One of the most important must-have items for off-roading is a winch. Everything from recovery and self-extraction to trail maintenance can be accomplished easier and faster with proper use of this device. But for safe use they must be securely attached to the front of the vehicle, and that's where having a heavy-duty mounting point in the form of a quality bumper comes into play.
Hanson Enterprises recently introduced just such a heavy-duty winch mounting point (in other words, bumper) to its line. Designed specifically for '93-'98 Jeep Grand Cherokees (ZJ), we thought we'd try one on for size and give you the skinny. What, you don't own a Grand Cherokee? Well, Hanson also builds bumpers for other Jeep models, Ford Broncos and Super Dutys, Dodge Dakotas and Rams, and Toyota FJ40s. The company also produces cargo rack systems, rocker guards, and other trail accessories out of good ol' solid American steel.
These bumpers are so nicely done we thought you'd like to see a few shots of one in the buff. If you'd rather have yours powdercoated in semi-flat black, Hanson Enterprises can take care of you for an additional $115. (Which is a screaming deal since a local powdercoater quoted us $300 to do the same job!) We decided to spray our bumper with a medium-gray, hammer-finish paint (Rust-Oleum, No. 7214 gray) for easy touch-ups and to complement the Grand's plastic body cladding.
Hanson builds two models of ZJ bumpers: A basic model sells for $559, while the Winch-Guard version shown here (with the extra tubular hoop over the winch) is $684. Both bumpers include the zinc-plated fairlead mount and all hardware. The bumpers are built of 3/16-inch, hot-rolled, pickled-and-oiled, steel plate (basically, top-quality material) and use 1/4-inch plate for the attachment brackets. This allows the bumpers a continued from page 62 great strength-to-weight ratio (ours came in just a bit under 90 pounds).
Looking at the pictures, you'll notice the nice welds and attention to detail such as a winch deck with a recessed clearance for longer winch motors (such as the Warn HS9500i and 9500Ti) and drain holes for the muck that normally collects and stagnates under a winch. In front, there are radiator cooling openings that afford easy access to the winch mounting bolts (10x4 1/2-inch standard pattern) and two fully-welded, 1-inch-thick, attaching tabs for shackles (or clevises, or D-rings, or whatever your favorite term might be).
The plastic fascia on Grand...
The plastic fascia on Grand Cherokees basically snaps in place, so it doesn't require much more than a panel-retainer pry tool (or a good yank if you don't mind breaking fasteners) to remove. First use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the three screws holding the grille to its support (A), then remove the three snap-in fasteners below the grille on the top edge of the fascia (B) along with three more on the bottom lip (C)...
...Finally, pry out the three...
...Finally, pry out the three fasteners in each wheelwell that attach to the splashshields (D) and pop the fascia off the hooks underneath the turn signals (E) and on the sides ahead of the wheels (F).
You'll need to remove the...
You'll need to remove the tow eyes (or optional tow hooks) attached to your Grand's front framerails since the Hanson brackets will install in their place using four 3/8-inch bolts per side. The holes in the front framerails will also need to be opened up slightly so the Hanson brackets will slide into position. We used a small cutoff wheel, but a saber saw with a metal-cutting blade will also work...
...If you have a lot of extra...
...If you have a lot of extra time and energy, a die grinder or large file could work as well; however, hacksaws won't fit. While you have a cutting device out of the toolbox, you'll also need to trim off the extra wheelwell splashshield that now hangs down. Trim the plastic about even with the sheetmetal structure inside the wheelwell.
Bolt the Hanson brackets to...
Bolt the Hanson brackets to the framerails, set the bumper on them, and loosely bolt the two together. Using a floor jack or a buddy named Jack, raise and align the bumper to the body and tighten the bumper-to-bracket attaching bolts. At this point you might want to spray a little semi-flat paint on all the exposed body-colored sheetmetal. The Hanson bumper is designed to give you maximum clearance ahead of the front tires (which is where bigger tires usually tag the factory bumper on Grands) but this also means some structural parts, once covered by the old fascia, might be a bit too visible if they remain body colored. Some Grand Cherokees also have a charcoal canister that hangs down a bit low on the driver side that you might want to relocate up and out of harm's way.
Finish off your Hanson bumper...
Finish off your Hanson bumper using the included fairlead mount and your favorite winch and fairlead. We found we could reuse the factory Jeep license-plate mount by drilling and tapping three holes on one side of the bumper and out of the way of the winch workings. The front tabs are designed to be filled with shackles of the 3/4-inch by 7/8-inch diameter pin variety (rated for 10,000 pounds). Applying some grip tape from your local hardware store or skateboard shop to the top of the bumper is always a good idea. Winch bumpers provide a great place to step or stand when working under the hood, so be sure to give yourself some secure footing to save shins and chins. The final result is a bumper and winch mount that is as hard-working as it is good-looking.