Best4x4, how do you access the winch clutch handle?

I have a cutout in the grill for the clutch handle but not for the solenoid. Will you just pull the grill on the hopefully rare occasions that you need the winch? That's one of the nice advantages of the '03-'04 grill that I too went with; there is no direct connection to the headlight finishers so the grill can be lifted out easily.

I went with an Albright-style contactor instead of the old-fashioned Warn solenoid pack I had and mounted it behind the grill so I didn't need a solenoid cutout.

 

I simply unbolted the side of the winch with the lever and rotated it down. I will post a pic when I get home, but on the Warn M8000 you can rotate the side with the lever. I knew this because the ARB Bumper instructions for my H3 Alpha showed how to do it.

 

The Warn M8000 is honestly a perfect fit with this bumper. Then rotating the assembly down with the lever makes it accessible without having to hack the grill. It's not a massive amount of room, but it's useable and I have medium sized hands.

 

 

All done!!!

 

very nice

 

Is this the bumper? I need a new front bumper and was about to pull the trigger on this one, but because of this thread, I don't want to touch it.

Land Rover Discovery 2 Front Winch Bumper Steel Heavy Duty 1999 2004 | eBay

After re-reading your post, looks like you said the TF009 http://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDe...RNA2106&type=0

Bottom line, will the bumper simply bolt on to my 2002 D2 straight out of the box, as is, with the included hardware? I am afraid to mess with any of these bumpers now, just because I don't want to get one and get ticked off if I have to start cutting metal to fit or buying bolts. :-)

 

No, that one is not the Terrafirma. It has holes for headlight washer jets and extends out further in front than the TF.

 

Thanks!

 

Yep I have the TF009A and it will bolt right on after you cut the lower flat plate off that would sit under the frame. Two quick & painless cuts with a Sawzall and it slid right on then I just had to push it in a bit to get the bolts lined up, and then I used some wood blocks, and a LR jack to level it before I tightened down the 4 bolts (rear two I drilled and installed later before my winch install).

If you have a 99-02 be prepared to cut the grill, but I highly recommend an 03/04 grill and just trimming the headlight finishers. I love the extremely low profile of the TF009A bumper and the washer bottle skid plate (nice touch vs other bumpers which leave it completely exposed).

If I was doing it again I'd know exactly what to do in half the time/effort. It really looks complete with the TF Steering Skid. I went really really really **** about installing the winch without hacking the grill all to pieces. The winch solenoid box looks exposed where I have it, but in reality if off roading the winch fairlead will hit way before the solenoid box does.

The other bumper you have listed made by Bearmach I believe, I had on an 04 D2 and it was not a bad bumper, but it stuck out a good bit. It bolted up with no modifications at all and just required leveling.

On my Kalahari I wanted more of a low profile setup. I've had my share of issues lately with TF's bumper, and steering kit (missing hardware), but overall I am happy with their products.

I am also VERY happy with Lucky8 and they did everything they could to get my situation straightened out, and even left me some awesome goodies in my box.