1
To make sure the added weight of the winch and HD bumper left
plenty of clearance for bigger tires, we installed Cognito's 2-inch leveling kit;
an easy
installation as the
spacers sit
on top of
the Ram's
front coils.
2
When push
comes to shove
in the field, it's
always good to have Fab Fours'
Elite Series heavy-duty bumpers
and a big-boy Warn winch that
are up to the job
pers, both front and rear, that
are bolt-on replacements for the
factory thin steel versions.
Their winch-ready, Black Steel
Elite series with the full grill guard
option is ideally suited for this
application.
The front bumper has the
"ranch" look with the big steel
pipe as the top base and sturdy
grill uprights protecting the
truck's nose. Its thick flat-steel
plates serve as both protection
and as a great mounting point
for auxiliary lights (more on these
later.)
Fab Four's Elite-series rear
bumper follows the same build
quality and design. The black
powder-coated bumper comes
ready to accept the OE rear
backup sensors (our Ram didn't
have them on the base SLT
model) and bolts right over the
factory receiver hitch. Function
with form.
Removal of the grill
and front bumper is
necessary to install the
Fab Fours Elite bumper.
It also entails using a
sawzall to cut apart the
frame horn extension
mounting bolt/plates
on each side in order to
remove the frame horns.
3
WARN WINCH
MUSCLE
Heavy Duty Ram 4x4 diesels
are heavy. Load one down with
bigger tires, a bed cap and fill
the bed with a custom "surveyor"
cargo management storage
system, like we intend to do, and
you've got a hoss of a truck.
Get it stuck out in the boonies
and you'd better have some serious winch muscle to get it rolling
again.
Fab Fours'
bumper mounting brackets bolt
directly to the
Ram frame rails
where the frame
horn extensions
used to reside.
No worries here: We have a
Warn M12000 that will find its
way tucked neatly into the Fab
Fours front bumper.
This particular winch probably
isn't what most truck owners
would choose: it's heavy, bulky
and just doesn't look, well, sleek
and pretty. But it's stout.
Our winch choice is all about
function – and the planetarygear-style M12000, which is
considered a "large frame winch,"
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