What Did You Do With Your Rig Today?

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Lanlubber In Remembrance

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Launch Member

Member III

2,827
Mimbres, NM, USA
First Name
Jim
Last Name
covey sr
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16986

Ham/GMRS Callsign
none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
I had a colonoscopy then went home and saw FedEx dropped off my new Freedom Offroad UCAs so I took a nap then installed them. Install was relatively easy but GM placed the nuts for the UCA bolts inside the spring mount so I had to unbolt my coilovers to shift them around and make room for a wrench. If not for that step I'd have been done in 30min instead of 2hrs. lol

I'm testing these very inexpensive units to see how they hold up to abuse. They run $380. The next cheapest brand is $750 and they only go up from there. I have not read of any failures yet.
View attachment 123661
Damn man, that's a lot of work for a guy who had a colonoscopy event in the same day. Your supposed to take it easy the rest of the day don't you know. Was it a mistake on the part of GM INSTALLATION or is it just the way they build them that made it harder for you and lets their rate books show a longer repair time so they can get more of your blood ?
 
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19mystic96

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Enthusiast III

830
Pacifica, CA, USA
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Matt
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M
I had a colonoscopy then went home and saw FedEx dropped off my new Freedom Offroad UCAs so I took a nap then installed them. Install was relatively easy but GM placed the nuts for the UCA bolts inside the spring mount so I had to unbolt my coilovers to shift them around and make room for a wrench. If not for that step I'd have been done in 30min instead of 2hrs. lol

I'm testing these very inexpensive units to see how they hold up to abuse. They run $380. The next cheapest brand is $750 and they only go up from there. I have not read of any failures yet.
View attachment 123661
Nice! Those things look way beefier than the stock ones!
 

RoarinRow

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2,771
Elk Grove, CA, USA
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Rolando
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Nispiros
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I had a colonoscopy then went home and saw FedEx dropped off my new Freedom Offroad UCAs so I took a nap then installed them. Install was relatively easy but GM placed the nuts for the UCA bolts inside the spring mount so I had to unbolt my coilovers to shift them around and make room for a wrench. If not for that step I'd have been done in 30min instead of 2hrs. lol

I'm testing these very inexpensive units to see how they hold up to abuse. They run $380. The next cheapest brand is $750 and they only go up from there. I have not read of any failures yet.
View attachment 123661
Holy crap those are monstrous! Your truck will break before those do!
 
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Lanlubber In Remembrance

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,827
Mimbres, NM, USA
First Name
Jim
Last Name
covey sr
Member #

16986

Ham/GMRS Callsign
none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Yes, those were my words.

I made a mistake on the actual bumper weight. I was looking at the Bill of Lading.
For shame... That weight sounds better and I couldn't tell , it looks pretty heavy to me, but looks are deceiving. Still--- it looks very nice, clean and well built. I'd buy it if I could afford it. What size winch are you using ? The steel cable is heavy and people tell me the nylon is better in many ways other than saving a lot of weight.
No rust and less tangles sounds like a winner to me.
 
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JCWages

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Pathfinder I

2,271
Grass Valley, CA, USA
First Name
Justin
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Wages
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18693

Damn man, that's a lot of work for a guy who had a colonoscopy event in the same day. Your supposed to take it easy the rest of the day don't you know. Was it a mistake on the part of GM INSTALLATION or is it just the way they build them that made it harder for you and lets their rate books show a longer repair time so they can get more of your blood ?
It's my 4th colonoscopy so I'm not a virgin. LOL

It's just the way GM designed them. I think there is more space with the OEM springs or they just have a flatter tool that can fit in the gap. You can see a bolt end where the pesky nut is if you look at the right side of the UCA inside the spring mount.
 

JCWages

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Pathfinder I

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Grass Valley, CA, USA
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Justin
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Wages
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18693

How did you determine what size you need ?
Most every one I know is using either 900# or 12,000 #. The one I have eye balling is 9000 #.
Am I thinking too small ?
Manufacturers suggest a minimum of vehicle weight x 1.5. After watching many episodes of 4wdAction and other recovery based YouTubes where even decent sized winches struggled or had to rest for long periods to avoid overheating I think vehicle weight x2 should be minimum. This assumes you can fit a bigger winch. I couldn't. So 10k is what I got for my 5,300lb truck.
 

eagle_A40

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Galvez, Louisiana. USA
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Michael
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Somebody
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How did you determine what size you need ?
Most every one I know is using either 900# or 12,000 #. The one I have eye balling is 9000 #.
Am I thinking too small ?
I purchased the 17K winch for my previous truck(2006 Chevy 2500HD Duramax at 6000 Lbs. dry weight). The truck's GVWR(gross vehicle weight rating) = 9200 Lbs.

What size winch to buy for your vehicle? Multiply the GVWR by 1.5, The math for my truck's GVWR came out to 13,800. A 14K winch would be what I needed at the time. I found a 17K at a good price. I sold that truck prior to installing a HD front bumper and winch. No need to buy another winch since this one fit within the new bumper for my present truck.
 
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Lanlubber In Remembrance

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,827
Mimbres, NM, USA
First Name
Jim
Last Name
covey sr
Member #

16986

Ham/GMRS Callsign
none - BREAKER BREAKER HAND HELD CB AND WALKIE TALKIE
Manufacturers suggest a minimum of vehicle weight x 1.5. After watching many episodes of 4wdAction and other recovery based YouTubes where even decent sized winches struggled or had to rest for long periods to avoid overheating I think vehicle weight x2 should be minimum. This assumes you can fit a bigger winch. I couldn't. So 10k is what I got for my 5,300lb truck.
I'm not too far off then. My LRD2 weighs 4500 # according to my title x 2 would be 9000#.
That was the same guide I learned a hundred years ago but this will be the first bumper winch I have ever bought. I have always used a 3000# portable hitch mount and doubled the line to make it 6000#. That always worked for me in sand, never been stuck in anything else. I did pull my son in law out of a snow bank once when he was bellied out on snow and could get out by himself.
Thanks for the input.
 

JCWages

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Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,271
Grass Valley, CA, USA
First Name
Justin
Last Name
Wages
Member #

18693

I'm not too far off then. My LRD2 weighs 4500 # according to my title x 2 would be 9000#.
That was the same guide I learned a hundred years ago but this will be the first bumper winch I have ever bought. I have always used a 3000# portable hitch mount and doubled the line to make it 6000#. That always worked for me in sand, never been stuck in anything else. I did pull my son in law out of a snow bank once when he was bellied out on snow and could get out by himself.
Thanks for the input.
I was really focused on regular weight and then started thinking about those circumstances where weight is multiplied like when a rig is burried in mud or sand. In hindsight I should have got the 12k since it shares the same chassis as the 10k. Next time. :) Until then, snatch blocks will have to do like you mentioned.