I have come across a Warn 2500 Winch and I want to install it on my Rubicon. I sure could use some help in this department. Can someone give me any help or indication on how hard this is going to be. I am going to have to purchase a mounting plate which should be no problem but what else am I going to run into?

Any help, diagram, pics, etc will be greatly appreciated.

 

If you are at all mechanically inclined, the installation is pretty simple. You will need a source of keyed power for the handlebar switch. I like to use the accessory plug, since it is fused and not critical (compared to wires to the ignition switch). I prefer to use solder and shrink tubing instead of the little clamp-on wire tap that comes with the winch, to make a connection that can't pull apart or corrode.

Take your time when it comes to select the best, cleanest routing for the cables to make sure they can't chafe on anything (lots of zip ties), can't get smashed by a rock, and aren't too close to anything hot. Because it is hooked directly to the battery, the positive cable to the contactor is especially important (might want to put it in split loom).

I used a Warn plate on my Foreman, but on the Rincon I got a KFI (Kappers Fabricating Inc) which seems to be the same quality but is much cheaper.

Personally, I like to use blue locktite on stuff, and having some convoluted split loom and maybe some extra zip ties around can be handy.

 

Whats the chance you have a picture of it mounted?

 

I think I only have photos of the Rincon in various stages of install, but I could take a couple of the Foreman (since it's similar to your Rubicon).

Was there anything in particular you wanted a picture of?

 

Any pictures would be great. I am just curious on how it looks from the front. What year is your foreman?

 

It's an 05. There are a few photos of the front of the forman in my gallery, though the winch is submerged in one of them...

 

That is exactly what i was wanting to know. Thanks for the info.

 

About the only other suggestion I could think of is that unhooking the accessory plug where it connects from the main harness may make it easier to get to a good place to tap for your power source.

It's a 2 conductor plug, and if I recall on the Rubicon it will be behind the right front inner fender liner, and I believe it's green. I think the blk/whi wire is the positive one, and green is negative/ground. Most all the connectors will have a tab you have to push to unlock.

Actually, as long as you are messing with it and will have the battery unhooked, it might be a good time to take apart connectors and hit them with some dielectric grease... It would help prevent any future problems, especially if you will be in deeper water/mud a lot. Inner fenders are easy to remove if you need to for better access.

 

Do you think I will need to unhook the fenders?

 

I bought a Warn winch and the mounting kit from Warn and it had very good model-specific instructions for my Foreman. We did remove some plastic to run the wires clear and neat. Being the first time we had done it, while it wasn't hard, it was time consuming. A lot of wires to find places for, the power source, etc, etc. Would go much faster now, but you should expect it to take several hours.