Winch Conversion

[NCM]

How difficult is it to convert a non-winch truck to a winch truck? Is it as straight forward as finding the necessary components and bolting them up?

Seems like you would need the winch, driveshaft, winch bumpers, bumper extensions, and PTO

Am I oversimplifying this? Anything I am missing?

[Elwood]

Plus some miscellaneous bits such as the PTO lever and cab floor lever lock.

But (assuming you have a US spec truck), it's basically as you described. The hard (and expensive) part is finding all of those pieces.

If you find an LU4 winch, best to inspect the bronze worm gear inside the left housing BEFORE buying it. These are often worn from use, abuse, and the wrong lubricants. If the gear is trashed, replacements are very expensive, if you can find one.

The PTO assemblies can be worn and abused, too. The cast bracket on the housing that holds the pivot for the shift lever are often broken, but repro replacements were available.

The hardest part of the installation is mating the PTO to the transmission. The PTO housing has to be shimmed to the transmission case to set the proper gear teeth engagement. Easiest to do with the trans out of the truck.

[John Mc]

Tim Holloway added a winch to my truck.

We found a winch with PTO and driveshaft for sale in good condition.

VPW sells the frame extensions. There are a couple of miscellaneous brackets as well, as I recall. I believe VPW sells them as well.

Winch bumpers can be tough to find. Easy to make from a non-winch bumper, however. I had a local fab shop do mine.

[delta31]

Is it extremely difficult to install the PTO on the transmission if the transmission is in the truck?

[Elwood]

Is it extremely difficult to install the PTO on the transmission if the transmission is in the truck?

It can be. The PTO has to be fitted up and the gear mesh measured. If incorrect, the PTO is removed, the gaskets between the PTO and the transmission increased or reduced in thickness, and the PTO re-installed and the gear engagement re-checked. This process can require multiple iterations before the engagement is acceptable. The shift cover has to be removed from the top of the transmission as well, in order to check the gear lash.

I find it much easier to do all of this with the transmission on a stand in the shop instead of repeatedly crawling in and out from underneath the truck.

[NAM VET]

I found on my winch truck, that it is near impossible to access several of the PTO bolts with the system mounted in the truck. And the big bronze gear is at least a thousand dollars if you can even find one. Mine works after a lot of work to free it up and rebuild it, but it would be a lot easier to have a truck winch be non-operating and simply a cosmetic addition. I only used mine once when I ventured too far out into the woods and mud, and don't intend to do that again. Hal

[PoW]

A non-functioning winch?

That is as bad as a trailer queen M37 with no oils in it so it doesn't leak...

PoW

[Argie1978]

If the truck didn't bring a winch from the factory, I don't see the point adding one. I mean an LU model.
One thing is trying to restore the one you got, another different is finding and installing one from scratch.
Is it totally needed? Just do a restomod and install a modern, electric, one.
Just my opinion.

[Elwood]

If the truck didn't bring a winch from the factory, I don't see the point adding one. I mean an LU model.
One thing is trying to restore the one you got, another different is finding and installing one from scratch.
Is it totally needed? Just do a restomod and install a modern, electric, one.
Just my opinion.

When I bought my M37, it had a very abused and non-working Braden MU2 winch (likely from a civilian Power Wagon) cobbled onto the front end. Should I have replaced it with the correct LU4, or a "modern, electric one," or deleted it entirely? No idea if the truck was originally built with or without a winch.

[John Mc]

If the truck didn't bring a winch from the factory, I don't see the point adding one. I mean an LU model.
One thing is trying to restore the one you got, another different is finding and installing one from scratch.
Is it totally needed? Just do a restomod and install a modern, electric, one.
Just my opinion.

My truck was not originally a winch truck. Some previous owner had added a 9000#, 12V electric winch tied to the first battery of the 24V electrical system. Really a poor way to set up a truck for a winch. Even a 24V winch would not be ideal, given the limited charging output on these trucks. I wanted a winch. I'm not a complete purist, but wanted something that fit the look of the truck. I use the truck working in the woods and occasionally use the winch to clear trails or pull a log up to the side of a trail. Yeah, it's a bit less convenient than an electric winch, but it's faster and no low duty cycle to contend with. If I have a lot of such work to do, I use my tractor and logging winch.

I did not want to go the resto-mod route. If a wanted a go-fast truck, I'd just buy and drive a modern one. (However, if someone decides to go that way, that's their choice and their truck.) I don't mind the speed and power limitations of the M37. In my book, it just adds to the character.

[ez8]

I like to take my truck off-road. Sometimes I need a winch, but I think restomods looks completely out of place on these trucks, especially considering mine is all original. Therefore, I found a winch, bumpers, and PTO (already connected to a transmission, lucky me) for a "good" price (varies by individual).

Can it be done? Yes. Is it difficult? Not if you know what you're doing. Is it advisable? If it's what you really want, sure.

It's your truck, do what you want. The perfect examples of these trucks are all in museums so go out and have fun with yours and do what you want with it. In 30, 50, or 100 years, maybe some guy will curse you as "Bubba" or someone on here will clutch their pearls (not likely, this is a good group), but if that's the cost so be it.

[sturmtyger380]

My truck originally did not come with a winch.... but....I found a guy doing a restomod selling his engine, transmission and winch set up for not too much money. The hardest part for me to find was the U joint for the PTO shaft. The guy had thrown it away!

I had to rebuild the whole winch, transmission and PTO.

Here are some of the photos: viewtopic.php?t=6936&start=120

[Argie1978]

Reading all these answers it feels funny because I consider myself as a purist (or at least as purist as one can get doing this truck rescuing). That's why I wouldn't be installing a winch in a truck that didn't come with it. And I would never go for the restomod honestly LOL!..., UNLESS going original ends up being a pain in the butt. Again this is just my opinion and I can give you a hand checking parts here in Europe if you find yourself in trouble.

[Cal_Gary]

I too, added the winch to my non-winch truck. Scrounging up all the bits and pieces wasn't easy and for the winch included a 12-hour round trip to Van Nuys, CA, but I like the look, and the functionality (even though mine is currently off the truck, awaiting rebuild). I got the major parts via eBay at bargain prices: $661 for the LU-4, $180 for the PTO, shifter, AND driveshaft, and $75 for the winch frame extensions!
Those prices would be a pipe dream today, let alone when I scored them 10 or 12 years ago.

When I had my data plate engraved I included "W/W" to indicate "with winch". My build card from Fiat/Chrysler has no indicator of a non-winch model, and since I wasn't doing a 100-point restoration I didn't hesitate to make the changes-they are still M37-correct.
Just my 2 cents,
Gary

[sturmtyger380]

UNLESS going original ends up being a pain in the butt.

Yes staying original has been a pain in the butt. Because everything was slap worn out!! And I want everything to be perfect.

The latest pain has been digging up old photos of when I took things off to see where the stupid wire clips go on the firewall. And what did I do with the clips!! Been searching the parts bin full of plastic baggies.