TOW HOOKS & WINCH MOUNTS

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I have a 2012 F-150 Raptor and I wanted to install the rough country exo winch mount but rough country said it won’t fit the raptor. The winch mount connects to the tow hooks so I’m asking if anyone knows if the tow hooks are the same distance apart on the regular F-150 as the Raptor … I don’t see why it won’t fit or if I could have a welder fabricate something simple …
 

John M BUNMAN

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SKIP THE WINCH- Buy this Heavy Duty come along, MaxTrax and more lights :)
The following is my humble opinion only, no warranty, life coach advice or any other Shixt is implied :)

First, SDHQ OFFRoading out of AZ I believe? Makes a perfect winch mount for the Gen1. I had one in my Gen1 for 9 years and it was the best set I found at the time there wasn’t a lot of Raptor stuff out there yet. I had a Warn Zeon S10.
So winch mount, winch and install was around $2-3k.

Why no winch? I off-road a lot, mostly scenic trails, but some difficult as well. I am usually flying solo and therefore must be ab to Self-Recover/Rescue.
In 9 yrs I used my $3k winch 3x, so a $1k a use if my match is correct:(
My MOST USED RESCUE/RECOVERY tool is my MaxTrax. I’ve used them countless times to save my azzzxzz or someone else’s. Next would be my Kinetic Energy Rope and Recovery Strap. I’ve had trees blocking the trail that I had to remove, I could have winched them out of the way but it was just easier to throw a strap around it and drag it off the road.

If I decided I just had to have a winch, IMHO the best bang for your buck is the Warn Portable winch mount that goes into your receiver with whatever winch you want. There are a few fabrications out there that allow you to put a receiver on the front of your Raptor. Most scenarios that I’ve encountered, it’s always EASIER/SAFER to extract yourself or someone else, back out the way you/they went into the obstacle. So you can see, having the ability to connect your portable winch to your rear receiver is much nicer than having to run your line under your Raptor.

Another FRF had posted this Super Power Puller on a thread and after researching it, watching the video of it used to extract a bobcat stuck in the snow…I of course immediately picked one up.
It is a great alternative to installing winch, still allowing you to Self Rescue or help someone else.

The down side is, I don’t look nearly as Rugged and Sexy as when I had my winch. This can lead to hostile encounters at Starfuxks with the TRD Boys. They mock me and pull my ManBun for not having a winch, recovery boards and empty gas cans hanging all over my Raptor :(

I am assuming a lot of things here about your intended use, off-road experience etc. At any rate I hope this helps

 
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These are the two that I found … the one on the bottom is a hidden winch mount behind the bumper and is meant for the Gen 1 Raptor … I like it but just the plate is $429 and then you have the Rough Country EXO that is for the F-150 but supposedly won’t work on the raptor… this mounts to the factory tow hook locations.. I like it because for $529 it comes with off road lights , new billet tow hooks and a nice looking winch mount …. I was wondering if anyone has mounted this on their raptor ? I’m thinking I can get a welder to make wider brackets or fabricate something if need be to make it work. Just getting thoughts or opinions …
 

602Raptor

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I've used the Rough Country plate with great success:

 

602Raptor

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No modifications. I think I might have purchased some longer Grade 8 bolts to mount the plate and i know I bought new grade 8 bolts for the winch. Its been a great mod for peace of mind, but I haven't ever needed it.
 

602Raptor

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Of course. Back in the day when I did this, there were a few others who also used the Rough Country plate. Provided it's the same plate today, you should not have issues.
 
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There is another company that has a direct fit for the raptor but they want $479 for it and touch country is 1/2 the price and looks just as nice
 
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