Winch location
 

Im trying to decide where i want to mount a winch. Im planing om making some custom bumpers and need decide before I start. My options are to mount it inside the bumper or mount it on a receiver plate and have a 2in receiver in my bumper. There are pros and cons about each.
Pros: In bumper Pros: Receiver plate
hidden/clean look can move from front to back
less wiring easy access
out of the weather thin steel
Cons: Cons:
cant move it to the back exposed to weather
have to use thicker metal easy to be stolen
not easily accessible more wiring

What would you guys do? I cant make up my mind and its holding me back on getting started on the bumper. Also I dont know a whole lot about winches and was wondering if you ever have to get at them for anything?

ive always been a fan of the reciever type winches. just for the point of you can take them out and put them out of the weather when not in use. so i pretty much only put mine on when offroading or during heavy snow fall.

another cool use i found is you can use them on other peoples vehicles too. if you have a long enough cable to run from their battery to their rear hitch, most trucks tend not to have front hitches. rescued a bronco that way. i figured id get stuck getting back to him so just carried the winch to him

I tossed this around before deciding, too. Ended up going with mounted under/behind the bumper.

One major con, in my mind, for the receiver mount up front is you lose quite a bit of approach angle. I've yet to need a winch on the rear as I always wheel with others.

hmmm. well this isnt helping. lol

Well, do you plan on wheeling with your winch mounted? If you plan on keeping it in the back of your blazer instead of mounted, just keep this in mind.

If you bury your blazer, how hard will it be to put the mount into the receiver, whether in the front or the back?

This was, yet again, one of the determing factors for me. True, I don't have the ability to move my winch from front to back, but I can dig down through the mud, release the clutch and grab my hook to pull the cable out. There would be no way I could mount the winch up front if I were in that situation.

If you don't offroad, I'd say go with the receivers front and back. If you do offroad, mount it inside the bumper and ALWAYS go with at least another truck and have a recovery point on the back.

Such as your receiver!