What I Did to Install a Winch Securely (Jimny Sierra ABA-JB43W)

It was already 4 years ago when I assembled a lift kit (3 inches) for the Jimny Sierra, perhaps because the owner saw through my self-serving personality and cleverly persuaded me.

The exterior appearance, with the body raised about 10 centimeters, was finished in an imposing style that overlooks the world.

Merits and Demerits of Lift up Part 2 (Suzuki Jimny Sierra(Samurai) JB43W)

At that time, the JB23W (Kei Jimny) bumper guard that was brought in simultaneously could not be easily adapted to the JB43W Jimny Sierra regular car, but avoiding extensive modifications, I had made it a temporary specification just enough to support the weight of the guard (partial welding of metal pieces).

The reason it couldn’t be easily installed was that the front end shape of the frame, which is the bumper guard attachment point, was quite different from the Kei JB23W and wasn’t in a clean form.

Later, I added a winch inside the bumper guard, but there were concerns about insufficient strength with the previous pseudo-mount, and it was unknown whether it would really withstand emergency use.

The owner had similar concerns and suggested using thick L-angle material instead of the current metal pieces, but I felt a desire to finish it well since we were going to do it anyway.

So, I decided to fundamentally remake the frame tip structure.

Snap-on’s automatic darkening shield, which has become indispensable for welding work, has impressive performance, allowing me to see the clear state of the molten metal “pool” and providing the great advantage of being able to use both hands.

I decisively cut off the irregularly shaped tip. I combined thick L-angle materials and created a square pipe that fits perfectly into the inside of the vehicle-side frame and inserted it deep inside. I adjusted the protrusion equally on both sides and welded all around at the original frame cut end face.

The protruding part in the red circle is newly created.

The structure uses the high-strength bolts shown in the photo to jointly fasten the winch mount and bumper guard, and thick spacers are placed inside so that the square pipe doesn’t crush and deform when the bolts are tightened to the maximum.

The framework, which I was advancing little by little in between daily work, took a full 3 weeks.
Now you can use the winch with peace of mind.

Jimny JB23W Front Bumper Guard Skid Plate Bull Bar Steel SUZUKI XINDA Price: 22,948 yen (tax included, free shipping) (As of 1/23/2024)