Armed For Duty II - 2009 Land Rover LR3

We ordered a Land Rover-specific Warn 9.5 xp winch for this particular build. This is the same winch that Land Rover offers through its dealer network. The main difference between this specific model and a standard 9.5 xp is in the wiring setup. The Land Rover version has a separate solenoid that enables the winch when the remote is connected to the plug, thus eliminating any possibility of unintentional operation while unattended. This winch is rated at 9,500 pounds and features a high-output parallel series-wound winch motor that's said to be the most durable in the industry. We like the fact that this particular winch has the second fastest fully-loaded line speed Warn model (7.6 feet per minute at 9,500 pounds of rated load).

With the new winch mounted securely inside the bumper, Mayorquin turned his attention to the factory fender flares. Due to the width of the bumper, each front fender flare required some trimming to fit. To do this, Mayorquin held the flare in place and marked off where each needed to be cut. Next, using a pneumatic-powered cut-off wheel, he carefully trimmed off the forwardmost portion of each factory flare. Once trimmed, the flares were reinstalled on each fender. The trim job only removed two of the attachment points on each flare, leaving several other plastic snap-clips and two screws in each to secure them to the vehicle.

To finish off the look of the bumper, as well as to add some much-needed lighting for rangers who sometimes respond to calls in the park at night, we mounted a pair of Warn SDB-160HB driving lights. These lights are trick because they have two separate beam patterns built right into each lamp. The first pattern is a driving light, offering up to 410 feet of wide-angle illumination-perfect for slow-speed late-night search and rescue operations. The second beam pattern is a 100,000-candlepower spot-type pattern intended for lighting upwards of 770 feet in front of the vehicle-ideal for rapid-response night driving scenarios. We like the fact that these lights come with a complete plug-and-play wiring harness that makes installation a snap. We also think the included control switch with LED feedback is pretty cool looking, too.

The Rovertym winch bumper came with bolt-on 3-ton extraction points that will accept a standard 3/4-inch shackle. Durable tow points such as these are absolutely essential for trail service.

Here you can see how Rovertym's LR3 winch bumper helps to protect the exterior sheetmetal-every bit as wide as the vehicle's outside-most dimensions, it should, in theory, be the first point of contact when the going gets tough. Notice that the factory fog lamps are retained in the Rovertym bumper-another finishing touch we like.

Once the bumper project was completed, we moved on to what Rovertym calls their "lift-kit-in-a-bag for LR3s." Essentially, these small plastic tie-rods enable the factory-equipped air suspension to run in the two-inch-over-stock position at all times. This effectively and affordably lifts the vehicle enough to clear a slightly larger tire, or in our case to improve ground clearance over stock.

As you can see here, the Rovertym LR3 suspension sensor tie-rods are slightly longer than the factory units. They work by fooling the factory computer into thinking the vehicle is sitting two inches lower than stock in the neutral position. The vehicle's computer automatically corrects the problem by pumping air into each of the vehicle's four air springs until the appropriate ride height is achieved.

Here you can see the tie-rod installed on one of the four suspension sensors. It took us less than ten minutes to install these little devices, and the only tool we needed was a small 90-degree pick to aid removal of the factory pieces. The new tie-rods simply press on by hand-truthfully, the easiest lift kit we've ever installed. Rovertym informed us that these will also work for the Range Rover Sport model as well.

Before: This is the measurement we took prior to installing Rovertym's lift-kit in a bag for LR3s.

After: As you can see, two full inches of ride height were realized after the installation.

After: Equipped for self-extraction along with a 2-inch increase in ride height, this LR3 should hold its own and keep park rangers moving through muddy terrain and over rutted trails while on patrol.