Have any of you seen a winch setup where the winch can be mounted to a receiver hitch on the front or rear? After all, sometimes you can get only so far in and now its time get out. Looking for pros & cons on this type setup.  

I've seen pictures of them. Basically the winch mounts onto a frame that has a hitch that you slide into a receiver. Pro side is you can move it from front to back, or remove it when you won't need it.....Con side, in my opinion, you have to rely on the hitch pin to keep everything together, whereas a permanant mounted winch has the support of the vehicles frame.  

actually that tiny pin in the 2" receivers will hold up to more strain than any winch can give out. It's a great way to go, it just takes some extra wireing from the front to the back, I've seen some awesome setups with the thermo 9.5 warns. they are light and fairly easy to carry, I have a mile marker sl9500, I though it was gonna break my back when I lifted it up to istall it..  

The hitch on my F-350 will pull a trailer up to 12,500# and is frame mounted. I think it will handle a winch.  

I think it will too.........  

The only real down sides are that you need the extra wiring, and need to have a front receiver installed. And if you have the winch on the front it's kinda exposed and in the way, not tucked into a bumper like a permanent one would be. Besides that it's a great idea!  

I have an 8000lb champion set in a reciever on a large tilt trailer for work. I own an equipment rental co. and have used this set up to pull dead equipment onto the trailer. Most are hydrualic, so they are not rolling loads. With snatch blocks,and multiple rigging, I have hauled on a 16000lb forklift sliding the tires. I also put Recievers on delivery truck front & rear to haul it out when it gets stuck with the same winch. The reciever holds by the force exerted against the sidewalls of the two pieces of tubing, not the pin. (Down Side, easy to steal, thats why the cheap champion winch).  

i think it's a great idea... if it's setup right... they have quick disconnects for jumper cables and whatnot that you can wire in front and back and us them to not only power your winch but have a set of jumper cables setup to use from the same connector...

http://www.competitionengineering.com/catalog/CategoryDisplay.asp?CatCode=11339

http://www.remybattery.com/Departments/Cable--Accessories/Connectors--Lugs-and-Terminals/Industrial-SB-Plugs-and-Accessories-.aspx

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/categories/electrical/wire-connectors/battery-and-cable-connectors  

If you have a snowplow push frame on the front there are hitches that will attach to the plow mount. The quick connectors that can be used for the winch can be used for other things too. As mentioned, jumper cables could be hooked up front or rear which could be a lot safer than having to turn around facing traffic on the side of a busy highway. If you invest in a decent inverter you could use it for that too. Have a generator with electric start? No need to have another battery for it, just wire it up and plug in when needed.

The front hitch is also useful for a lot of things like positioning trailers, boats, etc with a real good view of what you're doing. They make steps that fit into the receiver, and hooks or shackle points. I've even seen a hook/shackle combination.  

One other thing, use decent welding cable to run power to the back. It is heavy enough that you will never have to worry about it since it's made to handle a couple hundred amps on a continuous basis...  

I've given this considerable thought and have started the assembly process. The winch is mounted on 1/4" plate bent up in the front to mount the fairlead. The rear of the plate pivots about 45 degrees each way. I'm working on a pin system to lock it in place(left or right) to make it easier for the cable to center-up on the drum. I've picked up three DC plugin connectors, one for each end and one for the winch (polarity correct).When I figure out how to add pictures I'll show it.  

send me the pics or a link to them and I'll edit them into your thread...  

THATS THE PLAN I HAVE TOO...ITS QUICK AND YOU JUST NEED ONE WINCH... GOTTA BE AGILE THOUGH AND TRY NOT TO TRIP OVER A STUMP OR ROCK WHILE CARRYING THE WINCH...THAT BE THE ONLY DOWNSIZE I SEE...  

Just did this mod to my 1990 Yj yesterday. The plugs everyone is referring to are called Anderson connectors. $20.00 each at places like northern tools. Got mine at A local forklift dealer, for $8.50 each I picked up 30" of 4gauge wire, at Lowes. I ended up with the thicker stand type wire. The best type to use is welding cable (lots of thin strands) Smitty built XRC8 winch, $299.00 @ 4wheel parts. J.C.Whitney sent me A receiver mount winch plate. It came, with A sticker that said TOW READY. I guess so, the shank that goes in the receiver is SOLID 2" square bar. Lots of pro's, with this set-up. Only drawback is that, when you bolt it all together, winch, plate, and roller fairlead, it's god awful heavy. Synthetic rope may help, I'll get that after my wire rope, or my back gives out. Last night I locked up the E-brake on my Heep, and winched it across my yard. Pulled like A champ! One more con, it hangs way out the front, & extra weight is noticeable. Not real bad, but noticeable. But then you can remove it easy enough. for when your not wheeling. Also thinking about A collapsible hand truck, to move winch around, just A thought.  

the hand truck idea is pretty great really...
just bar with a 2" reciever tube welded on... pin's for the tires to be removeable... and a single bar (removeable) for a handle... had ought to collapse down enough to store about anywhere...
especially if you're going to wheel the winch in and out of the garage between wheeling...  the other thing i was thinking was.... if you could seperate the mounting plate and the winch into two pieces... make some pin's to hold it together while winching... maybe some rabbit joint style slide rails too... make it easier to carry around... seperate that weight a bit ...