a winch pull would require a new front bumper anyway, or some permanently welded work from a good welder perhaps.

I'd probably just save for what you want permanently verses doing it twice. Get a nice used winch bumper and one of the Ergo winches that have proven very affordable and reliable.

Very few people use a rear winch at all, even most of the extreme rock crawlers have only a front winch.

JDaPP

Yes, I have a front receiver hitch. I have a winch set up for it as well. I have not had to use it for a pull yet but I have no concerns. It is mounted to the frame in the same spots that a tow bar is mounted. The ratings are similar/same as the rear hitch and many folks use that for recovery. Is it perfect? No but for what you describe I am sure it is fine. If you go to etrailer you can see how it is mounted.

Al Gilliland

Excellent. Thanks jdapp. Will have a look on etrailer

Cheers
Al

westchester

JKU front hitch is available here http://www.hitchesonline.com/jeep_front_end.htm

$165 is an obscene price, compared to you spending a bit more to replace the Tupperware stock bumper with a solid steel bumper with a 2" hitch --- here's an old photo of mine, that clearly shows the 2" front hitch of the Olympic Rock Bumper (http://www.quadratec.com/products/12006_410X_PG.htm)

arjeeper

You'd still need a hitch-style winch mount. Another expense. I still think the best value is to go ahead and get a proper front winch bumper.

JDaPP

Another option is to use the Rock Hard 4x4's winch plate which is designed to be used with the factory bumper. About $170.

Rednroll

I considered this in the past. I believe Currie makes a good front hitch receiver for the JK which mounts to the frame rails. After looking into it, I decided not to bother because the hitch receiver would reduce ground clearance, leaving the winch on would highly reduce your approach angle and I had considered the likely scenario was that if I left the winch not mounted to the receiver and then tried to put it on after getting stuck, then there is a highly likely scenario that my front wheels might be stuck in some mud,dirt too deep and therefore making attaching the winch nearly impossible when I needed it. YMMV.

My initial thinking was that I thought it might be a great idea to be able to move a winch between the front and rear hitch receivers and winch in the direction that seems best suited to get out. Additional thinking of ground clearance concerns and trying to guess the circumstances I might be stuck in, made me realize it was likely a bad idea that initially sounded good on paper but likely would not transfer to the real world all that well.