Review on Rugged Ridge Winch Mounting Plate for Jeep Wrangler JK (2013-2018) - Stamped Bumper, Steel Construction by Keith Alvord

First off, I got this winch plate for free from Rugged Ridge. My Jeep was used for a test assembly of a pre-production system. As a result, I was presented with one of the first production signs. This was not in exchange for a review but for using my jeep in prototyping the whole thing. However, he sat in my garage for a while, waiting for me to grab some synthetic rope and a few other things. It just happened. The plate is definitely meaty. The winch slots also matched my Warn XD9000i perfectly. I could almost use the middle holes to install it but not really. Intervention when tightening the nuts on the bumper bracket. So I mounted it with staggered holes. On my winch, the slots are pretty far back. The winds almost touch the grate, if not even. But there is still a lot of room ahead. He could easily move half an inch forward. The next problem is one of the fairlead mounting plate bolts interfering with the eyelet on the winch mounting plate. When using the Maximus 3 offset guide plate, the bottom screw on the driver's side will not go in. I will be removing the bumper in the near future to do other work and I don't need to cut the corner of the lip to match the bolt and nut. Those minor issues aside, this is a pretty good alternative to MOPAR or other inserts. However, there are a few things to consider once everything is assembled. The installation instructions call for my winch to be mounted on a plate before reattaching the bumper. I don't know if there is enough room to lower the winch through the hole in the top with the bumper fully installed. - There are small spacers that fit between the frame horns and the nuts. On the inside (where the winch plate is) they run between the winch plate and the frame horns. There is nothing to hold them in place. if space is not tight enough. It's difficult to keep them in place by inserting butt pins through all the holes. keep everything in place and align. - You will need to cut off the frame mount for the vacuum pump. It's a bit of a chore, but you have to do it with all the winch mounts I've found.