Project Fiery Redhead - Part 1
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 2
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 3
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 4
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 5
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 6
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 7
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 8
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 9
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 10
One of our project goals was to install an aftermarket front bumper and a stout winch. That was a no-brainer. This is one of the reasons we upgraded our rig's electrical system with dual Optima Yellow Top batteries, a Mean Green 200-amp alternator, and a Wrangler Northwest Power Products Battery Management System. As the project has evolved, however, we decided to make our work/play F-150 even more functional by adding an aftermarket rear bumper and winch, so that's what we did.
Up front, the technicians at the Redhead's official buildup shop, Attitude Performance, installed a chrome Warn Classic bumper and Warn 9.5ti winch. The bumper features heavy-duty welded construction and has ample space for semi-concealed mounting of the winch. For those of you with other types of Warn winches, chances are the Classic is compatible because it will accept any one of 10 different Warn winches. We went bare-bones on our bumper, but the Classic is available with an optional grille/brushguard and air dam. The Warn 9.5ti winch is one of Warn's newest models and it sports a massive 12.5-pound aluminum die-cast body, Gen II Bosch motor, seals at key points to give extreme-duty water resistance, 125 feet of 5/16-inch-diameter wire rope, and a new shape that Warn says sheds the elements. Plus, it offers a thermometric indicator on the remote control, which alerts the operator should the motor temperature increase to dangerous levels during winching.
In the rear we bolted on a beefy black Reunel rear winch bumper and a Warn XD9000 winch. The Reunel bumper is a very impressive unit that features rugged solid steel construction, backup light ports, a whopping 20,000-pound tow rating, and stainless steel solenoid mount and winch splash guards. It is one member of the family of front and rear bumpers offered by the folks at Reunel. We opted for the optional bolt-on 2-inch receiver hitch and a pair of welded-on "D" rings. Reunel also offers a full line of options including PIAA backup lights, ball mounts, and stainless or diamond-plate overlays. The XD9000 winch is quiet and durable and a long-time bestseller for Warn. One of the reasons is that its compact body and separate control pack allows it to be installed in very tight spaces. It was a perfect match for the Reunel bumper, which requires a separate control pack to facilitate fitment. Besides, all Reunel winch bumpers are specifically designed for Warn winches.
1. Here's what we mounted up front. The Warn Classic bumper comes with frame extensions, bracketry, hardware, and instructions. The Warn 9.5ti winch kit includes the remote control, roller fairlead, and mounting hardware.
2. Detailed instructions explain how to mount/adjust the Warn Classic bumper. The bumper will bolt directly to existing frame holes without drilling on most models, but our F-150 required drilling two holes. These holes allow a lock bolt to be installed, which locks the bumper-mounting kit to the vehicle frame.
3. The 9.5ti winch and roller fairlead simply bolted to the Warn Classic bumper. If you own a winch with a remote-control pack, there's a mounting bracket integrated onto the Classic bumper. We connected the two-gauge power leads to the side mounts of our main Optima Yellow Top battery.
4. Here's what we installed on the rear of the truck. Our Reunel bumper came with mounting hardware, license-plate lights, bolt-on 2-inch receiver hitch, and stainless steel solenoid mount and stainless steel winch splashguard. The XD9000 winch included all mounting hardware, a roller fairlead, and remote control. We also had to install Warn's longer clutch lever (PN 21745) since the winch was mounted inside the Reunel bumper. Also shown here are a pair of IPF backup lights - the installation of which will be covered next month.
5. The Reunel bumper is fastened to the truck with four bolts at each framerail in existing holes. These eight bolts are double the number of stock bumper-mounting bolts. Three of the bolts are shown here. We had to trim the shank of the rear-most bed-mounting bolts (top) to install the larger upper-bumper mounting bolts.
6. The XD9000 control pack mounts directly to the Reunel bumper and is mounted/shielded from debris by Reunel's stainless steel solenoid mount. With the control pack installed, a hole in the bumper allows the plug for the remote control to be conveniently accessed from the rear of the truck.
7. We had to reclock the XD9000's winch drum so it would mount correctly in the bumper and we had to swap in longer winch-to-control pack power cables as well as a longer clutch lever. Like the control pack, the winch is protected from debris by a Reunel stainless steel winch splashguard. We routed the power cables to our second Optima Yellow Top battery.
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 1
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 2
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 3
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 4
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 5
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 6
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 7
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 8
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 9
Project Fiery Redhead - Part 10