I was wanting to know if anyone knew a way to mount a winch on a 1997 Limited Explorer. Any ideas just let me know. Need opinions ASAP.

You have a couple of choices.. You can get a Trans4mer winch/grille guard or a front mounted receiver.. You can also do what Jasonb did to mount a winch however from what I understand, its a pain in the ass to turn the levers.

Are u sure they still make the trans4mer for a Limited? Different bumper on a limited.

Are u sure they still make the trans4mer for a Limited? Different bumper on a limited.

whoops.. Looks like they don't make one for a 91-94 Explorer.. Yeah that would be an issue.. I forget that the limited have a different bumper. Your best bet would be to find a local fab shop that can make you a bumper & winch combo. Since you have a 1st gen, trying to find aftermarket bolt on stuff will be difficult to say the least.

He said it was for a 97 Limited

before you decide which road to take, make sure your winch fits where you want to put it - especially if you're hidding it between the bumper and the radiator.

one problem with a hidden winch approach is vertical space and to be more specific - the transmission cooler. i moved mine up about 3 inches by welding new brackets. you can also move the whole cooler unit to another location - though i have no idea where else you can put the cooler in the vehicle's "wetted" area other than in front of the radiator.

Well I am looking for the shop it is one of their customers. He doesn't want a custom bumper. I have a Duff bumper on mine. This is a customer with a 1997 Limited looking to make it look a little better.

Who said it would fit a 1997 Limited?

u did

Got it I was a little lost there guys. Thanks.

I'd go for a bumper & winch combo.. Hopefully I can drag my lazy ass up to PA one weekend so I can get one done.. My bumper has seen a tendency to run into things or should I say things have a tendency to run into my bumper. :D

The 1997 bumpers are plastic right?
I was wondering the frame isn't any different....Why couldn't you just cut holes out for the brakets to go through the bumper?

Here is one approach: Christian's (http://offroadworld.tenmagazines.com/mygallery.asp?id=3935&album=8106)

http://offroadworld.tenmagazines.com/gallery/TulsaSportTrac/96949.jpg

Then, of course, there is jasonb's. Both are great mounts!! :thumbsup:

I mounted mine in between the front two frame rails on mine on top of a front reciever hitch mounted upside down with a winch plate mounted on top of that with the winch bolted to the plate, looks alomst exactly like lizardtrac's.

The 1997 bumpers are plastic right?

If the 97 bumpers are the same as the 98s, which I assume is true, then there should be metal (steel) in those bumpers. try sticking a magnet to it.

We were just wondering because if the majority is plastic then we could just drill holes out to make a non-limited brashgaurd work. Any help jsut let me know?

You saw mine at Tellico I assume. Its really not difficult to do. And after using a few times, its actually rather easy to use. In the beginning I thought it would difficult to move the engagement lever but that turned out to not be the case. The only thing bad about the design is that I had to cut the front bumper up enough that when I remove the winch in a few months, its gonna look like crap!

Yea I really liked yours. I am not sure that this guy wants to cut his bumper. We are really thinking of trying to make a trans4mer work. Just have to check and see the difference between the bumpers.

Does anyone know the differences between the regular and the limited 1997 bumpers?

I'm pretty sure that it is only the airdam that is different. Anybody know???

Thats what I was thinking....So I am pretty sure we could just cut slots in the air dam to make it work... Am I correct?Anyone

probably so. i think the airdam is the only difference. you may not need to cut anything but a good blade on a razor knife will make quick work of some slots.

Alright thanks guys. I will find out tomorrow just what were are looking at. I think the guy is going to give the trans4mer a try and we will see if it works. Thanks guys.