Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/140126
Warn uses both inner and outer brackets to secure the mount to the frame. Upper piece slides inside the frame horn, while the other wraps around the bottom of the frame rail. Trans4mer kit is an easy bolt-together system. No special tools required. We attached the winch carrier to the uprights first to make one-person installation easier. After the top bumper bolt is removed, the inner mounting bracket is slid into the frame horn. Then the lower bracket is slid over the frame rail from the bottom and bolted in place. If you are upfitting a pickup, like we are, you might consider installing the new Warn Zeon winch – and the companion Trans4mer winch mounting system. Warn's new Zeon line includes winches from 8- to 12,000-pounds pulling capacity in both wire and synthetic rope styles. What makes this winch special is it's a brand new design inside and out. Zeons are sealed against the elements and the planetary drivetrain has been redesigned so it's faster, stronger and quieter than Warn's other winch offerings. You can also easily remove the Zeon's modular, sealed control box and mount it remotely, giving the winch an even sleeker profile than it has already. We put a Zeon 10 on a 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 that we are retrofitting and left the control box in place as it fit the Trans4mer mounting system quite nicely. The 10,000-pound capacity winch will hnadle this ½-ton's needs, be it at work or during weekend outings. Make sure the lower bracket's "ears" are perpendicular with the upright section. Ours was bent down slightly making it impossible for the bracket to fit flush against the bottom of the frame rail. So we used a heavy hammer to drive the center down until the holes aligned side-to-side. Once the brackets are bolted together in front, a ½-inch hole has to be drilled through the frame rail bottom to bolt the rear of both brackets together. Cutting out the panels on each side of the front airdam's license plate holder and making a 1- by 2-inch notch in the lower face on each side is also necessary to get the mounting brackets in place. Installing the Zeon winch is simple: four bolts and it's done. We ran the power cables to the driver's -side auxiliary battery that was installed in our GMC 1500 last year. A floor jack is handy in lifting and holding the grille guard/winch tray in place while the uprights are bolted to the mounting brackets. Warn's Zeon is sleek in profile, sealed against the elements, and has stainless fasteners and clutch lever. Bolt-on headlight guards are just as stout as the winch system. We added Warn's HID driving lights and quick-connect battery jumper cable kit to the Trans4mer uprights while everything was exposed and tools close at hand. SPECIAL THANKS Warn Industries: warn.com, (800) 543-9276 Spears Auto Repair: 18259 Commission Rd, Long Beach, MS; (228) 863-1878 propickupmag.com PROPICKUP 43 PP0613_Warn Zeon How-to.indd 43 5/8/13 8:09 AM