In 2024, the Jeep Wrangler received many off-road features and technology updates, including a famous 4×4 capability. The new Wrangler doesn’t come with a snorkel, but a Warn winch may be installed in the Rubicon’s front bumper for the first time. How Do Winches Work? Winches move objects by wrapping steel, synthetic, or wire rope around a drum. Off-road automobiles have winches powered by power takeoff, hydraulics, or batteries. Planetary gear reduction spins the drum while pulling the line. The winch can lift the vehicle out of snow, sand, mud, or other problems if one end of the rope is hooked to something stable, such as a tree or a big car. A winch remote usually moves the drum. Winches have permanently moved heavy objects. They’ve gotten increasingly common in the motor industry in 100 years. Trucks, automobiles, and SUVs can use winches from a few hundred pounds to over 10 tons. Off-roaders keep this equipment in their cars to escape or move boulders or trees. Winch installation is complicated. A professional and new bumper or parts are needed to attach a winch to an automobile. The Jeep’s bumpers were “winch-capable.” Winch-capable bumpers accommodate a variety of winches and mounting gear, although they don’t have winches built in. Jeeps were not the first with factory winches. The 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Power Wagon (and the following variants) can be purchased with a 12,000-pound Warn winch. Ford and Ram have long had winches. Ford then advanced two winch war stages. The Tremor Off-Road option on 2020 F-Series Super Duty trucks included a 12,000-pound Warn winch. Then, a 10,000-pound Warn winch was put to the 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Ford Performance’s front bumper [above]. The Warn Zeon winch was designed for the Bronco and crash-tested. Ford Bronco Everglades was the first SUV with a standard winch. Jeep Wranglers have been on and off-road since 1986. Wrangler’s length, headlamps, powertrains, and trim levels have varied. Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts catalogues offer Jeep-backed winches and winch equipment. The factory only offered this vital recovery gear for the front bumper today. Why? Why did you wait to install the original winch? We weren’t told how the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon got a Warn winch, but it wasn’t an accident. First, the new Wrangler’s Warn winch is yet to be available. Jeep said the new winch was created for the Wrangler, even though the 8,000-pound puller looked like the Warn Zeon 8-S. The Warn Zeon 8-S’s drum holds 100 feet of synthetic winch rope. However, this winch’s drum has 90 feet. Jeep-specific fairleads hold the driver-side winch hook. The winch case is lubricated with “automotive grade grease.” Winches show weight. The new Wrangler’s springs and shocks can manage the extra weight, equivalent to mounting a nearly 100-pound winch kit on the Jeep’s hood. The Wrangler’s grille was altered to ensure ample airflow over the radiator’s cooling fins due to its larger front surface. Jeep’s New Winch’s Hidden Issues Jeep’s crash tests made adding a winch to a Jeep easier for consumers than for a Jeep and may have taken so long. Weight, crumple zones, pedestrians, attorneys, and other factors must be considered while modifying a car’s primary sections. Strengthening the bumper—the first point of contact—is crucial. Getting certified costs time and money, and none of these changes are effortless. Why hasn’t the Warn winch been offered aftermarket for the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon since 2003? The Bronco replaced the Jeep. Off-road SUV competition drove it. Oddly, Ford announced a similar alternative for the 2022 Bronco Everglades shortly after this winch. This is a great factory option for the Jeep Wrangler, regardless of why it was added.
