Member Since: 31 May 2008
Location: Praha (Prague)
Posts: 2430
winch's - hidden or not hidden?
After seeing a recent post with photos of a 'nearly' fully loaded D3 it brought up a question on winch's hidden or not hidden.
not on which is the best option, but on the technical aspect of the hidden unit is closer to the chassis and what appears to be the non-hidden being further away.
does this cause any problems in that if winching at a slight angle it can put stress on the setup. I guess those that teach or do winch will say "don't winch other than straight on" (use blocks and pulleys etc)
it's just the last photo I saw seem to have the winch possibly 12"-15" further forward or it was the angle of the photo.Experience is a difficult teacher, because she gives the test first and then the lesson afterwards!!!!
21st Nov 2008 9:46 am
heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
The fairleads should handle the stress of any angled stuff - but will probably not look too good afterward . My winch on my defender has very bad looking fairleads mainly because all the chrome (or whatever the shiny stuff is) has been scraped off by the cable . So that - at least cosmetically is a good argument for a hidden winch. On the downside , I don't know how easy it is to re spool the cable with a hidden winch .
21st Nov 2008 9:52 am
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50952
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posts: 6100
Hidden winch looks better IMHO and is less vulnerable to theft or damage but spooling the cable evenly is tricky. I'll probably switch to synthetic line shortly to lessen the problem.2020 BMW X1 18d XDrive X-Line Auto
21st Nov 2008 10:25 am
TallPaul
Member Since: 03 Jan 2008
Location: Near Reading
Posts: 1214
I like the standard LR winch mount that you can see myself
Popelka - might need a cover though to keep the Czech winters off the winch though
21st Nov 2008 1:19 pm
wiggs
Member Since: 03 Sep 2006
Location: Manchester
Posts: 14368
personally ....if you have all the other kit , A bar lights , rack , RAI then the winch on the front is great ...if you have a bare car then hidden winch would look better ...G4 Gone ...but not forgotten
I prefer outboard winch as you can see whats going on with the drum whilst spooling
21st Nov 2008 1:36 pm
CFB
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posts: 6100
Cost was a big factor for me....
LR Winch kit £1700 (around £1500 with forum discount)
Hidden Winch Kit £650 using a decent Superwinch EP92020 BMW X1 18d XDrive X-Line Auto
21st Nov 2008 3:05 pm
TallPaul
Member Since: 03 Jan 2008
Location: Near Reading
Posts: 1214
Yeah, its a shame land rover don't sell just the un-hidden tray, but then i suppose no-one would ever buy the full kit!
21st Nov 2008 6:34 pm
CFB
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posts: 6100
Agreed, I spoke to Nick at Yeovil about this and we though we had found a potential supplier but turned out not to be
A few have come up on eBay but nearly all have had bits missing.2020 BMW X1 18d XDrive X-Line Auto
21st Nov 2008 6:43 pm
TallPaul
Member Since: 03 Jan 2008
Location: Near Reading
Posts: 1214
I would quite like to have a winch with no a-bar like this:
(pic from RonP's gallery)
I would say maybe there is a technical reason like TUV approval or pedestrian impact or something that means they need to supply and fit the entire kit - but I think we all know its just because everyone would just buy the bracket and fit their own winch
Edit, this is what is in the LR kit:
There must be part numbers for the brackets at least I would have thought?...
21st Nov 2008 6:52 pm
Wex
Member Since: 16 Apr 2007
Location: Knackeragua
Posts: 5173
Member Since: 31 May 2008
Location: Praha (Prague)
Posts: 2430
DG wrote:
Either will look great on a Skoda
yes but it's a company lease and being replaced in 4 months , damn shame in company policy it states NO SUV or sports cars other wise I would go for the basic D3. oh well I'll dream another year or 2 and keep reading the forum Experience is a difficult teacher, because she gives the test first and then the lesson afterwards!!!!
21st Nov 2008 9:58 pm
Popelka
Member Since: 31 May 2008
Location: Praha (Prague)
Posts: 2430
not clear
thanks for all the opinions and I would still be confused on which I would go for, however I was trying to understand if there is any technical issues with a winch installed further away from the vehicle rather than the closer (hidden) install or is it just a matter of having a REALLY sturdy mount point/tray?
DejkiExperience is a difficult teacher, because she gives the test first and then the lesson afterwards!!!!
22nd Nov 2008 6:12 am
robsmith
Member Since: 02 Sep 2007
Location: Staffordshire
Posts: 2393
A really good strong tray is essential, as is a good attachment to the chassis.
The advantage of a hidden winch is that it can't be seen by "prying eyes", but has a disadvantage when in use - you can't see how the cable is loading onto the drum.
Open winches are more exposed, and so really need some form of cover on them to stop too much dirt getting on them when not in use, and are easier to observe in use.
Basically think about why you want a winch, and do you want folks to see you've got one or not, then look at the price, pay your money, install the winch and use it.Rob Smith
Silver rools OK
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
....... VUB504000
other wise I would go for the basic D3. oh well I'll dream another year or 2 and keep reading the forum 
