How to Install a Winch on a Bull Bar
A bull bar is a piece of equipment attached to the front of a car to shield you from harm in the event of an animal accident. They are typically composed of welded steel or aluminum tubes, although more recently, molded polycarbonate and polyethylene materials have also been used. They vary greatly in size and form.
Based on the analysis, bull bars drastically reduce the possibility that persons in the vehicle would suffer serious injuries upon collision. The bull bar works differently from a bumper, which absorbs some force.
What a bull bar does is transmit all force to the animal or contact object.
Just in case you decide to get one, let’s show you how to install a winch on a bull bar in your vehicle.
Bull Bar Winch Mount
An electric winch can save you and your mates a world of hassle when the tracks get very rough. With a compatible bull bar, it makes the work even easier. Installing this equipment yourself is not as difficult as you think! Here’s how!
Vehicle inspection
First, check to see if your bull bar has a mounting cradle for your winch.
In contrast to certain vehicles, which have horizontal cradles, the winch in this example has a vertical cradle, which necessitates turning the gearbox of the winch 90 degrees in order to access the clutch lever.
Winch inspection
Place the winch on a workbench and take off the two tie bars to turn the gears. A third bar that secures the winch while it is being transported also exists; this bar does not require replacement.
Now that the gearbox and drum have been entirely separated, the gearbox may be removed. The mount can now be rotated to the desired position after removing the gearbox’s numerous hex head screws.
Your winch is ready to be mounted after a quick assembly that only requires the process to be reversed.
Mounting the winch
Place the square nuts adjacent to the drum in the opening. They might stop falling out if you use some double-sided tape or perhaps a little lubricant while setting the winch.
Lift the winch into place with a friend’s assistance, then insert the upper bolts through the bull bar and into the square nuts on the winch. The fairlead should then be attached while doing the same with the bottom bolts.
Installing the control box
The control box can be attached to the bull bar after the winch has been properly mounted.
This bar lacks mounting holes for a control box, and the bracket was taken off the control box to mark the drilling locations.
The drill swarf won’t harm the winch rope if a rag or piece of cardboard is used in this place.
Wiring the control box
It is simple to connect the control box to the winch motor.
Every wire has a distinctively colored rubber boot that matches the terminal it connects to.
The bolt on the motor’s opposite side is where the final two wires, a large black earth cable and a little black earth cable should be joined.
The power and ground cables need to be run directly to the vehicle’s starting battery as the installation nears completion.
Most automobiles shouldn’t need their wiring to be extended, but in situations like these, you can do it by buying additional cable and joining it using the right joiners and equipment.
Testing
You should now test your winch after connecting it to the battery.
The hand control can be used by connecting the control box to the receiver, or wirelessly by connecting the provided cable to the handpiece and the control box.
You may have your winch installed and ready in only one day; you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it earlier!
Reasons You May Need to Install a Bull Bar on Your Vehicle
Animal collisions
A kangaroo, for example, might easily disable your car, leaving you stranded, or at the very least inflict significant damage.
Since the front of the car is protected by a bull bar, you stand a decent chance of surviving an animal collision.
Of course, no one would want to hit anything, but accidents happen, and you would wish you had a bull bar when it does.
General protection
What we mean by “offroad” is an extremely bumpy road. These present a variety of dangers, including pebbles, ruts, and sticks, the last of which is particularly problematic.
Off-roading is usually done in places far from the main city, where you might likely come across a bear or an animal running past.
In case you come in a collision with anything or an animal, you should at least reduce the risk of you getting a severe injury, or your car getting really damaged.
Winch mounting point
Bull bars are not required to mount winches; nonetheless, it is much simpler to do so.
A piece of advice: Even if you don’t intend to buy a winch, invest the extra money in a bar that can accommodate one just in case. It will also assist a little with resale.
Accessory mount point
You’ll need a sand flag if you engage in any real dune sand driving, whether it be in the desert or elsewhere, and the optimal position is as far forward as you can go, which calls for a bull bar.
It’s challenging to build a mount that is powerful enough without a bar.
The installation of driving lights also requires a much firmer base than many nudge bars can offer. UHF antennas can also be mounted on the bull bar.
Potential for recovery points
Although recovery loads are rising, the era of simple chassis rails extending out the front of vehicles is long gone. Bull bars can help expose the chassis so recovery points can be fitted.
Some bull bars come with recovery points built-in; others provide them as an option. It could be challenging to fit recovery points without a bar.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, installing a bull bar in your vehicle is now a piece of cake. You’ll save a lot of money handling this yourself, plus you just added to your list of DIY skills.
Bull bars are basically for protection against animal protection, and also help protect you against heavy collisions. Hence, getting this installed on your winch just adds extra safety to your vehicle.
