Fit Winch to Smartbar

[davwal]

Greets y'all!

Any smartbar owners out there have fitted a winch to their winch compatible smartbar?

Easy?...Hard?...PIA??...bar has to come off?...can it stay on??

Dave

[Boo Boo]

I have a whinch on my smart bar and when I took it off to get repaired I had to remove the bull bar.
Pretty easy, only issue I had was a couple of the nuts moulded into the bull bar were spinning.

[Pwoffey]

I have a Sherpa winch on my Smartbar. The Smartbar had to be removed for installation, and would need to be again when I get the winch maintained.


The winch installers had a difficult time installing my particular brand of winch due to the design of the clutch control and accessibility to it, although it all turned out OK in the end. I suspect installation would have been easier had I chosen the only winch that Smartbar guaranteed would fit (at that time the Warn 9000XD). Every winch has its own design, even though the 4 bolt holes for the mounting are pretty much standard. If you don't choose the Warn 9000, then just make sure that you've measured everything up really carefully and have a clear idea how you will get access to the clutch lever when the winch is in place. Also, with my winch, the installer had to fabricate a metal bracket to mount the solenoid box onto, the bracket was then welded to the top of the Smartbar steel winch plate. The Sherpa came with its own solenoid mounting kit, but this was designed to clamp over the top two horizontal tubes of the winch housing itself. This is not possible with the Smartbar. Presumably with the Warn all this would not have been an issue. So to repeat (if you don't go Warn): measure everything at least twice and visualise just how every component of the winch will fit. Good luck!

[davwal]

Thanks guys,


I thought it might have to come off alright. Its a Warn XD9000 so just need to rotate the bits a little and it will fit right in.


Dave

[Doowrag]

I have the Smartbar and Warn XD9000. It was there when i bought it so i cant help with fitting instruction sorry. Can send pics if need be tho

[davwal]

Thanks man,
Shes in getting the bar, winch, suspension and elocker fitted at the moment. Woohoooo!
I could have done alot of it myself but I don't have half the tools Id need anymore and the price was good.
Will be fitting a reversing cam, roof rack from OCAM and Rhino Batwing myself when it comes back.
Then off out the road to Boo for some plate protection.
Will start looking at the electrical, snorkel, diff breathers and all the other goodness thats needed after all that I rekon.
Then it will be done..... wont it??....tell me it ends?...I used to have an old landcruiser 95... it never ended until I sold it...

D.

[redbruce]

I have a Sherpa winch on my Smartbar. The Smartbar had to be removed for installation, and would need to be again when I get the winch maintained.


The winch installers had a difficult time installing my particular brand of winch due to the design of the clutch control and accessibility to it, although it all turned out OK in the end. I suspect installation would have been easier had I chosen the only winch that Smartbar guaranteed would fit (at that time the Warn 9000XD). Every winch has its own design, even though the 4 bolt holes for the mounting are pretty much standard. If you don't choose the Warn 9000, then just make sure that you've measured everything up really carefully and have a clear idea how you will get access to the clutch lever when the winch is in place. Also, with my winch, the installer had to fabricate a metal bracket to mount the solenoid box onto, the bracket was then welded to the top of the Smartbar steel winch plate. The Sherpa came with its own solenoid mounting kit, but this was designed to clamp over the top two horizontal tubes of the winch housing itself. This is not possible with the Smartbar. Presumably with the Warn all this would not have been an issue. So to repeat (if you don't go Warn): measure everything at least twice and visualise just how every component of the winch will fit. Good luck!

I'm considering doing the same. I also see no logic in fitting a Smartbar to save weight and then fitting one of the heaviest (and most expensive) winches around. https://www.sherpa4x4.com.au/blogs/s...-with-smartbar

I've trial fitted a mates Sherpa 17,000 while it was out for maintenance and lookes fine except for access to the clutch accutaor. I figure the 9500 or 12,000 will fit on that basis.

Do you have any photos of installation? Particularly the clutch lever orientation.

[Pwoffey]

Hi Redbruce

First up here are 3 pics taken in early 2017 when I had the Sherpa winch installed. Obviously the SmartBar is off. In my installation, as you face the Paj at the front, the clutch lever in on the left (driver's side). The rope is spooled out over the top of the barrel, rather than under the bottom as would be more usual. The guys at Sherpa said this was perfectly OK. My installer (Opposite Lock) fabricated a small platform/bracket to mount the solenoid box, welded onto the SB's winch plate.





In a subsequent post I'll get some photos of the winch in position with the SB on, showing the rather fraught access to the clutch.

Just remember this was 6 years ago and I'm pretty sure I was the first person to install a Sherpa winch on a Paj with a SmartBar (at least that's what Sherpa reckoned). Your URL seems to suggest there may now be easier installations (even perhaps on a Paj, as well as on Pajero Sport ).

[Pwoffey]

I've just taken a few more pics.
To get access to the clutch lever I reach down through a hole in the plastic garnish in front of the radiator. I would put on a protective long glove if the engine has been running. Of course, the bonnet must be up to get access to this hole. So all in all a bit of a pain, but I'm used to it. Like I said in my previous post, maybe redesign of the Sherpa/SB interface in the last 6 years has improved the situation?

Just enough room for my hand and arm to reach through and down to clutch (anyone with Popeye arms would find it difficult):



Clutch engaged (lever points down):


Clutch disengaged: