sandog

I was originally thinking about a hidden winch type mount for my 2012 Lariat but discovered that they would not work with the Ecoboost because of the intercooler. Now I'm thinking maybe a portable winch that hooks up to the receiver hitch. Does anyone know of a front 2" hitch that will mount in the "hole" below the front bumper and not have to be mounted under the truck? I'd prefer not to have one that sticks way down low.

MoRogers

The Warn Transformer II works on the eco if i recall. may be worth looking into.

sandog

Thanks, MoRogers. That would be a way to mount a winch. Although I first have to buy the main bracket first with that system ( the one that has a place for a winch, and the grill guard, headlight bar and light bar attach to, so the 2" front receiver bracket wouldn't really be needed for the winch. It seems a lot to hang off the front of the truck just to have a place to bolt the 2" receiver to. This pic is an F-250, but shows what I would have on the front of the truck, and the 2" receiver would bolt under it. KInda ugly, but one way to do it.

driver444

Speaking from experience, I'd avoid a receiver mounted winch on the front, for one reason. If at any point, you need to pull your vehicle sideways, or to the side, you will likely bend the hitch. They're great for a straight pull, but pulling to the side puts a ton (a few tons actually) of force on the hitch, that it isn't really designed to take.

MoRogers

true, is not astatically pleasing, but function > looks imo. as mentioned by [MENTION=13378]driver444[/MENTION], the receiver hitch way may pose a problem if you have to pull at an angle or sideways. 'The' best way to mount a hitch on the eco involves a lot more $$ unfortunately: replacing the CAC with a Full Race one that mounts at the radiator and then install a hidden winch plate that mounts to the frame or get a custom winch bumper. Second to that method is the warn transformer II, followed by your way of adding a hitch up front. in each case your losing something, either $$, capability, or strength, just a matter of what you're willing to deal with I guess.

sandog

Thanks for the replies. The hidden winch mount seems the best but I don't think I want to go to the expense of changing out the intercooler. Not going to be doing a lot of hardcore off roading, so I thought being able to move a winch from front to back receiver hitch would do in a pinch. Knowing that the front receiver is weak with a side pull, I could try to use the couple tree slings and ****** blocks I have to re-direct the pull so the direction to the anchor is more straight on. There are a lot of trees in western Montana ! Thanks.

Viking1204

Hard to believe they don't make a 2" receiver mount to go in that big *** hole in the front bumper, a 2" receiver isn't going to block that much air flow. Sure with a Winch there it might but you're only going to use it when your stuck. You think somebody would come up with something that would work for the Ecoboost.